Added sugar may be the single unhealthiest ingredient in the modern diet.
On average, Americans eat about 15 teaspoons of added sugar each day, although sources vary on the exact figure (1). Most of this is hidden within processed foods, so people don't even realize they're eating it.
All this sugar may be a key factor in several major illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes (2, 3).
Sugar goes by many different names, so it's very difficult to figure out how much a food actually contains. Below are 56 different names for sugar.
But first, let's briefly explain what added sugars are and how the different types can affect your health.
What is Added Sugar?
During processing, sugar is added to food to enhance flavor, texture, shelf life or other properties.
Added sugar is usually a mixture of simple sugars such as glucose, fructose or sucrose. Other types, such as galactose, lactose and maltose, are less common.
Unfortunately, food manufacturers often hide the total amount of sugar by listing it under several different names on ingredients lists.
Bottom Line: Sugar is commonly added to processed foods. Manufactures often use several different kinds of sugar so they can hide the real amount.
Glucose or Fructose—Does it Matter?
In short, yes. Glucose and fructose—even though they're very common and often found together—have very different effects on the body.
Glucose can be metabolized by nearly every cell in the body, while fructose is metabolized almost entirely in the liver (4).
Studies have repeatedly demonstrated the harmful effects of high fructose consumption (5, 6, 7).
These include insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver and type 2 diabetes.
Although eating any extra sugar should be avoided, it is especially important to minimize your intake of added sugars that are high in fructose.
Bottom Line: Added sugar goes by many names, and most types consist of glucose and/or fructose. High-fructose added sugars are more harmful.
56 Different Names for Sugar
1. Sugar/Sucrose
Sucrose is the most common type of sugar.
Often called “table sugar," it is a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in many fruits and plants.
Table sugar is usually extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets. It consists of 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, bound together.
Sucrose is found in many foods, including ice cream, candy, pastries, cookies, soda, fruit juices, canned fruit, processed meat, breakfast cereals and ketchup, to name a few.
Bottom Line: Sucrose is also known as table sugar. It occurs naturally in many fruits and plants, and is added to all sorts of processed foods. It consists of 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose.
2. High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
High-fructose corn syrup is a widely used sweetener, especially in the US.
It is produced from corn starch via an industrial process, and consists of both fructose and glucose.
There are several different types of HFCS, which contain varying amounts of fructose.
Two notable varieties are:
- HFCS 55: This is the most common type of HFCS. It contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, which makes it similar to sucrose in composition.
- HFCS 90: This form contains 90 percent fructose.
High-fructose corn syrup is found in many foods, especially in the US. These include soda, breads, cookies, candy, ice cream, cakes, cereal bars and many others.
Bottom Line: High-fructose corn syrup is produced from corn starch. It consists of varying amounts of fructose and glucose, but the most common type contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose.
3. Agave Nectar
Agave nectar, also called agave syrup, is a very popular sweetener produced from the agave plant.
It is commonly used as a “healthy" alternative to sugar because it doesn't spike blood sugar levels as much as many other sugar varieties.
However, agave nectar contains about 70–90 percent fructose, and 10–30 percent glucose.
Given the harmful health effects of excess fructose consumption, agave nectar may be even worse for metabolic health than regular sugar.
It is used in many “health foods," such as fruit bars, sweetened yogurts and cereal bars.
Bottom Line: Agave nectar or syrup is produced from the agave plant. It contains 70–90 percent fructose and 10–30 percent glucose. It may be even more harmful for health than regular sugar.
4 - 37. Other Sugars with Glucose and Fructose
Most added sugars and sweeteners contain both glucose and fructose.
Here are a few examples:
- Beet sugar
- Blackstrap molasses
- Brown sugar
- Buttered syrup
- Cane juice crystals
- Cane sugar
- Caramel
- Carob syrup
- Castor sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- Date sugar
- Demerara sugar
- Evaporated cane juice
- Florida crystals
- Fruit juice
- Fruit juice concentrate
- Golden sugar
- Golden syrup
- Grape sugar
- Honey
- Icing sugar
- Invert sugar
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Muscovado sugar
- Panela sugar
- Raw sugar
- Refiner's syrup
- Sorghum syrup
- Sucanat
- Treacle sugar
- Turbinado sugar
- Yellow sugar
Bottom Line: These sugars all contain varying amounts of both glucose and fructose.
38 - 52. Sugars With Glucose Only
These sweeteners contain glucose, either pure or combined with sugars other than fructose (such as other glucose units or galactose):
- Barley malt
- Brown rice syrup
- Corn syrup
- Corn syrup solids
- Dextrin
- Dextrose
- Diastatic malt
- Ethyl maltol
- Glucose
- Glucose solids
- Lactose
- Malt syrup
- Maltodextrin
- Maltose
- Rice syrup
Bottom Line: These sugars are comprised of glucose, either on its own or with sugars other than fructose.
53 - 54. Sugars With Fructose Only
These two sweeteners contain only fructose:
- Crystalline fructose
- Fructose
Bottom Line: Pure fructose is simply called fructose or crystalline fructose.
55 - 56. Other Sugars
There are a few added sugars that contain neither glucose nor fructose. They are less sweet and less common, but are sometimes used as sweeteners:
- D-ribose
- Galactose
Bottom Line: D-ribose and galactose are not as sweet as glucose and fructose, but are also used as sweeteners.
There's No Need To Avoid Natural Sugars
There's no reason to avoid the sugar that is naturally present in whole foods.
Fruit, vegetables and dairy products naturally contain small amounts of sugar, but they also contain fiber, nutrients and various beneficial compounds.
The negative health effects of high sugar consumption are due to the massive amount of added sugar that is present in the Western diet.
The most effective way to reduce your sugar intake is to eat mostly whole and unprocessed foods.
However, if you decide to buy packaged foods, be on the lookout for the many different names that sugar goes by.
This article was reposted from our media associate Authority Nutrition.
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!