How Much Sugar Is Allowed for People with Diabetes?

Sugar is often portrayed as a villain or main culprit when the topic of diabetes comes up.

While sugar does play an important role in the context of this condition, several misconceptions exist about people with diabetes being able to consume sugar.

People with diabetes can eat food and drink beverages that contain sugar. But just like everything, moderation is key.

This article will give you more information about the role that sugar plays in diabetes and glucose management, and how to approach it in appropriate and balanced ways.

Clinical guidelines or recommendations about anything, including sugar consumption by people with diabetes, are just that: guidelines. They are meant to guide many people to stay as healthy as possible.

Expert opinions differ on how much sugar is recommended each day.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that only 5 to 10% of your calories be from added sugars, or “free sugars. ”
• In the United States, that recommendation is the same, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That translates to 12 teaspoons per day when following a 2,000-calorie diet.
• However, the American Heart Association advises limiting sugar to 6% of total calories per day. That means a limit of 7.5 teaspoons per day for a 2,000-calorie diet.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentions that the average intake of added sugars was 17 teaspoons per day — or 19 teaspoons for men and 15 teaspoons for women — for Americans ages 20 and over in 2018.

If you’re used to eating a lot of sugar, you may want to reduce your intake to help manage blood glucose levels and keep them in target range.

Carbohydrates count, too

Calories and sugar are not the only things that matter when looking at a nutrition label. Carbohydrates are just as important for people with diabetes.

It’s important to keep in mind that carbs break down into sugars. So just because you see “no sugar” on a nutrition label, that doesn’t mean it’s free of any blood sugar effect. Carbs impact glucose levels just like forms of sugar do.

The American Diabetes Association does not recommend a specific daily carb limit for people with diabetes because it’s so individualized. However, the average American diet contains about 250 grams of carbs per day, and that’s too high for most people with diabetes.

If you decide to try carb counting, you’ll need to know the total grams of carbs in the foods or drinks you’re planning to consume and have a reasonably accurate estimation of the serving size.

One carb serving contains about 15 grams. However, a carb serving might not match what you’d normally consider a serving of food, so you’ll need to carefully balance carb servings and serving sizes.

You can learn more about carb counting here.

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Of course, everyone is different. Your weight, activity level, nutritional needs, and your body’s reaction to factors that affect your blood sugar levels will differ from those of another person with diabetes.

You and your diabetes care team should discuss your situation, including your history of managing your blood sugar levels, to determine how much sugar you can eat in a typical day. This can vary, too, depending on what type of diabetes you have and any medications you take.

Some people may worry that eating sugar will lead to diabetes, but diabetes is much more complex. Plus, your body does need some sugar to function. According to the National Institutes of Health, one type of sugar called glucose is an important source of fuel for your body and your brain.

The sugar in your body comes, in part, from carbohydrates. After you eat, your body breaks down the food you eat as you’re digesting, which sends glucose into your bloodstream.

Simple carbohydrates like candy or fruit break down quickly, sending a quick burst of sugar into your bloodstream. More complex carbohydrates like pasta break down more slowly and deliver a steadier dose of sugar over time.

If you don’t have diabetes, your pancreas will respond to the influx of sugar by releasing a hormone called insulin, which works to move that sugar out of your blood and into your cells to use as fuel.

However, if you have diabetes, your pancreas may not respond by producing enough (or any, in some cases) insulin to do the job. The sugar can build up in your bloodstream, which can eventually damage your blood vessels and cause other complications.

