The bitter truth about sugar: 15 questions, 15 honest answers
The key points at a glance
Since 2015, the World Health Organization has recommended getting less than 10% of daily energy from free sugars (WHO, 2015). German professional associations followed suit in 2018 and translated the figure: at 2,000 kilocalories per day, that means no more than 50 grams. Germany is above that level.
This article answers 15 questions that really come up in everyday life. Each answer identifies the institution and year. Where there is no reliable evidence, that is stated too, instead of offering a catchy claim.
The first five questions focus on amounts, the next five on types and substitutes, and the final five on the body, values, and predisposition. If you only want to take away one number, you will find it in the chapter Sugar in Numbers. If you want to know what can be measured, skip ahead to the later sections.
What to expect in this article
1. What this is about, and what it is not
2. Questions 1 to 5: the amounts
3. Questions 6 to 10: types and substitutes
4. Myth check: four persistent claims
5. Sugar in numbers
6. Interim summary after ten questions
7. Questions 11 to 15: the body, values, and predisposition
8. Comparing types of sugar
9. What a test can contribute
10. Limits: what is not included here
11. Six teaspoons is a number you remember
Frequently asked questions
Sources
What this is about, and what it is not
Sugar is not a poison. Nor is it harmless filler. It is a source of energy with an upper limit, and the World Health Organization and German professional associations have agreed on this limit for years.
The problem is rarely the spoonful in coffee. It is the total from drinks, ready-made sauces, granola bars, and the glass of juice that counts as a serving of fruit. That total is hard to see precisely because it is spread throughout the day.
What you will not find here: a list of banned foods, a diet plan, or the promise that a single change will prevent a disease. What you will find: 15 questions with answers grounded in a source.
Key message
The recommendations on sugar are not a ban, but an upper limit expressed as a percentage of daily energy intake. Knowing it allows people to decide for themselves where to spend it.
Questions 1 to 5: the amounts
1. How much sugar is too much?
In 2015, the WHO called on countries to reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake. In the original: “reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake” (WHO, 2015). According to the same statement, reducing this further to below 5%, or around 25 grams or six teaspoons per day, would provide additional health benefits.
The 10 percent in the 2015 WHO recommendation is an upper limit, not a target. And it is a proportion, not a fixed number of grams. Someone who eats a lot can, mathematically, eat more sugar than someone with lower requirements, which helps no one in practice. That is why the German professional societies converted the figure.
Documented source
“With an estimated total energy intake of 2,000 kcal per day, this recommendation corresponds to a maximum intake of 50 g of free sugars.”
German Nutrition Society, German Obesity Society, and German Diabetes Association
Consensus paper “Quantitative Recommendation for Sugar Intake in Germany,” summary, page 5, 2018
Fifty grams sounds like a lot. A half-liter bottle of lemonade accounts for a large share of that without making anyone feel full. The qualification in the consensus paper (2018) remains important: The figure applies to an estimated 2,000 kilocalories per day. Anyone who eats significantly less or more has a different number of grams.
2. What are “free sugars,” and does fruit count?
Free sugars are a defined term, not a feeling. The consensus paper (2018) states: “Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by manufacturers or consumers, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juice concentrates, and fruit juices.”
Monosaccharides and disaccharides are single and double sugars, namely glucose, fructose, and the table sugar made from both. The definition leads to a surprisingly clear boundary: The apple you eat does not appear in this figure. The apple juice you drink does.
This is not nitpicking. Juice is drunk faster than fruit is eaten, and the fiber from the whole fruit remains in the pulp. Anyone wanting to reduce their sugar intake will usually find the largest single source in beverages.
3. How much sugar do we really eat?
For the 2024/25 marketing year, the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (2026) reports: “Per-capita consumption was therefore 33.2 kilograms, higher than the previous year (31.1 kilograms), but lower than in 2022/23 (33.9 kilograms).” That is just over ninety grams a day if the annual amount is distributed evenly.
However, a consumption figure is not a figure for what people actually eat. It describes what enters the market, including what is processed in industry, discarded, or fed to animals. Turning that into a plate is too rough an estimate. The figure is useful for tracking the trend, not for calculating your own breakfast.
4. Are we above the limit?
For actual consumption, the Consensus Paper (2018) draws on the National Nutrition Survey II. It states: “As age increased, free sugar intake continuously decreased, so that it was 13.9 En% (percentage of energy) among women aged 15 to 80 and 13 En% among men aged 15 to 80.”
