Will eating sugar make you gain weight?

Written by Jordyn King BS, MS Nutrition Science 

What is a Sugar? 

Sugar is an important part of our diets along with starches. Sugar falls within the carbohydrate group and acts as a fuel for the body. A carbohydrate is composed of three elements: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy converted by the body to power ourselves and keep us alive while growing. It can keep up fuller fro longer and have adequate energy levels throughout the day. AKA, we need sugar to survive.

How Does Sugar Get Broken Down into the Body

The goal of carbohydrate digestion is to break down all forms of carbohydrates to monosaccharides.  Carbohydrates must be in the form of monosaccharides to be absorbed in the body through digestion. The carbohydrate will go through the mouth through enzymatic digestion. Some carbohydrates begin in the mouth and some carbohydrates are broken down by salivary amylase in the stomach which breaks down the starch into smaller polysaccharide and disaccharide units. The carbohydrate will then go through the stomach however, not much carbohydrate digestion takes place here. The salivary amylase is now inactive by the acid in the stomach. Then going through the small intestine, the carbohydrate uses pancreatic enzymes to break down the alpha glycolytic bonds which continue to break apart carbohydrate pieces first acted upon in the mouth. The end product from the enzyme in the small intestine is mostly maltose which is formed from two glucose molecules. Monosaccharides that already exist in the diet is absorbed as is. 

Difference between Added Sugar and Natural Sugar in foods

There is a big difference between natural and added sugars. Natural sugars are naturally occurring in foods like fruit that come from added health benefits like fiber, phytochemical and antioxidants. Added sugars, like fruit juice, are added sugars during the processing of packaged food and processed foods and do not provide any nutrition benefit besides calories. When it comes to adding sugar, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to no more than 10% each day. That's 200 calories, or about 12 teaspoons, for a 2,000 calorie diet. Keep in mind , it’s very easy to go past this recommendation especially with high sugar beverages like soda or fruit juice. It’s important to read nutrition labels on anything that you consume or drink to know and understand how much sugar you are ingesting. Plus, there are a variety of sugars in foods that your body needs to have adequate energy throughout the day, which is why we shouldn’t avoid all sugars.

The Difference Between the Natural Sugars (Lactose, Sucrose, & Fructose)

There are many different types of natural carbohydrates which can be in simple forms like a monosaccharide or disaccharide, and complex forms like oligosaccharides or polysaccharides. The main ones we’ve heard about are monosaccharides like glucose, sucrose, lactose, galactose. The simple carbohydrates are in fruit, sugar and glucose. Some complex carbohydrates can include grains and glycogen. Carbohydrates function to provide four calories per gram. Glucose is the most abundant monosaccharide and also known as dextrose and blood sugar glucose that is the main carbohydrate in the body. Fructose is found naturally in fruits, veggies and honey. fructose is part of the sugar, sucrose, which is composed of glucose and fructose. High fructose corn syrup is used extensively in processed foods such as sweeteners. In the US, fructose accounts for 9 to 11% of total energy intake. Galactose is not usually found free in nature and is mostly found as part of the sugar, lactose, which includes glucose and galactose. Lactose is the sugar and also a disaccharide which is found only in milk and milk products. Sucrose is the most common disaccharide which is found in sugar, cane sugar, beets, honey and maple syrups. Sucrose is also found in white, brown or powdered sugars.

How Does a Food with Fiber and Sugar Break Down Differently Compared to Candy?

Fiber is carbohydrates. What makes fiber different from other carbohydrates is that it can be fully broken down by your body with not a lot of work. This again offers tons of health benefits when including sugar and fiber together. Dietary fiber is a fiber found naturally in foods. Fiber is in sugar-containing foods but it will keep you fuller longer. A fruit consists of fiber and sugar. For example, an orange will keep you fuller than orange juice because the whole fruit has more fiber. Soluble fiber can also reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Thus, Increasing your dietary fiber with sugar may help with weight management and obesity. Keep in mind, drink lots of fluid when increasing you do consume more fiber and sugar intake, so you don’t get blocked up through digestion.

What Happens if we Take Out Sugar?

Taking out sugar can actually become a disadvantage to your body. If we don’t eat sugar, we will have low energy to do any work or do anything through out the day. Having low energy will not help you sustain your complete healthy habits like exercise and cooking which will actually make you gain weight in the long-run. Cutting out sugar will also make you feel lazy or sluggish which can prevent you from completing health tasks like exercising or cooking. Remember, it’s okay to consume sugar!

Do We Need to Avoid Sugar for Weight Loss? 

No at all because it all depends on what else you’re eating that day that makes up your calorie deficit. However, it’s easy to over eat on sugar content when you’re not cautious so it’s important to be mindful of the foods you choose to consume. This is especially true for processed foods that can be high in refined sugar and added sugar and even high fructose corn syrup. The bottom line is to focus on getting the calories you need and consuming as many whole nutrient dense foods into your healthy meals as possible like fruits and vegetables and natural protein. Using a meal planning app like MyFitnessPal can also help customize a nutrient dense meal planning for you that can help you stay on your weight lost track the majority of the time. Remember, balance is key and consuming sugar is a completely normal and doesn’t need to be avoided. 

To start your sustainable weight loss journey today, check out our calorie-tracking tutorial. The first step of weight loss is being aware of how you eat and our calorie-tracking method can get you there!