{"id":61139,"date":"2023-11-03T09:30:23","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T13:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=61139"},"modified":"2024-10-25T10:27:14","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:27:14","slug":"does-sugar-cause-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/does-sugar-cause-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you get diabetes from eating too much sugar?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“If you keep eating like that, you’re going to get diabetes.” If you’ve ever been scolded like this for enjoying a sugar-laden dessert, know that an occasional confection isn’t going to send you immediately into poor health. However, it is important to understand the consequences of the nutritional choices that you make, such as a diet that includes excessive amounts of added sugar. Here’s what you need to know about the connection between sweet treats and diabetes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Can you get diabetes from eating too much sugar?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The short answer is no. Eating sugar won’t make you develop <\/span>Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/a>. However, your diet can contribute to <\/span>risk factors for Type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/a>, the most common type of diabetes mellitus. Specifically, your weight is influenced by diet.<\/span><\/p>\n

 “While dietary sugar isn’t the direct cause of Type 2 diabetes, a high-sugar diet can lead to obesity and other negative health outcomes,” says <\/span>William Dixon<\/span><\/a>, MD, a clinical assistant professor at Stanford University and co-founder of <\/span>Signos<\/span><\/a>. “Sugary foods and ultra-processed foods often contain more calories and are easier to over-eat than other foods, which can contribute to weight gain.” Lifestyle factors including sedentary lifestyle and obesity are risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eating excess sugar <\/span>does<\/span><\/i> cause other health conditions, such as <\/span>heart disease<\/span><\/a> and systemic inflammation, which is linked to issues such as arthritis and cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Does sugar cause diabetes? <\/span><\/h2>\n

Sugar consumption does not cause Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. <\/span>Type 1 diabetes<\/span><\/a> occurs when your immune system prevents your pancreas from producing enough insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by consistently elevated blood sugar levels—either your pancreas can’t make enough insulin to keep up or the high blood glucose levels damage your cells and prevent them from reacting to insulin properly. When your cells can’t respond to insulin and regulate blood sugar it’s called insulin resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sugar and insulin resistance<\/span><\/h2>\n

Eating too much sugar can lead to muscle, liver, and fat cells that are less sensitive to the effects of insulin, or <\/span>insulin resistant<\/span><\/a>. This can cause consistently abnormally <\/span>high blood sugar levels<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how it works. Normally, your body breaks down the food that you eat into sugar. When the sugar hits your bloodstream, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to help you either use or store that sugar as energy. When you eat a lot of sugar all the time, it puts a strain on the whole process. Your pancreas tries to produce enough insulin to move all that sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells. But over time, the cells become indifferent to that insulin release. Your pancreas pumps out even more insulin to try to reach the cells, but it doesn’t work as effectively as it should. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Insulin has less of an effect if the body is resistant to insulin,” explains <\/span>Timothy Wong, MD<\/span><\/a>, a family medicine doctor and medical expert for <\/span>JustAnswer<\/span><\/a>. “It’s like inflation, where you have the same amount of money but can’t buy as much with it. The pancreas….has to work harder to control blood sugar in those with insulin resistance and eventually, it cannot keep up.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adds Dr. Dixon, “When you have <\/span>insulin resistance<\/span><\/a>, you will have more glucose circulating in the bloodstream, causing all of the damage you see with diabetes.” It can also lead to a condition called <\/span>prediabetes<\/span><\/a>. When you have prediabetes, your <\/span>blood sugar levels<\/span><\/a> are elevated but they’re not quite high enough to meet the threshold for Type 2 diabetes. However, <\/span>research<\/span><\/a> suggests that up to 70% of people with prediabetes eventually go on to develop Type 2 diabetes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Does the type of sugar matter? <\/span><\/h2>\n

There are two main types of sugar—natural and added sugar. Your body processes them in the same way, but natural sugar often comes along with other nutrients and fiber, such as in fruit, starchy vegetables, dairy, and grains. These types of carbohydrates provide energy for your body. Added sugar—refined sugar and artificial sweeteners—can add empty calories to your diet and contribute to weight gain. The human body needs the sugar that comes from foods, but “we do not need processed sugar to meet our daily physiological needs and functioning of the body,” says <\/span>Chhaya Makhija<\/span><\/a>, MD, endocrinologist and founder of United Endocrine and Diabetes Care in central California. Experts suggest restricting your intake of added sugars.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans limit the amount of sugar they consume to <\/span>less than 10%<\/span><\/a> of their daily intake of calories. Meaning, if you normally eat <\/span>2000 calories<\/span><\/a> per day, you should only consume a maximum of 200 calories of added sugar. That’s about 50 grams—or 12 teaspoons—of sugar per day. The American Heart Association <\/span>suggests<\/span><\/a> aiming lower, with a recommended 25-gram (6 teaspoons) limit for women and 36-gram (9 teaspoons) limit for men. For children two and older, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a daily limit of <\/span>25 grams<\/span><\/a> of added sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to eat to lower your risk of diabetes<\/span><\/h2>\n

Use these strategies to reduce your added sugar intake—and your risk of developing insulin resistance, heart disease, or inflammation.<\/span><\/p>\n