The authors draw a brief conclusion from this: “However, the intake of free sugars continues to be well above 10 En% for all population groups” (Consensus Paper, 2018). That is the answer to the question. Not just slightly above, but well above, and in every age group.
5. Is there a safe amount?
In 2022, the European Food Safety Authority tried exactly that and was unable to do so. Its statement says: “The scientific evidence did not allow us to set a tolerable upper intake level for dietary sugars, which was the original goal of this assessment.” In other words, the available evidence did not allow it to set a tolerable upper limit.
Instead, the authority states a direction rather than a limit: “intakes of added and free sugars should be as low as possible as part of a nutritionally adequate diet” (EFSA, 2022). Added and free sugars should be as low as possible as part of an adequate diet.
That is less convenient than a number, but more honest. There is no threshold below which everything is fine and above which everything is bad. There is a direction.
Questions 6 to 10: Types and substitutes
6. Is brown sugar better than white sugar?
The color makes no difference when classifying it as free sugar. The definition in the Consensus Paper (2018) focuses solely on whether the sugar is added by manufacturers or consumers. Brown sugar that you stir into the batter therefore counts just as much as white sugar.
Whether brown sugar also contains other components is a separate question, and we have no reliable evidence for it here. We therefore make no claim about it. What is certain is that the type does not affect the amount you have to count toward your upper limit.
7. Honey isn't sugar, though, is it?
Yes. And here is the reason: The definition explicitly mentions honey by name. “Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by manufacturers or consumers, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juice concentrates, and fruit juices” (Consensus Paper, 2018).
The same sentence covers agave syrup, rice syrup, maple syrup, and apple syrup. They are syrups. The fact that a sweetener looks unprocessed or is sold in a health food store does not change how it is classified.
8. Is fruit sugar the less harmful option?
In 2009, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment addressed this in a statement. It says: “Fructose increases the plasma concentration of blood lipids (triglycerides) and ‘harmful’ LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) in the metabolism.”
The same statement continues: “Excessive fructose intake is considered to be associated with the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease)” (BfR, Statement No. 041/2009). This is an assessment from 2009, and we are deliberately dating it as such here.
What is meant is excessive intake, not the apple. According to the 2018 definition, fructose from whole fruit does not fall under free sugars. Fructose from juice, syrup, and sweetened drinks does, and that is where the amounts add up.
9. Are sweeteners the solution?
In 2023, the WHO published a guideline specifically on this and advises against using sweeteners for weight control. In the accompanying statement, Francesco Branca is quoted as saying: “Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term.” Replacing free sugars with sweeteners does not help with weight control in the long term.
The recommendation is against using sweeteners “to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases” (WHO, 2023). In the “Healthy diet” fact sheet, the WHO is even more explicit in 2026, writing that the reduction of free sugars should be achieved without sweeteners.
We have explained elsewhere in detail what sweeteners do to blood sugar and where the evidence becomes thin: Sweeteners and blood sugar: what is established.
10. Is sugar addictive?
We have no evidence for this question that would support a clear answer. So we do not give one. What many people describe is a craving for sweet foods that varies in intensity and may be stronger after a sweet meal than before.
The evidence shows something else, and it is sufficient as an explanation: “A high and frequent intake of sugar is associated, among other things, with overweight and obesity, increased risks of numerous diseases associated with overweight, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, as well as the development of dental caries” (consensus paper, 2018). So it comes down to the amount and frequency, not a label.
Myth check: four persistent claims
You hear the following four sentences in every other kitchen. None of them is malicious, three of them are demonstrably short-sighted, and one is expressly not recommended by the WHO.
Myth
“Brown sugar is the healthier choice.”
What is established
The definition of free sugars does not ask about the color, but whether the sugar was added (consensus paper, 2018). It counts fully toward your upper limit.
Myth
“Honey is not sugar but a natural product.”
What is established
Honey is explicitly included in the definition of free sugars, along with syrups, fruit juice concentrates, and fruit juices (consensus paper, 2018). Being both at once is not a contradiction.
Myth
“Fructose is harmless because it comes from fruit.”
What is established
In statement No. 041/2009, the BfR writes that excessive fructose intake is considered to be associated with the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It is the amount that matters, not the fruit.
Myth
“You lose weight by using sweetener instead of sugar.”
What is established
In its 2023 guideline, the WHO advises against using sweeteners for weight control. Replacing free sugars with sweeteners does not help with weight control in the long term.
