How Much Sugar Can a Diabetic Have?- K Health

Type 2 diabetes affects around 415 million people around the world. When not properly managed, type 2 diabetes can pose significant health risks, including an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and death. 

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that there is strong evidence to support the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of nutrition therapy as part of the medical management of diabetes. Nutritional therapy aims to help people with diabetes maintain their glycemic targets, achieve their weight management goals, and improve their cardiovascular risk factors (including high blood pressure) and overall quality of life.

Importantly, nutritional therapy is not a one-size-fits-all solution and should be tailored to suit an individual’s lifestyle, medical history, health goals, and socioeconomic environment. Put simply, how much sugar a person with diabetes can have varies from individual to individual. What matters is that they eat a balanced and healthy diet, and in most cases, keep track of their total carbohydrate intake.  

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How Much Sugar Can People With Diabetes Have?

The World Health Organization recommends that all adults (not specifically those with diabetes) limit their consumption of added or free sugars to 5-10% of their total calorie intake. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans also recommends limiting added sugar intake to a maximum of 10% of total calories. However, these guidelines are not specific to people with diabetes and refer to added sugars only, not natural sugars present in many foods, including fresh fruits, dairy, starches, and some vegetables.

Keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range is important for every person, but for someone with diabetes, maintaining target blood sugar levels is even more critical. Over time, unstable blood sugar levels in people with diabetes can lead to serious health problems, including hyperglycemia, nerve, kidney, and heart damage. 

Though monitoring sugar intake is important, there is no overarching guideline for the broad spectrum of people affected by diabetes. Instead, the ADA recommends that people with diabetes work with their healthcare providers to create individualized eating plans that take into account their current eating patterns, preferences, and metabolic goals.  

Do Carbs Count?

Yes, carbs count. When we talk about sugar, especially in the context of diabetes, most people immediately think of candy, cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats or desserts. Though these foods can be especially high in sugar, there are other carbohydrates that contain sugar that are important to keep track of when you have diabetes. 

There are three different types of carbohydrates:

1. Sugars: These include natural sugars found in fruit and milk as well as added sugars found in candy, soft drinks, and other packaged foods.

2. Staches: Sugar from starches can be found in foods like wheat, oats, and starchy vegetables like corn, potatoes, or lentils.

3. Fiber: The component found in plant-based foods that isn’t digested by the body.

Importantly, both sugars and starches raise your blood sugar when they’re consumed, but fiber doesn’t.

People with diabetes should monitor their total carbohydrate intake, not just their intake of added sugars. Though different types of carbs can affect your blood sugar levels differently, monitoring your total intake will help you maintain your target blood sugar levels throughout the day.

Should People With Diabetes Eat Sugar?

It’s important for people with diabetes to eat a healthy and balanced diet, which includes foods that contain sugars, like fruit, dairy foods, grains, beans, and starchy vegetables. It’s best for everyone—whether they have diabetes or not—to limit their intake of foods with added sugars.   

Why Limiting Sugar Is Important for Managing Diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes have difficulty producing or responding normally to insulin, which makes it harder for their body to keep blood sugar levels within a normal range. Monitoring your sugar intake helps keep your blood sugar levels within an optimal range (as defined by your healthcare provider).

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Tips to Limit Sugar Intake

There are several strategies for healthy eating for people with diabetes, including:

• The Plate Method: At every meal, divide a nine-inch plate into three sections: half of your plate should contain non-starchy vegetables (like spinach, kale, or tomatoes), one quarter of your plate should contain lean protein (like chicken or fish), and the final quarter should contain grains or starchy vegetables (like rice or potatoes).

• The Glycemic Index (GI): This measures how quickly foods can cause your blood sugar to rise when eaten. Using the GI can help you prioritize foods that do not cause blood sugar spikes.  

No two people’s health and health goals are the same. The best and most effective way to limit your sugar intake in a sustainable way is to work with your healthcare provider and/or a registered dietitian to ensure you’re eating an optimized diet for you and your body. 

Managing Diabetes With K Health

Working with a primary care provider whom you trust is an important step in managing your diabetes. At K Health, you can connect with a virtual primary care provider to manage your diabetes. If you’ve never been diagnosed with diabetes but are experiencing new symptoms, including frequent urination, increased hunger, or increased thirst, you can reach out to a provider at K Health to discuss diabetes testing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much sugar can a diabetic have in a day?

There is no one-size-fits-all recommendation for people with diabetes. If you have diabetes, work with your healthcare provider to develop an individualized eating plan that suits your unique health goals.

Can diabetics have any sugar?

Yes, diabetics can eat sugar in moderation, especially natural sugars from foods like fruit, dairy, beans, and starchy vegetables. If you have diabetes, contact your primary care provider for an individualized assessment and healthy eating goal plan.

K Health articles are all written and reviewed by MDs, PhDs, NPs, or PharmDs and are for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.

