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Sugar and its adverse effects on health: How can we overcome sugar addiction?
Tim Klein
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Diets Premium Expert • 24.09.2026
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Scientifically reviewed by a clinical dietitian:
This article has been peer-reviewed for adherence to IŻŻ, WHO, and PTGiP clinical nutritional standards.
| Diets Premium Expert Tim Klein | min read 7 min | Scientifically reviewed by a clinical dietitian 24.09.2026 |
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Key Takeaways
Sugar acts as a vital energy source for the body, but its excessive consumption is linked to serious health risks. Due to its pleasant taste, it is widely used in the food industry, often in products that are not naturally sweet. Some label it as "white death" because of its ability to contribute to numerous health conditions. It is primarily held accountable for the spread of obesity, which is unsurprising since 100 grams of sugar provides around 400 kcal—a significant caloric intake for such a small quantity.
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Why do we like candy so much?
They say that sweet taste is addictive. It's also one of the first things that our body knows about it. We get it in infancy when we drink our mother's milk. Exposure to sweet taste continues into early childhood, when we get the taste of new products -- fruit or fruit juices. It has a huge impact on how we react to sweets. They have habits acquired in childhood. People who have eaten sweets in large quantities since early years, as adults, are more likely to reach for sweet snacks.
Is sugar harmful?
It is naturally present in many fruits (fruit sugar), juices, some vegetables or milk (milk sugar), and these are products that should be an important part of our menu. In addition, fruits are a source of vitamins and antioxidants, milk in turn contains calcium, which is essential for the process of bone mineralization, and milk sugar is necessary for its absorption. The problem arises when sugar is too high, and to this day it is added to almost every food in which it is produced.
Is that even how much sugar you can eat a day?
The World Health Organization recommends that our daily sugar intake should not exceed 10% of our daily calorie intake. So if our diet is calculated at 2,000 calories, then 200 calories can be obtained from sugar. One tablespoon of sugar weighing 5 grams delivers 20 calories so our daily intake shouldn't exceed 10 teaspoons.
What are the effects of sugar addiction?
Excessive sugar leads to being overweight or obese, and these are the causes of many health problems hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance leading to diabetes, and even problems with the joints of the knees. Each of the above diseases poses a high risk of developing further diseases. Excess sugar in the diet also disrupts the development of normal gut microbial flora, which results in a decrease in the body's immune system, and also damages the gland of the teeth, leading to cavity. Some scientists speculate that there is a correlation between high sugar consumption and the occurrence of cognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
What are the symptoms of sugar addiction?
The more we eat sweet things, the more we're drawn to sugar. and this is the wrong cycle that's hard to get out of. We don't even realize that without sugar we can't function anymore. The constant craving for something sweet is the first symptom of sugar addiction. And then there's the irritation, the anxiety, the mood swings. Over time, there can be headaches, and even migraine pain.
Is that when we want candy the most?
The craving for candy often comes in situations of stress. It can be caused by our body's sudden need for glucose, or by our habit of reaching for something good in difficult times to compensate for failure. In this second case, we're dealing with a so-called stress eating disorder. Some people reach for candies unknowingly, for example, while watching TV, but often not even aware of how many snacks during a television watching television or mindless snacking.
How can I stop eating sugar?
If we want to limit the amount of sugar we consume, it's worth paying attention not only to the sugar in the confectionery, but also to the so-called added sugar. Many seemingly healthy products contain it in their composition. This group includes fruit yogurt, breakfast cereal, cooked vegetables, cereal or protein bars, canned fruit, dried fruit, and even sausages and dark bread.
How can you overcome a physical addiction to sugar?
Physical dependence occurs when we eat sweets to provide our body with energy. It's caused by too low a blood glucose level. To balance it, our body demands a dose of easily digestible carbohydrates that quickly raise sugar levels. Unfortunately, after a sudden increase in glucose, it drops just as quickly. To prevent this and thus satisfy hunger for longer, we need to eat low-glycemic foods that are based on complex carbs combined with a little bit of fat or protein.
How can you cope with mental addiction?
We're talking about psychological addiction when we think of eating something sweet as a reward. If we want to overcome this kind of addiction, we need to think about what we can replace with a sweet snack. It doesn't necessarily have to be a meal. As part of the reward, we can go to the movies or buy something small. But if the greatest pleasure is something to eat, it's good to choose a low-calorie product that satisfies our need for a reward, but that won't supply the body with the unnecessary calories. Because of the release of sugar in the body, there are substances that have a beneficial effect on our mood.
mgr Tim Klein
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Diets Premium team expert. Specializes in nutrition plans, strength sports, and training plans.
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