Sugar in figures
Four figures summarize what the first ten questions revolve around. Two are recommendations, and two describe reality. The gap between them is the real message.
under 10%
of daily energy from free sugars, recommended by the WHO (2015)
25 g
around six teaspoons, the threshold for under 5 percent with additional benefits (WHO, 2015)
33.2 kg
Sugar per capita in the 2024/25 marketing year, reported by the BLE (2026)
13.9 En%
actual intake of free sugars among women, 13 En% among men (consensus paper, 2018)
Less than 10 percent of energy is recommended; 13 and 13.9 percent of energy were measured (consensus paper, 2018). The gap is therefore not an isolated lapse by individual people, but a characteristic of the diet commonly followed in Germany.
Status after ten questions
Ten questions have been answered, and a pattern is emerging. The professional societies do not disagree about the direction, but about the precision of a number that works out differently for every person.
It is also striking how often the answer depends on a definition rather than an effect. Whether honey, syrup, or brown sugar counts differently is decided by a sentence from 2018, not by gut feeling in the supermarket.
At a glance
Free sugars include everything added, plus honey, syrups, fruit juice concentrates, and fruit juices. Less than 10 percent of energy is recommended. In Germany, the figure is 13 to 13.9 percent. It was not possible to establish a tolerable upper intake level, and sweeteners are not recommended for weight control. Sources: WHO 2015 and 2023, consensus paper 2018, EFSA 2022.
Questions 11 to 15: Body, readings, predisposition
11. Where is sugar hidden?
Most reliably in places where no one looks for it. Fruit juice concentrate in tomato sauce, syrup in a granola bar, fruit juice in a children's fruit pouch: All three are classified as free sugars in the 2018 definition, and none of them has the word sugar in its name.
Two places on the packaging provide more information. The ingredients list is sorted by quantity, so the top third is decisive. The nutrition table includes the line “of which sugars,” which counts all the sugar in the product, including sugar that occurs naturally.
That is why this line is not a direct candidate for your 50-gram calculation, but an approximation. In a ready-made sauce that naturally contains almost nothing sweet, it nevertheless comes close to the actual amount.
12. What does sugar do to teeth and weight?
The situation is particularly clear when it comes to teeth. The WHO fact sheet “Sugars and dental caries” (2025) states: “The consumption of free sugars in foods and beverages is the most common risk factor for dental caries and is a shared risk factor across several NCDs.” In other words: The consumption of free sugars is the most common risk factor for tooth decay and a shared risk factor for several noncommunicable diseases.
The wording is more cautious when it comes to weight. The consensus paper (2018) speaks of an association between high and frequent sugar intake and overweight, not of a guaranteed cause. A risk factor is a probability in groups, not a prediction for you.
13. What does blood sugar show, and what does HbA1c show?
Blood sugar is a snapshot. It changes with every meal, with exercise, and with sleep, so a single reading says little about the preceding weeks. How to interpret it after eating is explained here: how to interpret blood sugar after eating.
HbA1c takes the opposite approach. It measures the proportion of blood pigment to which sugar has attached and thus reflects a longer period rather than a single moment. Exactly which period is a separate question: which period the HbA1c reflects.
Both values belong in a discussion with a doctor, not in self-diagnosis. Anyone who wants to determine their HbA1c without an appointment can find it in the Men's Wellness Check and the Women's Wellness Check from mybody®x (MYBODY Lab GmbH), two at-home blood tests analyzed in a specialist laboratory in Germany. A result from one of these tests is a starting point for a discussion, not a diagnosis.
14. Do all people react to sugar in the same way?
No, and that is one of the reasons why blanket advice so often misses the mark. How the body processes carbohydrates and regulates blood sugar also depends on genetic predispositions. How this translates into everyday life depends on many other factors.
A predisposition is not a fixed outcome. A finding related to blood sugar regulation describes probabilities in population groups, not a prediction for an individual, and it does not tell anyone how much sugar they are allowed to eat. This article explains how far research on genes and nutrition can take us: Nutrigenomics and personalized nutrition.
15. What can I do differently starting tomorrow?
Start with beverages. They are the item that can be changed most quickly and with the least discomfort because they provide little satiety. Then look at the ingredients list of the three products you buy most often.
And one point that is easy to overlook: In its fact sheet “Healthy diet” (2026), the WHO recommends reducing free sugars without using sweeteners. Switching from soda to the sugar-free version is therefore not the goal, but at most an intermediate step.
Key message
A laboratory result tells you where you stand. A genetic predisposition tells you what you may expect. Neither tells you how much sugar you are allowed to eat.
