People generally expect health supplements to benefit their health, be it a multivitamin, protein or something for after exercising. However, a surprising number of these goods actually include sugar, making the “healthy” label untrue.
People pay more attention to what they eat, which has made it easier to understand how much sugar per day is healthy and how important it is to select lower-sugar foods. However, added sugar can sometimes be found in dietary supplements without you noticing. We’ll explore what sugar does to these products and how that can affect your daily sugar intake. Wiley
How Is It That Health Supplements Contain Sugar?
Sugar plays different roles in health supplements. Science Direct
• Lots of protein powders, gummies or effervescent tablets use sugar to enhance their flavors.
• Shelf life is extended by sugar.
• It ensures gummies are chewy and that powder shakes break down and mix right away.
These reasons are helpful, though the sugar pile-up can quickly increase your daily consumption of sugar.
The Amount of Sugar Recommended Daily
As per the World Health Organisation, adults shouldn't have more than: acpjournals
• Taking in 25 grams of added sugar (about 6 teaspoons) every day is good for your health.
• A general health recommendation is not to use more than 50 grams (12 teaspoons) of sugar.
• In India, the ICMR also follows guidelines like these.
If you count the sugar in your normal food, drinks and supplements, you could be eating far more than you should daily. Knowing the recommended intake of sugar daily helps you make better choices.
Sugar Content in Common Supplements
We should check the sugar levels in some popular dietary supplements.
• Sometimes, the flavour of protein powders adds up to 5–10 grams of sugar per serving.
• A serving of vitamin gummies contains 2–4 grams of sugar.
• Electrolyte or Energy Drinks: A serving can give you nearly all of your daily sugar limit which is about 15–25 grams per serving—almost your full daily sugar intake.
• You may think meal replacement shakes are healthy, but many contain between 10 and 20 grams of sugar in each serving.
You should always read product labels before buying. Therefore, read the "Total Sugars" and “Added Sugars” information to see how much sugar you eat in a day and manage your daily consumption of sugar wisely.
Is Sugar Really Harmful?
It’s fine to have some sugar when it happens naturally in fruits or dairy. Still, the added sugar in many supplements can have undesirable effects on health.
Why is sugar bad for you? Here’s why:
• Superfluous sugar causes the body to store fat, mostly in the abdominal area.
• Abnormal amounts of sugar in your diet may make you resistant to insulin and raise your risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Eating a lot of sugar has been linked in research to an increased risk of heart disease.
• If you’re wondering “is sugar bad for cholesterol?”, read on. Sugar does affect your cholesterol levels—it raises LDL and lowers HDL.
Signs That Your Body Consumes Too Much Sugar
If your sugar intake is too high, even from healthy supplements, you may have some of these symptoms:
• Regular fatigue and constant low energy
• Outbursts of unhappiness
• Feeling hungrier for foods high in sugar, salt or other additives
• Problems with skin such as acne
• Experiencing brain fog due to sugar is common when you eat it
• Belly fat as a result of weight gain
These are clear symptoms of too much sugar in your body. Although the symptoms of high sugar can be hidden, your best protection is to pay attention to what you eat.
Choosing Low Sugar Foods and Supplements
These tips can help you reduce the sugar you eat:
1. Take Care of Reading Ingredients Before Purchasing
Choose foods with labels that show “No Additional Sugar” or less than 1g sugar per serving. There is no guarantee that a food is low sugar just because it is "natural," "organic," or "healthy."
2. Choose flavors that do not contain artificial flavors or sugar.
Taking unflavored protein powder or supplements usually doesn’t add extra sugar. These are often better low sugar foods.
3. Look for other types of sweeteners.
A number of supplements contain stevia, monk fruit or erythritol which are natural sweeteners. They are sweet with no sudden increase in blood sugar, helping you reduce your daily sugar intake.
4. Eat more foods low in sugar.
Watch how much sugar you get daily by focusing on:
• Whole grains
• Vegetables
• Unsweetened dairy
• Legumes and lean sources of protein
• When choosing fruit, try to pick berries (since they are naturally low in sugar)
They can help you resist the urges from added sugars and maintain a healthy daily consumption of sugar.
Just How Much Sugar Should You Have in Daily Meals?
While the WHO advises between 25 and 50 grams per day, it’s best to take less—usually 25 grams—if you’re taking daily supplements. That way, your diet includes some fruit, vegetable and dairy sugars as well. Understanding how much sugar per day is acceptable is essential to better health.
Individuals with diabetes or high cholesterol may be recommended to control their diet even more carefully. See your healthcare provider or nutritionist to find out the ideal recommended intake of sugar daily for your needs.
A Few Notes on “Healthy” Marketing
Well-known supplement companies like to market their products using words like “for immunity” and “for better energy.” True as it may be, the sugars that are hidden in processed foods may harm your health over time. Don’t trust product advertising alone; you need to analyze its ingredients to avoid unknowingly increasing your daily sugar intake.
Final Thoughts
Supplements exist to improve your health, not make it worse. Keeping an eye on the sugar in your foods is important for your overall well-being.
Reason through every purchase: Is this supplement helping me to improve my health or am I just adding extra sugar?
The first thing to do is read every label on your supplements and check the ingredients. It’s possible that many of your sugar-containing foods come from these items.
When you pick low sugar foods, you are supporting your heart, managing your weight, and giving your body what it needs.
Be aware: When something is marketed as healthy, it doesn’t always lack sugar. Keep up to date, keep asking questions and pay attention when deciding.
FAQs:
1. How do you read sugar content?
See what the nutrition label says about it.
• This figure refers to the amount of sugar you get from everything in the product, natural or added.
• Added Sugars – sugars added into the product while it is being processed.
Usually, look for products where the added sugar is 5g or below per serving.
2. Why is sugar added to supplements?
To make food taste better, improve how it feels in the mouth and help it keep longer. It covers up the bitter taste of particular ingredients.
3. What is a healthy sugar content?
For a product to be healthy, its serving should have no more than 5 grams of added sugar. When possible, opt for supplements that don’t add sugar.
4. What is the recommended level of sugar consumption?
• For adults, total added sugar daily should not exceed either 25–50g (6–12 teaspoons) or 5% of your daily calories.
• Choose the lower end of the range for sweeteners to help your health.
5. WHO guidelines for sugar intake?
The World Health Organization encourages all countries to:
• Only about 10 per cent of your daily energy should be from free sugars.
• You can enhance your health even further by eating less than 5% (or about 25 grams a day for adults).