K Health has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions,
and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references.

• Carb Counting. (2022.)
  https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/eat-well/diabetes-and-carbohydrates.html

• Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity. (2016.)
  https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity

• Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease: Clinical Insights and Vascular Mechanisms. (2018.)
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5953551/

• Nutrition Therapy for Adults With Diabetes or Prediabetes: A Consensus Report. (2019.)
  https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/42/5/731/40480/Nutrition-Therapy-for-Adults-With-Diabetes-or

• Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2019, Abridged for Primary Care Providers. (2019.)
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6336119/

• What is the appropriate upper limit for added sugars consumption? (2017.)
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5916235/

Can You Get Diabetes From Eating Too Much Sugar?

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Diabetes is a medical condition in which the body is not able to process sugar normally. It is caused by a mismatch between the amount of sugar in the blood and the hormone insulin. This hormone is produced by specialized cells in the pancreas. Insulin lowers blood sugar by allowing it to enter our cells.

Diabetes affects more than 1 in 10 Americans, with more than 1 in 5 being undiagnosed. Most individuals affected with diabetes—more than 90%—have type 2 diabetes, a condition where the body becomes resistant to insulin. As for type 1 diabetes, it is caused by the immune system attacking the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. What triggers the immune system to do this is not yet fully understood.

How Sugar is Metabolized by the Body

When sugars are eaten, the body breaks them down in the gut to their simplest form, which is called glucose. Glucose is then absorbed into the bloodstream.

Insulin is the key that allows glucose to leave the bloodstream and enter cells. Once inside cells, glucose is used as fuel to generate the energy needed to keep the body functioning.

Extra glucose not needed for immediate energy production is stored in the form of fat, which can be later used to generate energy when needed.

Does Eating Sugar Increase Your Risk of Diabetes?

Eating sugar in healthy quantities is part of a balanced diet. The American Heart Association recommends that men eat no more than nine teaspoons (or 36 grams, or 150 calories’ worth) of added sugar a day. It recommends that women not eat more than six teaspoons (25 grams, or 100 calories’ worth) a day.

The CDC says anyone older than 2 should keep their sugar intake to less than 10% of their daily calories. So if you eat 2,000 calories a day, no more than 200 (about 12 teaspoons, or 50 grams) should come from sugar.

For comparison, a 12-ounce regular Coca-Cola has 39 grams of sugar, a 20-ounce regular Gatorade has 34 grams of sugar, and a grande Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (with whipped cream and 2% milk) has 50 grams of sugar.

Excessive intake of sugar leads to increased fat storage in the body. This increased fat storage, especially inside the liver and around internal organs, leads to the body resisting insulin action. The pancreas then needs to produce more insulin to maintain the blood glucose levels in a normal range.

If this process of increased blood sugar continues, the pancreas eventually is unable to keep up with increasing insulin production, leading to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Sugar Substitutes and Diabetes Risk

Sugar substitutes can be of natural origin like stevia (brand name Truvia) or of synthetic origin like saccharin (Sweet’N Low), aspartame (NutraSweet), and sucralose (Splenda). They add no to very few calories to your diet.

While they may not increase blood sugar in the short term, studies looking into their long-term effect on weight gain and diabetes risk have showed mixed results. Therefore, it has been recommended that sugar substitutes are not used in excessive amounts.

Sugar Intake Recommendations

The U. S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) work together to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines, like the CDC’s, recommend having less than 10% of daily calories from added sugar. You can keep track of that added sugar by reading the nutrition label on the food that you buy.

Sugar can be a part of your diet if naturally occurring sugars—those found in nutrient-rich foods like fruits and milk—are chosen over refined sugars, and if added sugars are eaten in moderation.

Notes: This article was originally published October 7, 2022 and most recently updated December 12, 2022.

• American Diabetes Association, Statistics About Diabetes. Updated July 28, 2022. https://diabetes.org/about-us/statistics/about-diabetes
• Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, The sweet danger of sugar. Jan. 6, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar
• Pang Michelle D. , Goossens Gijs H., Blaak Ellen E. The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Body Weight Control and Glucose Homeostasis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 07 January 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.598340
• U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
• Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research, UC San Diego School of Medicine, Understanding Natural Versus Added Sugar. Feb. 26, 2021. https://chear.ucsd.edu/blog/understanding-natural-versus-added-sugars

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9 misconceptions about diabetes | Blog MC Sanas

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease accompanied by elevated blood sugar levels, creating an increased risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. There are many misconceptions associated with the prevalence of this disease among different segments of the population.

The first delusion:

Diabetes mellitus can develop if you consume a large amount of sweets.

Diabetes mellitus does not always develop only from the consumption of large amounts of sweets. You may be at risk if you are overweight, do not lead an active lifestyle and have relatives with diabetes.

Misconception two:

If there are relatives who fell ill with diabetes in adulthood, then you can also get sick with diabetes.