Different types of diabetes

Here’s what to know about each of the main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes (T1D): This autoimmune condition is when your pancreas is no longer able to produce any or enough insulin to help you naturally regulate your blood sugar (glucose) levels. You must take insulin (injection, insulin pump, inhaled) so your body can move the glucose into your cells from the bloodstream for energy. Roughly 5% to 10% of people with diabetes have this type.
• Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA): Sometimes known as type 1.5 diabetes, this is another name for type 1 diabetes diagnosed in adults.
• Type 2 diabetes (T2D): Those with T2D have developed a resistance to insulin, so it doesn’t work efficiently to move sugar from the bloodstream into your cells. Over time, your pancreas may also stop producing insulin. While many people use lifestyle measures (diet, exercise) to manage their T2D and keep blood sugars steady, many also take medications (like insulin or metformin) to manage their condition. T2D is the most common form, with roughly 90% of people with diabetes living with this type.
• Gestational diabetes: Some people develop diabetes during pregnancy, which often requires them to take insulin until delivery.

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It’s a common misconception that people with diabetes need to give up sugar and go sugar-free for the rest of their lives.

In other words, yes, people with diabetes actually can still eat sugar. They can eat foods with added sugars and also other foods containing carbohydrates that get broken down into sugar inside the body.

People with diabetes need to be careful about how much sugar they consume. The key word is “moderation,” according to the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.

Addressing diabetes stigma

No one chooses to have diabetes — regardless of the type. Food choices and lifestyle habits can play a part in developing type 2 diabetes, but science is also clear that genetics play a part in the development of this condition.

The most common diabetes stigma is the perception that people with diabetes are responsible for developing diabetes. Eating too much sugar does not directly cause diabetes.

Stigmatizing people by mentioning they are “eating too much sugar” or taking other actions to cause their diabetes can be damaging to that person’s mental health. A 2020 study shows a link between stigma to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress.

You can consider joining the American Diabetes Association’s online support community or visit diaTribe’s dStigmatize page for more information and resources.

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Limiting sugar content overall is a smart choice. A few commonly recommended strategies include:

• Try eating smaller portions to reduce your daily calorie count.
• Eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits, grains, and low fat dairy, to get the most nutritional bang for your buck.
• Choose foods with lower amounts of fat.
• Watch out for highly processed foods, which may contain a lot of added sugars.
• Limit sugar-sweetened beverages. Instead, try substituting with a lower sugar option or choosing water more often.

You can also learn how to count carbohydrates. Many people with diabetes count carbs to help them keep track of what they’re eating so they can manage their blood sugar levels better.

According to the CDC, if you are overweight, you may help reverse prediabetes and delay or prevent type 2 diabetes by shedding 5% to 7% of your body weight. As this is not the only way to prevent type 2 diabetes and it may not be necessary for everyone, it’s best to speak with your doctor first.

If you have diabetes, you don’t have to resign yourself to a life without sugar. But you do need to be mindful of how much sugar you consume and how it affects your ability to control your glucose levels.

This includes not only sugary sweets but beverages and anything with carbohydrates, as those convert into sugar in your body. Your diabetes care team can help you design a plan that helps you achieve a healthy balance.

How many grams of sugar can you eat per day?

The average person in the United States consumes around 17 teaspoons, or 71.14 grams, of added sugar per day, which far exceeds recommended limits.

A gram (g) of sugar contains about 4 calories, which means that many people consume almost 270 calories a day from added sugar alone.

People sometimes describe calories from sugar as “empty calories” because they do not provide any nutrients.

Eating too much sugar can increase a person’s risk of many health problems, including weight gain, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and tooth decay.

In this article, we look at the recommended sugar limits for different types of people and provide information on how to reduce the intake of sugar.

Share on PinterestRecommended daily sugar limits vary depending on age and sex.

Discretionary calories are those that are left over once a person has met their daily nutritional needs.

A person who has consumed calories from high-nutrient foods throughout the day can use up this extra calorie allowance on treats, such as sugary or fatty foods.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend that sugary foods comprise no more than half of a person’s daily discretionary calorie allowance.

This allowance differs for men, women, and children.

Men

According to AHA guidelines, most men should consume no more than 150 discretionary calories of sugar per day. This is equivalent to 38 g or 9 teaspoons (tsp) of sugar.

Women

Women should use no more than 100 discretionary calories on sugar per day. This is around 25 g or 6 tsp of sugar.

