Say you’re getting at most 7-8% of your calories from added sugars which is within almost all standards for a healthy individual.
Does lowering it to say 5% or giving it up altogether have any proven extra benefits? Whether in your mind or body or (as is in most cases) both.
Potentially. When you are down to that level you are in to relatively small improvement territory and the type of sugar becomes more important.
Your body absorbs three sugars; glucose, fructose and galactose. Galactose mostly comes from lactose and we can ignore it for this discussion.
Of glucose & fructose glucose is the least problematic because it causes a normal insulin response. Fructose isn’t “bad” but it causes a weaker insulin response so if you eat something with lots of added fructose your liver will start making lipids from it to protect itself which results in fatty liver disease, the lipids accumulate in your liver reducing its function.
Sugars themselves can come in many forms. When you eat a whole vegetable/fruit most of the sugar is trapped in the fiber matrix of the flesh & cells which means your mouth, stomach and gut has to do work to liberate it before you can absorb it. Table sugar (sucrose) is not great but is not the worst form because its not free glucose & fructose, your gut actually has to do some work to liberate those sugars (not very much work though). Free fructose & glucose (HFCS, honey etc) are the worst forms because its just free base sugars suspended in water, you can absorb them without any gut work which means even eating them with lots of fiber wont have a meaningful effect on absorption rate.
If someone was having some regular table sugar in their coffee every day substituting that for the natural sugar of OJ would not be good because they are substituting a non-base sugar for a base sugar. Eliminating the sugar from their coffee without a replacement might be helpful but it also sounds boring as hell and it’s doubtful that a small amount of added sugar is really important to their health.
I’ve always treated it as if it does. It also presumably would require more sodium, magnesium, and potassium to support ketosis. That particular range, to me, strikes me as a critical one - particularly if you are shy of caloric needs.
I feel like it might not be necessary for younger people, or people who are already pretty flexible, metabolically. But to hit that zone once or twice a year for awhile might be a nice prophylactic, and would aid in being aware of your body’s boundaries. It could improve some flavors, maybe, too. And that can make a difference in what you eat.
Yes, reducing added sugars to 5% or less of your dietary intake has been shown to offer numerous added benefits. Not only does it lower the risk of developing chronic diseases, it can also help to regulate blood pressure and improve mental clarity.
Yes I think less is better but if you can always try to avoid free sugars completely. They are honestly terrible for you and your liver which has very important functions. If you are going to eat something containing sugar try to eat it at the end of a meal containing some protein and fat to slow the absorption. Snacking on cake or cookies is the worst. Natural sugars within fruit are in a fiber matrix which also slows down absorption.