Editor's note

Before you reach for that maple syrup or strawberry jam, you might want to catch up on an article or two from our series on sugar. This week we covered how the different types of sugar compare, why the sugar in fruit is OK, and where the science is at on the link between sugar and two common diseases. The good news is that you don’t have to quit sugar completely to be healthy, but most of us could do with cutting back.

Fron Jackson-Webb

Senior Health + Medicine Editor/Deputy Chief of Staff

Alternatives such as dates have the same number of kilojoules as sugar. Artur Rutkowski

You don't need to quit sugar to improve your health

Tara Leong, University of the Sunshine Coast

Quitting sugar is unlikely to improve your health any more than cutting down on ultra-processed foods, eating more vegetables and cooking food from scratch.

Sugar is sugar in the body. But the way they’re processed can make small differences. from www.shutterstock.com

White, brown, raw, honey: which type of sugar is best?

Sze-Yen Tan, Deakin University

Next time you're baking a cake or putting a spoonful of something sweet in your coffee, here's which sugar you should choose and why.

All types of sugars will give us the same amount of calories, whether they are from fruit or soft drink. Shutterstock/Dulin

If sugar is so bad for us, why is the sugar in fruit OK?

Kacie Dickinson, Flinders University; Jodi Bernstein, University of Toronto

We often hear that we need to reduce our sugar intake. But don't skimp on the fruit – eating whole fruit (not juice) is much healthier.

More than half of Australians consume too much sugar. Sharon McCutcheon

Yes, too much sugar is bad for our health – here's what the science says

Kieron Rooney, University of Sydney

The research shows a link between high-sugar diets and diseases such as dementia and cancer. It doesn't show that sugar causes them, but it's compelling enough to prompt us to cut down on sugar.

From the archives

Health Check: how much sugar is it OK to eat?

Kacie Dickinson, Flinders University; Louisa Matwiejczyk, Flinders University

If you're an average-sized adult eating and drinking enough to maintain a healthy body weight, you should consume no more than 12 teaspoons of sugar per day.

Just how bad is all that sugar for your heart?

Scott Lear, Simon Fraser University

Too much refined sugar in your diet is not just a risk factor for obesity and diabetes, it also increases your chances of heart disease.

Health Check: should I replace sugar with artificial sweeteners?

Sarah McNaughton, Deakin University

We know we need to cut back on sugar, and focussing on eating more whole foods can help change our desire for sweetness.

Fact or fiction – is sugar addictive?

Amy Reichelt, RMIT University

If you’ve ever tried to cut back on sugar, you may have realised how incredibly difficult it is. This leads to the question: can you be addicted to sugar?

 

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