Children

Children between the ages of 2 and 18 should consume no more than 25 g, or 6 tsp, of added sugar daily.

People with diabetes

Diabetes makes it difficult for the body to use glucose effectively. Since the body converts both naturally occurring and added sugars into glucose, people with diabetes must monitor their overall sugar intake.

But some foods affect blood glucose levels more than others, depending on their glycemic index (GI). Foods with a higher GI raise blood glucose more than foods with a lower GI.

A person with diabetes should regularly check their blood glucose level to ensure that it is within a safe range. This range will vary slightly from person to person.

Avoiding added sugars and focusing on consuming the right amounts of fiber and nutrient-dense carbohydrates from whole foods can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Share on PinterestHoney and maple syrup are examples of natural sugars manufacturers add to foods.

Certain whole foods contain naturally occurring sugars.

For example, fruits and some vegetables contain the sugar fructose, and milk contains a sugar called lactose. These foods also contain nutrients and may be sources of dietary fiber.

Added sugars are sugars or caloric sweeteners that manufacturers put in foods or drinks.

Added sugars can be natural or chemically manufactured. A type of sugar can be “natural” (i.e. unprocessed) without being “naturally occurring.”

Examples of natural sugars that manufacturers add to provide sweetness include honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar.

Even fructose and lactose qualify as added sugars in many processed foods.

Examples of added sugars to look for on food labels include:

• refined white sugar
• brown sugar
• raw sugar
• invert sugar
• malt sugar
• coconut sugar
• molasses
• syrup
• maple syrup
• corn syrup
• high-fructose corn syrup
• corn sweetener
• honey
• fruit juice concentrates
• sugar molecules ending in “ose,” such as fructose, glucose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose

People can reduce their intake of added sugar by:

Avoiding liquid sugar

Share on PinterestJuices and smoothies can be high in sugar

Liquid sugar is in soft drinks and juices. The body digests it more quickly than the sugar in foods, and as a result, liquid sugar causes a greater spike in blood glucose levels.

If a person drinks sugary liquids on a regular basis, the repeated spikes in blood glucose can overload the pancreas and liver, causing health problems.

Sodas tend to contain the highest amounts of liquid sugar. A 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 tsp of sugar, or 130 empty calories.

The following drinks may also contain liquid sugar:

• fruit juices and smoothies
• high-energy drinks or sports drinks
• chocolate or flavored milk

Avoiding packaged foods

Research suggests that about 75 percent of packaged foods in supermarkets contain added sweeteners.

Examples of packaged foods that may contain added sugar include:

• candies and chocolate
• desserts
• breakfast bars
• breakfast cereals
• yogurt
• savory snacks
• sauces and salad dressings
• milk and soy beverages
• canned, frozen, and dried fruit

Swapping added sugars for natural alternatives

The following tips can help a person replace the added sugar in their diet with more healthful alternatives:

• Try adding mint leaves, cucumber, berries, or citrus fruit to plain or sparkling water.
• Swap sweets and desserts for fruit, but avoid canned fruit in syrup.
• Prepare homemade sauces and salad dressings.
• Replace store-bought granola and snack mixes with homemade varieties that include unsweetened dried fruits and non-frosted wholegrain cereals.
• When cooking or baking, use unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas instead of sugar.
• Stop using sugar in tea and coffee or reduce the amount.
• Use herbs and spices instead of sauces that contain added sugar.

Trying sugar alternatives

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) contain few or no calories.

Researchers have investigated whether replacing sugary foods and drinks with sugar-free options containing NNSs may help people consume fewer calories and maintain a healthy weight. They have reached differing conclusions.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the following NNSs for use in food:

• acesulfame K, such as Sweet One
• advantame
• aspartame, such as NutraSweet and Equal
• neotame
• saccharin, such as Sweet’N Low
• sucralose, such as Splenda

Stevia is another type of NNS that the FDA consider to be “generally recognized as safe. ” This means that experts agree that recommended amounts are safe to use.

