Added sugar is any sugar that gets put into food during processing or preparation, as opposed to sugar that exists naturally in whole foods like fruit or milk. The FDA defines added sugars as sugars introduced during manufacturing (such as sucrose or dextrose), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. If a food didn’t originally contain that sugar on its own, it counts as added.
Added Sugar vs. Natural Sugar
The distinction matters because your body handles these two categories differently. Fruits and dairy products contain natural sugars (fructose in fruit, lactose in milk), but those sugars come packaged with fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals that slow down digestion. Your blood sugar rises gradually and stays stable over time.
Added sugars skip that process. They’re typically absorbed quickly, either burned immediately for energy or sent straight to the liver for fat storage. That rapid spike is followed by a rapid drop, the familiar “sugar crash” that leaves you hungry, irritable, and reaching for more. A glass of orange juice with added sugar and a whole orange may contain similar grams of sugar, but the orange delivers fiber that changes how your body processes it.
How to Spot It on a Label
U.S. food labels now list “Added Sugars” as a separate line under “Total Sugars” on the Nutrition Facts panel. Total sugars includes everything, both the natural sugar in ingredients like milk or fruit and any sugar the manufacturer put in. The added sugars line tells you exactly how many grams came from processing.
A quick trick for visualizing the number: four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. So if a yogurt lists 12 grams of added sugars, that’s three teaspoons of sugar stirred in beyond what the milk naturally contained. Dividing grams by four works for any product.
The ingredient list is where things get tricky. Manufacturers use dozens of names for added sugar. Some common ones include sucrose, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup, cane juice, maltose, rice syrup, agave nectar, and barley malt. Honey and maple syrup also count as added sugars when used as ingredients. Even concentrated fruit juice counts, because the concentration process strips away fiber and nutrients, leaving mostly sugar.
Where Added Sugar Hides
Soda, candy, and cookies are the obvious sources, but added sugar shows up in foods that don’t taste sweet at all. Ketchup, jarred pasta sauce, barbecue sauce, and salad dressings often contain significant amounts. Even nut butters like peanut, almond, or cashew butter may include added sugars for flavor and texture. Flavored yogurts, granola bars, breakfast cereals, and bread are other frequent offenders.
This is why the label matters more than your taste buds. A half-cup serving of pasta sauce can contain as much added sugar as a cookie, but you’d never guess from the flavor because the acidity of the tomatoes masks it.
How Much Is Too Much
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women and no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans takes a stricter approach, recommending no more than 10 grams of added sugars per meal and advising that children under 2 have none at all.
Most Americans far exceed these limits. CDC data from 2017 to 2018 found that both children and adults averaged 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day, nearly double the recommended cap for men and close to triple the limit for women. That’s roughly 68 grams daily, much of it from beverages like soda, sweetened coffee, and fruit drinks.
Why the Amount Matters
In small quantities, added sugar isn’t dangerous. The concern is cumulative intake over time. Consistently high consumption is linked to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease. Because added sugars are calorie-dense but nutritionally empty, they displace foods that actually provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
The practical takeaway is simple: you don’t need to eliminate added sugar entirely, but knowing what it is helps you notice where it’s sneaking into your diet. Checking the “Added Sugars” line, scanning ingredient lists for its many aliases, and doing the divide-by-four conversion puts you in a much better position to keep your intake in a reasonable range.