What’s an Added Sugar?

Total sugars include sugars found naturally in foods plus added sugars which are sugars added during processing of the food. There is no Daily Value (DV) for total sugars because there is no recommended limit on the total amount of sugar a person should eat in a day. However, the DV for added sugars is 50 grams per day for a 2,000-calorie diet.

Added sugars are found in a variety of foods including beverages, baked goods, desserts, and even “healthy” foods like granola bars and yogurt. Consuming too many added sugars may make it difficult to obtain other nutrients and still stay within caloric limits. The Nutrition Facts label includes the amount of added sugars per serving of food.

Check out this label from a container of strawberry yogurt:

This label indicates that 16 of the 22 grams of total sugar are added sugars. That is 32% of the recommended daily consumption of added sugars!

Here’s a general guide provided by the FDA:

• 5% DV or lessis a LOW source of added sugars

• 20% DV or moreis a HIGH source of added sugars 1

Consuming too much added sugar can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, and other health problems.

• Drinking just one regular cola per day increases the risk of Diabetes Type 2 by 26%.2

• In one study, men who consumed on average of one can of a sugary beverage per day had a 20% higher risk of heart attack.3

• In another study, women who consumed more than two servings of a sugary beverage each day had a 40% higher risk of heart attack or death from heart disease than women who rarely drank those beverages.4

For more information about added sugar and FDA Nutrition Facts https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/added-sugars-new-nutrition-facts-label

For more information on health consequences of added sugars https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugary-drinks/

1. Nutrition, C. F. F. S. a. A. (2022). Added sugars on the new Nutrition Facts label. S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/added-sugars-new-nutrition-facts-label

2. Malik, V., Popkin, B. M., Bray, G. A., Després, J., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2010). Sugar-Sweetened beverages and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 33(11), 2477–2483.

3. De Koning L, Malik VS, Kellogg MD, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sweetened beverage consumption, incident coronary heart disease, and biomarkers of risk in men. Circulation. 2012 Apr 10; 125(14):1735-41.

4. Fung TT, Malik V, Rexrode KM, Manson JE, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sweetened beverage consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2009 Feb 11; 89(4):1037-42