It is best to limit the intake of NNSs and pay attention to overall calories consumed per day, as NNSs can lead to cravings and overeating.

Emerging research suggests that artificial sweeteners may have negative effects on metabolism, gut health, and cravings, but confirming these findings will require more research.

The average person in the U.S. consumes an excessive amount of added sugar, and experts have linked high sugar consumption to a range of diseases.

People can reduce their health risks by cutting down on the amount of added sugar in their diet. This may require a person to carefully check food and drink labels for different forms of sugar.

People can also gain more control over their sugar intake by preparing homemade meals and snacks using fresh, whole produce.

Shameful questions about diabetes mellitus Is it true that you can’t eat sugar, but you need to inject insulin all your life? — Meduza

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As of 2015, 4.4 million Russians have diabetes, including approximately 30,000 children and adolescents. And the number of sick people is constantly growing. Many of us have relatives, friends or acquaintances who are familiar with the problem firsthand, but not everyone knows how this disease manifests itself and how to live with it. Meduza and Accu-Chek have already talked about diabetes, and now we are answering the most common questions about this disease.

Is diabetes mellitus when you can’t eat sweets and you constantly need to check your blood sugar level?

Roughly speaking, this is true. By the way, diabetics can eat foods with sugar, but in limited quantities, the main thing is to monitor the level of sugar in the blood. You need to check several times a day. It is important to understand that diabetes is not a disease of the sweet tooth. Thus, the occurrence of type 1 diabetes is not associated with excessive consumption of sweets. It develops when a person’s immune system attacks their own pancreas, causing it to no longer produce insulin. In the case of type 2 diabetes, sugar is only indirectly the cause of the disease – it does not cause diabetes by itself. As a rule, type 2 diabetes appears in people who are overweight, which often leads to unlimited consumption of high-calorie foods, including sweets.

Other than sugar, what else should be limited? You can, for example, simply replace sugar with honey – is it healthy?

To create a healthy diet plan for diabetes and take into account the characteristics of your body, it is best to contact a nutritionist. But there are also general recommendations. For example, it is advisable to eat three times a day at the same time and avoid fatty and high-calorie foods. You need to switch to “healthy” carbohydrates, which are found in fruits, legumes (beans, peas and lentils) and low-fat dairy products.

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If you have diabetes, it is important to eat plenty of fiber, which is found in nuts, vegetables, whole grain flour and wheat bran. Fish can be a good alternative to meat: it is advisable to eat it twice a week, but not fry, but steam or bake. But replacing sugar with honey will not work – it is even more harmful for a person with diabetes than sugar. It’s the same story with agave nectar and maple syrup, which are offered in stores as a healthy alternative to sugar.

And how do you know which foods are bad and which ones you should lean on?

For example, using the glycemic index, this is a measure of the rate at which the carbohydrates contained in the product are absorbed by the body and increase blood sugar levels. But there are many nuances and difficulties here. You should also carefully study product labels – however, manufacturers sometimes do not indicate the actual amount of sugar, for example, in juices. In this case, pay attention to whether the product contains honey, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, molasses and hydrolyzed starch – this is all the same sugar, only under a different name. Also, some manufacturers indicate the amount of added sugar in the product, but do not indicate how much fructose it contains. Therefore, it is better to replace all fruit drinks, juices and smoothies with fresh fruits, which have a lower glycemic index.

It is important to keep in mind that many low-fat foods also contain sugar. When choosing what to buy and eat, keep in mind that ideally you should consume no more than about 25 grams of sugar per day. The maximum daily intake of sugar for children 4-7 years old without diabetes is 19 g (5 teaspoons of sugar), for children 7-10 years old – 24 g (6 teaspoons of sugar), for everyone over 11 years old – 30 g (7 teaspoons of sugar).

People with diabetes should avoid high-fat dairy products, processed meats (say goodbye to sausages and bacon), and baked goods. It is important to understand that for a person with diabetes, not only foods high in sugar are harmful, but also fatty and high-calorie foods. In general, if you adhere to the basic principles of a healthy diet, keep an eye on the portion size and the amount of carbohydrates – you are on the right track.

