How Do Health Agencies Say to Cut Back on Added Sugar?

Health agencies point to a few steps. The CDC says replacing sugary drinks with unsweetened water can help reduce the amount of added sugars (sugars put into food during processing or cooking) people drink ^[1]. The FDA says the Nutrition Facts label lists added sugars in grams and as a percent Daily Value ^[4]. The CDC says the ingredient list can offer clues about added sugars ^[5].

Where does most added sugar in the US diet come from?

The CDC breaks down where added sugars come from in the US diet. Drinks and sweet foods each make up a large share ^[1]:

The CDC also says that "the leading sources of added sugars in the U.S. diet are sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, and sweet snacks" ^[2]. It reports that average daily intake in 2017-2018 was 17 teaspoons for people ages 2 to 19 and for adults 20 and older ^[2].

What do the Dietary Guidelines say about added sugars?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 say that no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners (low- or no-calorie sweeteners) is recommended as part of a nutritious diet. The same passage says that one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars ^[3].

The guidelines also say to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas, fruit drinks, and energy drinks ^[3]. For infants and young children, they say to avoid added sugars ^[3]. The guidelines add that fruits and plain milk have naturally occurring sugars, and that these are not counted as added sugars ^[3].

What does the CDC say about cutting back on sugary drinks?

The CDC's "Rethink Your Drink" page gives these ideas ^[6]:

• The CDC suggests tap, unsweetened, bottled, or sparkling water in place of sugary drinks.
• It suggests keeping a jug or reusable bottles of cold water in the fridge instead of stocking sugary drinks.
• It suggests leaving off flavored syrups and whipped cream at the coffee shop.
• It suggests unsweetened tea or coffee instead of an energy drink.
• It suggests adding a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water.

The CDC says a 12-ounce regular soda has more than 10 teaspoons (about 42 grams) of added sugar ^[6]. Its chart of 12-ounce drinks shows how the amounts compare ^[6]:

The CDC adds that cutting out two regular sodas per day would reduce total calories by 2,100 in a week ^[6].

How do people find added sugar on a food label?

The FDA says the label lists "the number of grams and the percent Daily Value (%DV) for added sugars" ^[4]. The word "includes" before added sugars means they are counted inside the total sugars number ^[4]. The CDC explains that total sugars combine naturally occurring and added sugar ^[5].

The FDA gives a quick guide to the percent Daily Value ^[4]:

• 5% DV or less is a low source of added sugars.
• 20% DV or more is a high source of added sugars.

The FDA says the Daily Value, its reference amount for a day, is 50 grams for added sugars, based on a 2,000 calorie diet ^[4].

The CDC also points to the ingredient list. It says ingredients are listed from the highest amount to the smallest amount. A sugar near the start of the list is "a good clue" that the food has added sugars ^[5].

The Dietary Guidelines say to look for ingredients that include the word "sugar" or "syrup" or end in "-ose" ^[3]. They list high-fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, fructose, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, cane sugar, beet sugar, turbinado sugar, maltose, lactose, fruit juice concentrate, honey, and molasses as examples ^[3]. The CDC adds that words such as "glazed," "candied," "caramelized," or "frosted" can signal sugar added during preparation ^[5].

Does taste change when people eat less sugar?

One small trial looked at this. Adults in the low-sugar group were asked to replace 40% of calories from simple sugars for three months. A control group did not make the change. The study had 33 people, and not all finished every test ^[7].

By the end of the study, the low-sugar group rated puddings as about 40% sweeter than the control group did. Their ratings of how pleasant the puddings were did not differ from the control group's ^[7]. The authors wrote that changes in simple sugar intake affect how intense sweet taste seems ^[7].

This is a single, small study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2016. It reports how sweet foods tasted and how pleasant they were. The abstract does not report cravings, and the trial does not show what happens over longer periods ^[7].

The bottom line

The CDC names sugary drinks, desserts, and sweet snacks as leading sources of added sugars ^[1][2]. The CDC points to water in place of sugary drinks ^[1][6]. The FDA points to the Added Sugars line and percent Daily Value on the label ^[4]. The CDC and the Dietary Guidelines point to the ingredient list ^[3][5]. This note cites one small trial on taste and none on cravings. That trial found that sweet foods tasted more intense, not more or less pleasant, after a low-sugar period ^[7].