Types of sugar compared
The table summarizes what was stated individually in questions 6 to 9. The second column is decisive because it determines whether a type of sugar counts toward your upper limit.
| Type of sugar | Counts as free sugar? | Energy | What the evidence says | Where it occurs in everyday life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table sugar, white or brown | Yes, completely. The definition focuses on the addition, not the color (consensus paper, 2018). | Provides energy. The exact caloric value is stated in the product's nutrition table. | High and frequent intake is associated with overweight and tooth decay (consensus paper, 2018). | Pastries, confectionery, breakfast cereals, coffee, and tea. |
| Honey and syrups | Yes. Honey, syrups, and fruit juice concentrates are explicitly named in the definition (consensus paper, 2018). | Provides energy like added sugar. Caloric value: see the label. | There is no evidence provided here regarding the health effects of individual varieties. This does not change the classification. | Muesli, bars, marinades, spreads, sweetened milk drinks. |
| Fructose from whole fruit | No. Whole fruit does not appear in the definition (Consensus Paper, 2018). | Provides energy, as well as water and the fruit's fiber. | The BfR explicitly referred its 2009 warning to excessive fructose intake. | Apple, pear, berries, banana as whole fruit. |
| Fructose from juice and added sources | Yes. Fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates are explicitly included in the definition (Consensus Paper, 2018). | Provides energy without the fiber of whole fruit. | According to BfR Opinion No. 041/2009, fructose increases triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in metabolism. | Juices, spritzers, smoothies, purée pouches, ready-made sauces. |
| Sweeteners | No, they are not sugars. Even so, the WHO does not recommend them as substitutes (WHO, 2023). | There is no evidence provided here regarding caloric value. | In 2023, the WHO advised against their use for weight control and in 2026 recommended achieving sugar reduction without sweeteners. | Sugar-free drinks, chewing gum, yogurt, table-top sweeteners. |
What a test can contribute in this regard
This is where things honestly become rather unspectacular. No test in the world can tell you how many grams of sugar are right for you, because that number depends on your total energy intake, not your genes. What a test can contribute is different information.
The mybody®x DNA metabolic analysis reads over 80 gene variations from a saliva sample and categorizes them into 24 analysis reports. These include predispositions describing how your body processes carbohydrates and regulates blood sugar. Which of the 24 reports covers which aspect is not individually documented in our current state of knowledge, so we do not list report names here.
Your predisposition is not a fixed outcome.
The practical benefit is that you can stop guessing why a change works for your neighbor but not for you. A report provides a starting point. What you make of it is up to you.
DNA test from saliva
DNA metabolic analysis | incl. 28-day plan & recipe book
Over 80 gene variations, 24 analysis reports in 5 chapters spanning around 140 pages, plus a 28-day plan and a recipe book. What the test does not do: It does not provide a diagnosis, it does not specify a permitted amount of sugar, and it does not include an assessment of over 1,000 foods.
Laboratory analysis 15–25 business days after sample receipt
Limitations: what is not included here
This article draws on recommendations from authorities and professional societies. It does not replace a conversation with your doctor, and it makes no statement about your case. Anyone who already has a metabolic disorder should get their target values there, not here.
Two gaps came to our attention while writing, and we would rather name them. We did not verify a reliable source for the energy content of individual types of sugar or for the ingredients of brown sugar. Therefore, neither appears anywhere in the text as a figure.
When the topic belongs in a medical practice
Severe thirst and frequent urination
If both occur newly and persist, it is a matter for an appointment, not for changing your diet on your own.
An abnormal laboratory result
A single value from a self-test is a reason to ask questions. A medical practice should interpret it in light of your medical history.
An existing treatment
Anyone taking medication that affects blood sugar should discuss any major change beforehand. A reduction may also make an adjustment necessary.
Six teaspoons is a number you remember
It began with the observation that sugar is a source of energy with an upper limit. The conclusion is the same observation, just in a form you can remember. In 2015, the WHO gave around 25 grams, or six teaspoons per day, for the stricter recommendation of less than 5 percent.
Six teaspoons are easy to imagine; 10 percent of energy is not. And anyone who has calculated how many teaspoons are in half a liter of lemonade needs no list of prohibitions afterward.
Four no-deprivation steps as a program
Drinks first
Juice, spritzers, and lemonade are the largest single item and the one that is least filling. Simply placing water beside them is often enough.
Read the top third of the ingredients list
The list is sorted by quantity. If it contains syrup, fruit juice concentrate, or an ingredient ending in -ose, the item is relevant.
Push sweetness back instead of eliminating it
The 2018 consensus paper refers to high and frequent intake. Frequency is the lever that is easier to turn than quantity.