If you accidentally ate (well, you couldn’t resist) something sweet and harmful – what will happen and what to do?

Two hours after eating, your blood glucose will peak and you may feel tired. In such a situation, you need to measure the sugar level as you usually do it and adjust the dose of insulin. Such breakdowns and indulgences, if they occur from time to time, make it difficult to control blood sugar levels.

Try to eat less sweets. This does not mean that they need to be abandoned once and for all (this is a myth). Sometimes you can afford a little sweet, but only as a treat and in no case to satisfy hunger and a quick snack. And for some people with diabetes, sugary drinks or glucose tablets are even necessary when blood glucose levels are too low.

Photo: sebnem koken / Alamy / Vida Press

Switching to sweets marked “for people with diabetes” is also not worth it: they contain fructose and sorbitol, saturated and trans fats. They, like regular sugar, affect blood sugar levels and often turn out to be even more high-calorie than regular sweets. It’s better to buy chocolate with a high cocoa content (you won’t eat much anyway) or chocolate with fruit rather than nut filling (nut is more high-calorie) – eat it little by little and slowly, enjoying the taste.

Do you have to take insulin shots every day for the rest of your life, or only when your blood sugar level rises?

If you have type 1 diabetes, the shots will need to be given daily. If insulin is not used, the person will simply die. And no, this is not “insulin addiction”: if you assert the opposite, then it will be necessary to admit that for all people air is a drug, because they cannot live without it. In type 2 diabetes, sugar-reducing pills may be prescribed first, but if they do not help, then insulin is prescribed.

Is it possible to do sports with diabetes or do you need to protect yourself from any physical activity?

Everything is individual here – only a doctor can tell you more precisely. However, moderate exercise is known to be beneficial for diabetics, as muscle movement leads to increased uptake of sugar by muscle cells – and due to this, blood sugar levels decrease. For people with type 2 diabetes, exercise is a must: they help control weight. It is recommended to spend 150 minutes a week on any aerobic activity (exercises that increase the heart rate and make you sweat) – brisk walking, easy running, cycling, water aerobics, tennis and the most common badminton will do.

Photo: Cultura Creative (RF) / Alamy / Vida Press

When exercising, you need to take precautions and remember that moderation is important in everything: due to too much exercise, sugar levels can drop sharply. By the way, there are specially trained dogs abroad that can smell a dangerous drop in blood sugar during training and let the owner know about it.

People with diabetes are said to be less likely to heal any kind of wound. This is true?

This is often true. High blood glucose levels caused by diabetes damage blood vessels and nerve endings. Because of this, blood circulates poorly in the arms and legs – this greatly complicates the process of skin restoration and wound healing. Moreover, if the wound is open and has not healed for several months, gangrene may develop in some cases. Exactly for this reason, it is very important for a person with diabetes to control open wounds, abrasions, cuts and blisters on the legs and be sure to treat them properly.

Does diabetes affect sexual life?

Yes. Approximately 50% of men and 25% of women experience sexual problems or loss of sexual desire due to diabetes. In men, diabetes can lead to diabetic neuropathy and consequently problems with erection and orgasm (one in three men with diabetes suffers from erectile dysfunction). All emerging disorders must be discussed with the doctor, he will tell you which of the problems can be treated. In women, diabetes can provoke inflammation of the genital organs, the appearance of thrush and cystitis.

Well, is it possible to give birth to children, or will the child also be born with diabetes?

It is up to you to give birth or not. But whether a child will have diabetes depends on many factors. In most cases, type 1 diabetes develops when a child inherits a predisposition from both parents. If the father has type 1 diabetes, the chance that the child will have diabetes is approximately 6%. If a woman with type 1 diabetes gives birth to a child before the age of 25, then for the child the risk of developing this disease is 4%, and if after – then 1%. If both parents have type 1 diabetes, then the risk of developing diabetes for the child will be 10-25%.

