Chronic Disease

Sugars and Chronic Disease:

• Consuming more calories than your body needs, including from sugars and other food sources, can increase your risk of obesity. Having excess body fat (obesity) is a risk factor for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (1).
• Research suggests that high intakes of sugars-sweetened beverages in excess of energy needs may increase the risk of developing certain chronic diseases (2-5).
• Other food sources of sugars (e.g. fruit, fruit juice, yogurt, cereals, dairy desserts) have not shown an effect on chronic disease risk factors when consumed within a healthy balanced diet (2-5).
• The effect of sugars and other dietary components on chronic disease risk factors depends on energy intake, overall dietary patterns, and non-dietary factors such as physical activity, genetics, age, stress, and lifestyle behaviours.
• Following an overall healthy eating pattern is recommended, rather than focusing only on sugars, or other individual nutrients like sodium or saturated fat (6).

Reducing Risk for Chronic Disease: 

• There are many different risk factors for developing chronic diseases. Some cannot be controlled (e.g., age, family history, ethnicity), while others can be modified to delay or prevent chronic disease development (e.g., stress, sleep, physical activity, body weight, eating patterns).
• Maintaining a healthy body weight is encouraged as many factors leading to weight gain, such as lack of exercise, an unhealthy dietary pattern, and calorie intake above energy needs, can also contribute to chronic disease risk.
• Diet and lifestyle recommendations to reduce risk of developing diabetes and heart disease include:
  • Eating within your energy needs.
  • Eating fewer foods and beverages high in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
  • Eating more nutrient-dense foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  • Limiting alcohol.
  • Engaging in regular physical activity (7).

Can people with diabetes have sugar?

Yes. For people living with Type 2 Diabetes, the Diabetes Canada 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines suggest that added sugars may be eaten in moderation by people with diabetes. “In addition to naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, sugars added to foods may be substituted for other carbohydrates as part of mixed meals up to 10% of total daily calories (about 50 grams added sugars for a 2,000 Calorie diet), provided that adequate control of blood glucose, lipids and body weight is maintained.” 

Does eating sweet foods cause a sugar high followed by a low?

People often mistakenly think that eating sugar-containing foods causes a dramatic rise in blood glucose followed by an extreme low, causing fatigue and food cravings. In fact, in healthy people, blood glucose levels are kept within a narrow range, and fatigue and food cravings are rarely due to low blood glucose (or hypoglycemia). The body is able to defend blood sugar levels by secreting hormones that regulate the storage or release of blood glucose. Studies in humans have shown that sugar actually leads to a smaller increase in blood sugar than eating certain starchy foods such as mashed potatoes and white bread.

For more information,  additional resources include:

• Webpage - Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease
• Webpage - Sugars and Type 2 Diabetes
• Fact Sheet - Frequently Asked Questions: Sugars and Chronic Disease 
• Clips on Sugars - Sugars and Health
• Clips on Sugars - Understanding the Glycemic Index

References: 

1. Chiavaroli L, et al. Important food sources of fructose-containing sugars and adiposity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2023;117(4): 741-65.
2. Liu Q, et al. Fructose-containing food sources and blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials. PLoS One. 2023;18(8):e0264802.
3. Choo VL, et al. Food sources of fructose-containing sugars and glycaemic control: systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled intervention studies. BMJ. 2018;363:k4644.
4. Lee D, et al. Important food sources of fructose-containing sugars and non-alcholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. Nutrients. 2022;14(14): 2846.
5. Qi X, et al. Effect of important food sources of fructose-containing sugars on inflammatory biomarkers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials Nutrients. 2022;14(19):3986.
6. World Health Organization. Healthy diet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
7. Heart and Stroke. Healthy Eating. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/healthy-living/healthy-eating