Do not treat the detour via sweeteners as the goal
In its 2026 “Healthy diet” fact sheet, the WHO recommends achieving the reduction without sweeteners. As an intermediate step, however, it is still allowed.
No one has to eliminate sugar from their life to get close to six teaspoons. It is enough to know where it is found. That costs you a minute in the supermarket, and that minute sells you nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Does the sugar in milk count?
The definition of free sugars in the consensus paper by DGE, DAG and DDG (2018) does not mention milk. It covers added monosaccharides and disaccharides, as well as the sugars in honey, syrups, fruit juice concentrates and fruit juices. The lactose in unsweetened milk therefore does not count as free sugar. As soon as a milk drink is sweetened, the added portion does count, and in cocoa drinks or fruit yogurt, this portion often makes the difference.
Does the 50-gram limit also apply to children?
No, at least not without closer examination. The WHO recommendation from 2015 is a proportion of total energy intake and applies equally to adults and children. The 50 grams are a conversion from the consensus paper (2018) based on an estimated 2,000 kilocalories per day. Anyone who needs less energy has a correspondingly lower number of grams. The consensus paper also states that free sugar intake continuously decreases with increasing age, meaning that younger age groups exceed the recommendation by the greatest margin.
Should agave syrup and rice syrup be assessed differently?
Not according to the definition. The consensus paper (2018) explicitly includes syrups as free sugars, and agave syrup, rice syrup, maple syrup and apple syrup are syrups. They therefore count in full toward the recommendation of less than 10 percent of energy. We were unable to substantiate for this article whether any of these alternatives have properties that distinguish them from table sugar, so we do not claim that they do.
Do I have to count grams to stay below the limit?
None of the cited bodies requires that. In 2022, EFSA even concluded that it was not scientifically possible to establish a tolerable upper limit for sugar, and instead formulated a guiding principle: as low as possible within the context of a diet that meets nutritional needs. For everyday purposes, an overview of the two or three largest sources is therefore usually sufficient. Once you know them, you can manage without scales or counting.
What exactly does energy percentage mean?
Energy percentage, often abbreviated as En%, is the proportion of a nutrient in the total energy a person consumes per day. This figure is independent of how much someone eats and is therefore comparable between people with different energy needs. The consensus paper (2018) converts the recommendation of less than 10 En% into a maximum of 50 grams of free sugars for an estimated intake of 2,000 kilocalories. For measured intake, it gives 13.9 En% for women and 13 En% for men aged 15 to 80.
Next step
From the recommendation to your own baseline
The figures above apply to population groups. If you want to know how your body handles carbohydrates or where your long-term level stands, two different routes will get you there.
View DNA Metabolism Analysis What HbA1c showsRead more
You may also be interested in
Which laboratory values in this area provide meaningful information and how they are related.
Continuous measurement on the arm or a long-term laboratory value, and when each perspective is more useful.
Sources
- World Health Organization: WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children (as of 2015) – who.int
- DGE, DAG and DDG: Consensus paper Quantitative recommendation for sugar intake in Germany (as of 2018) – dge.de
- Federal Office for Agriculture and Food: Sugar, Data and Reports (as of 2026, data from 2024/25) – ble.de
- World Health Organization: WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control (as of 2023) – who.int
- European Food Safety Authority: Added and free sugars should be as low as possible (as of 2022) – efsa.europa.eu
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment: Opinion No. 041/2009 on fructose intake (as of 2009) – bfr.bund.de
The recommendation of less than 10 percent and the figure of 25 grams come from [1], while the conversion to 50 grams and the definition of free sugars come from [2]. Consumption figures are provided in [3], statements on sweeteners in [4], the lack of a maximum amount in [5], and the assessment of fructose in [6]. Two additional WHO fact sheets are named in the text where relevant: Sugars and dental caries (2025) and Healthy diet (2026). Information on mybody®x products was checked against the product pages on 08.09.2026.
mybody®x Editorial & Expert Team
Nutrition Blood sugar and laboratory values Genetics and metabolism
Behind this text is the mybody®x editorial and expert team, which checks every figure against the cited primary source before publication. Find out who is behind it on the authors page.
Published on 08.09.2026 · Last updated on 08.09.2026
The content is for general information and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases. Reference ranges depend on the laboratory, method, and age; the information on your report is always authoritative. The DNA analysis is intended for nutritional and lifestyle counseling. It is not a diagnostic procedure, does not predict disease, and does not replace a medical examination or advice. Genetic variants describe probabilities in population groups, not predetermined outcomes for individuals.
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