Photo: Dmitry Neiman / Photobank Lori

If a woman has type 2 diabetes (diagnosed before age 50), then the risk that the child will have diabetes is 14%. If he was diagnosed after 50 years, then the risk of developing diabetes in a child is 8%. If both parents have type 2 diabetes, then the risk of its occurrence in a child is 50%.

Can I make sure I don’t have diabetes?

Of course, but only in the case of type 2 diabetes – type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented. You need to eat right and be physically active. If you are overweight, then starting from the age of 40, you also need to regularly check your blood sugar and monitor blood pressure.

There are contraindications, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

The dietitian called the allowable amount of sugar per day

. Roskachestvo expert revealed a way to detect hidden sugar in foods -6 teaspoons, said the expert of Roskachestvo, endocrinologist, nutritionist, candidate of medical sciences Elena Syurakshina. She explained that it was precisely the added sugar that could be hidden in the most unexpected foods.

“A norm of 25 g is all the added sugar that we consume during the day. This amount also includes the sugar that you add to tea, compote or porridge, and desserts, and other products to which the manufacturer adds sugar, such as sweet soda or sauces. But natural sugars, which are naturally found in some products (for example, in fruits or dairy products) are not included in these 25 g.

According to the expert, in order to calculate the amount of sugar, it is enough to carefully read the information on food packages. So you can understand that in fruit yogurt there are more than 15 g of sugar per 100 g, and in sweet drinks – more than 10 g per 100 ml.

Syurakshina explained that the following foods have the most added sugar.

• Sauces (e.g. tomato ketchup) – 20-30g sugar per 100g
• Mayonnaise – 10-15 g of sugar per 100 g.
• “Fruit” yoghurts – 20-25 g of sugar per 100 g.
• Muesli with fruit – 30-40 g of sugar per 100 g.
• Instant porridge – 15-17 g sugar per 100 g.
• Bread with seeds and dried fruits 5–7 g sugar per 100 g.
• Sausages and sausages – up to 20 g of sugar per 100 g.
• Canned fruit – 10-15 g of sugar per 100 g.
• Sweet sodas – 10-15 g of sugar per 100 ml.
• Packaged nectars and fruit drinks – 8-10 g of sugar per 100 ml.
• Liqueurs – 30-40 g of sugar per 100 ml.

An expert from Rospotrebnadzor said that it is impossible to completely give up sugar. The body will react negatively to glucose deficiency, which will be expressed in metabolic disorders, weakness, sleep problems and prolonged depression. It is better to be aware of the beneficial and harmful properties of sugar.

Benefits of sugar

• Quickly restores strength. Sugar gives a quick burst of energy, which is important in cases where a person needs to quickly recuperate (for example, after exhaustion or a hard day’s work).
• Glucose energy provides metabolic processes, the brain and spinal cord, muscles, liver, spleen need it.
• Glucose helps the liver to form special acids that ensure the neutralization of toxic substances by the body (in case of poisoning or various liver diseases, sugar is taken orally or saturates the blood with a glucose solution).
• A small amount of sweets makes it easier to endure stress, it is important not to get carried away with this habit.

The harm of sugar

Sugar itself is not harmful, stresses nutritionist Syurakshina, the threat is fraught with its excess.

“With excessive consumption of sweets or soda, the body cannot cope with the complete processing of sugar and begins to accumulate fat. After this distribution of excess in the cells, the blood sugar level decreases and the body begins to send a signal again that it is still hungry. The most common problem for sweet lovers is being overweight, and regular high blood sugar can trigger the development of diabetes due to the fact that the pancreas stops producing the amount of insulin the body needs.”

Also, an excessive passion for sweets leads to dental caries, skin diseases. Sugary drinks are especially dangerous high in sugar, they increase cholesterol and glucose levels, disrupt fat metabolism and cell function, which leads to narrowing of the arteries and an increase in fat volumes.