The role of heredity in type 2 diabetes is high. If you follow a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and weight control, the likelihood of developing diabetes will be low.

Misconception three:

If you do not eat carbohydrates, then blood sugar will be normal.

Glucose is a source of energy for our body. The use of carbohydrates is mandatory, but they should not be a lot. Only the use of easily digestible carbohydrates (sweet drinks, sugar, confectionery) is prohibited. The use of slow carbohydrates is mandatory, but in a rational amount.

Misconception 4:

Alcohol reduces the amount of sugar in the blood and will be useful for high sugar.

Blood sugar decreases from alcohol due to blocking the flow of carbohydrates from the liver into the blood. When glucose from the liver stops flowing into the blood, and the body takes over the consumption of glucose from food, the sugar level will begin to fall and hypoglycemia may develop.

Fifth delusion:

Pregnancy with diabetes is contraindicated.

Pregnancy is not contraindicated if you follow the rules of nutrition, maintain normal blood sugar levels and mandatory consultation with a specialist.

Misconception six:

If you have diabetes, exercise should be avoided.

In the presence of beneficial physical activity in a diabetic patient, the muscles become more sensitive to the action of insulin, begin to more actively absorb glucose from the blood, thereby stabilizing its content in the blood. Patients with diabetes involved in sports should monitor their blood sugar levels.

Seventh delusion:

It is safe to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus of any type is a serious endocrine disease, it progresses not as fast as the first, but the development of complications of varying severity does not decrease if the recommendations of the attending physician are not followed and medicines are abandoned.

Eighth delusion:

Sweets containing fructose are allowed to be eaten as much as you like.

Fructose tends to be absorbed more slowly than sugar, but increases blood sugar levels in the same way. Flour, included in the dough, increases blood sugar. Sweets with fructose are safe in moderation.

Misconception nine:

Diabetes is a mandatory amputation and disability.

A large number of cases of polyneuropathy, strokes and complications associated with diabetes were indeed present before, when medicine was not so developed. Modern methods of treatment seriously reduce the risk of complications and rarely lead to amputation, if a person follows all the recommendations of the attending physician, his health will be under control.

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How much sugar you can eat per day and how to calculate the norm

Even if you stopped eating sweets and chocolate, sugar lies in wait literally everywhere. Honey, yogurt, fruit – the list goes on and on. Yes, it’s healthy, but how much sugar can you actually eat?

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Most people have an instinctive craving for sweets. When we eat our favorite treats, glucose is absorbed into the blood through the intestines and is instantly distributed to all cells. It is essential for the functioning of the brain, being a source of nutrition for billions of nerve cells.

Thanks to this, sweets also improve mood, and we experience an emotional lift. Only then does the body begin to lower the elevated insulin levels back to normal. There is an emotional decline and you want sweets again. Because of these swings, you need to be careful in dealing with tasty treats. We found out how much sugar you can consume per day.

How sugars differ

Added sugar is the granulated sugar itself or the natural sweetener (honey or fruit juice) in any food. Most of all it is in cookies and sweets. Using them every day, it is more difficult to control the amount of sugar, but the norm will be clearly exceeded. By the way, you can meet it in less expected places – for example, in yogurt, maple syrup.

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Concerning natural sugars (fruits, vegetables, cereals, dairy products), experts disagree. It is only clear that such products are much healthier, because they contain the necessary vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. So, if you doubt how much sugar you can eat per day and when losing weight you choose between an apple and apple juice, make a choice in favor of the first. The fact is that a whole fruit contains much more nutrients and fiber, so it will linger in the stomach for a long time and you will not get a shock dose of sugar. By the way, there is more sugar in a can of soda than in three full-fledged oranges.

Sugar in the body turns into energy for muscles and internal organs. But food with a lot of added sand is processed very quickly, raising insulin levels and quickly lowering it back. Therefore, the question of how much sugar can be eaten per day without harm is so relevant.

How much sugar a person can consume per day

An exact calculation for everyone and everyone how many grams of sugar per day can be consumed does not exist and cannot be. We have too different starting conditions. But there are medical recommendations regarding added sugar: no more than 10% of the daily calorie intake. So, if you consume 2000 kcal per day, then sugar can be up to 52 g (12 teaspoons) per day. At the same time, WHO, for example, lowers this threshold two more times.

What happens if we consume a lot of added sugar

Even knowing how many tablespoons of sugar you can eat per day, we often exceed the allowable amount. We use sweet food as a source of pleasure and do not think that it is not healthy at all. There is a possibility that at first the ability to concentrate will worsen, the mood will constantly change. Excess sugar, especially from foods with a high glycemic index, leads to exacerbation of acne and the early appearance of wrinkles. In general, both from the point of view of psychological comfort and from the physiological point of view, nothing good.

In the long term, the consumption of foods rich in sugar leads to various inflammations, weight gain, and the development of chronic diseases such as heart failure and diabetes.