The amount of sugar that’s safe to eat per day may depend on several factors, such as total caloric intake, activity level, and health conditions like diabetes.
Healthcare organizations like the American Heart Association (AHA) and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) note there are two main types of sugar to consider in your diet:
- Natural sugars: Fructose, found in fruits and vegetables, and lactose, found in milk, are two natural sugars. These foods contain many beneficial nutrients and are generally part of a balanced diet.
- Added sugars: Added sugars like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup are abundant in processed foods like soft drinks, candy, and baked goods.
There’s a link between consuming excess amounts of added sugars and many health conditions, including diabetes, obesity, and tooth cavities, among others.
Keep reading to learn more about the recommended intake of total and added sugars, as well as how to cut down your sugar intake.
What’s a safe amount of sugar to eat per day?
There’s no simple answer to how much sugar you should eat per day, as this may depend on several factors.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), experts in the United States haven’t determined a daily value (DV) for total sugars. In the United Kingdom, the reference intake (RI) for total sugars is 90 grams (g).
Health organizations and researchers worldwide agree that it’s important to limit the intake of “free sugars.” These include added sugars and those that occur naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices.
The AHA suggests the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day is:
- Men: 37.5 g per day (150 calories, 9 teaspoons [tsp])
- Women: 25 g per day (100 calories, 6 tsp)
To put that into perspective, one 12-ounce (355-mL) can of Coke contains 140 calories from sugar, while a regular-sized Snickers bar contains 120 calories from sugar.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that less than 10% of daily calories come from added sugars. If you eat the average 2,000-calorie diet per day, this equals 50 g of sugar (200 calories, 12.5 tsp).
However, it’s important to note that some other healthcare organizations and researchers consider these targets too high. For instance:
- The United Kingdom’s NHS recommends adults consume less than 30 g (120 calories) of free sugars daily, or 5% of total calories.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommends that added sugars make up less than 5% of total calories.
- A 2023 review of 8,601 research articles recommends consuming less than 25 g (100 calories) of free sugars daily.
If we consider these lower free sugar targets, the added sugars in the can of Coke and the Snickers bar exceed the daily recommendations.
Sugar consumption is extremely high
The average consumption of added sugars in the United States is higher than the recommended DV.
A 2021 review found that from 2017 to 2018, the total daily intake of added sugars for adults ages 19 to 50 years in the United States was 72.3 g (290 calories, 18 tsp). In 2011 to 2012, it was 83.6 g daily (335 calories, 21 tsp).
These amounts are nearly twice as much as the AHA’s recommended daily limit for men and three times more than that for women.
The researchers noted that sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and fruit juices contributed the most to added sugars.
How to reduce added sugars in your diet
Occasionally, including small amounts of added sugars is fine, especially if your diet mostly consists of nutrient-dense whole foods.
In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans notes that added sugars account for up to 2% of the total calories in the Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Pattern.
However, regularly eating added sugars may increase your risk of developing chronic health conditions.
Limiting foods and beverages with added sugars and replacing them with naturally sweet whole foods may help reduce your sugar cravings and the amount of added sugar you consume.
Consider limiting the following foods:
- sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit juices
- candies and sweets
- breakfast cereals and bars
- baked goods, such as cookies, pies, and cakes
- sweetened, flavored milk and yogurt
You could drink water instead of soda or juice, and consider not adding sugar to your coffee or tea.
Using ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract in recipes instead of sugar could also help you reduce your total intake.
Natural, zero-calorie alternatives to sugar include stevia and monk fruit.
Discover 19 foods to eat when you have a sugar craving.
What about sugar in processed foods?
One of the best ways to reduce added sugar intake is to limit your intake of highly processed foods and choose nutrient-dense whole foods.
However, if you find it difficult to stick to unprocessed foods, then reading food labels and ingredient lists can help you make better-informed decisions about the foods you consume and how they fit into your daily sugar targets.
Food labels
Manufacturers usually present total sugar in grams under total carbohydrates. This number refers to the combined total of natural and added sugars in a product.
They also present added sugars beneath total sugars as a percentage of your total caloric intake.
In the United Kingdom, nutrition experts consider foods with 22.5 g of total sugar or more per 100-g serving to be high in sugar, while foods with 5 g or less are low.
In the United States, experts consider foods high in added sugar if they have 20% or more of the DV, or low in added sugar if they have 5% or less.
Ingredients list
Aside from sugar itself, sugar could appear under many different names and forms in the ingredients list of a product. According to the AHA, some of the most common names include:
- brown sugar
- corn sweetener
- corn syrup
- fruit juice concentrates
- high fructose corn syrup
- honey
- syrup
If a packaged food’s ingredient list contains sugar in the first three ingredients, or more than one type of sugar, consider avoiding it.
Also, be aware of “healthy,” high sugar foods. These may contain free sugars like agave, honey, organic cane sugar, and coconut sugar.
Whatever your nutrition goals, it’s important to consume a varied and balanced diet that’s right for you.
Learn more about how to curb your sugar cravings.
Frequently asked questions
Is 50 g of sugar a day too much?
Eating 50 g of added sugars daily is the maximum amount that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends for a 2,000-calorie diet. However, other healthcare organizations and researchers recommend not consuming more than 25 g of added sugars daily.
What’s the daily limit of natural sugar?
While the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest a maximum daily added sugar intake, health organizations in the United States haven’t established a limit for natural sugars. In the United Kingdom, however, the NHS recommends keeping total sugar intake below 90 g daily.
Does fruit count as added sugar?
No, sugar in fruit occurs naturally.
The bottom line
At the end of the day, it’s important to figure out the sugar intake that’s right for you.
Some people can enjoy a moderate amount of sugar in their diet. However, for others, consuming too much sugar may lead to cravings, binge eating, unintentional weight gain, and disease.
Every individual is unique, and you need to figure out what works for you. Consider speaking with a healthcare professional or nutrition specialist to learn more about eating a balanced diet that works for you.
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