BAS Health Series: Myths and Realities of the Things We Eat, Article 3 of 6

If you’ve been following along with my Food Myths series, you already know it’s okay to eat fat and even add salt to your food without guilt. But now we’re onto sugar… and unfortunately this one doesn’t have the same happy ending for us sugar lovers.

Let’s be honest — we all love sugar. Ice cream, candy, cupcakes, crème brûlée — it’s one of life’s simple pleasures. But the more I’ve learned about what sugar actually does inside the body, the harder it’s been to see it that way.

We talk about sugar like it’s harmless — a quick pick-me-up or a sweet reward after dinner. But it’s far more than that. Sugar affects nearly every system in your body, from your brain chemistry to your heart and immune system. This isn’t about guilt or restriction — it’s about understanding what’s really happening each time we reach for something sweet.

Myths

• Myth 1: Sugar causes diabetes.
  Sugar doesn’t directly cause diabetes — type 2 diabetes develops from insulin resistance over time¹. However, high sugar intake contributes to obesity and chronic blood sugar spikes, which does dramatically increase the risk.

• Myth 2: Fruit sugar is harmless.
  Fructose from whole fruit behaves differently than refined sugars because fiber slows absorption². But concentrated fruit juices or “smoothies” strip that fiber away, leading to the same glucose spike as soda!

• Myth 3: Artificial sweeteners are the healthy alternative.
  They’re not a free pass. Research shows certain sweeteners may alter gut bacteria, disrupt insulin response, and heighten cravings³. The brain still perceives sweetness — which can trigger hunger even without calories.
  

Sweetness has consequences. The body always keeps score.

The Science

Sugar isn’t just one thing — it’s a family of molecules your body breaks down into glucose and fructose.

• Glucose fuels your muscles, organs, and brain.

• Fructose, found naturally in fruit and added sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, is metabolized almost entirely in the liver.

• Sucrose (table sugar) is a 50/50 blend of both.
  
  

Here’s where it gets complicated: your body has no biological need for added sugar. Unlike fat and salt, you simply don’t need it. Your body can create glucose from carbs, protein, and even fat. 

When we flood the body with excess sugar, the hormone insulin that helps move glucose into cells goes into overdrive. Over time, your cells stop responding properly. This condition, known as insulin resistance, forces the pancreas to release even more insulin until it can’t keep up⁴. That’s when blood sugar levels rise and type 2 diabetes develops.

High sugar intake also increases triglycerides, promotes fat storage in the liver, and accelerates inflammation throughout the body⁵. These metabolic changes quietly feed into other major diseases — heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s (often called “type 3 diabetes”).

The average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day — nearly triple the recommended limit⁶. That’s 57 pounds of added sugar a year. In the mid-1990s, diagnosed diabetes was about 4.8 per 1,000 people. By 2005–2007, it had nearly doubled to 9.1 per 1,000 — a ~90% increase over a decade. Over the same period, U.S. dietary guidelines and consumer behavior were promoting “low-fat” foods, which often replaced fats with refined carbohydrates and added sugar. These numbers don’t prove causation but they do show a clear association between the adoption of low-fat diets (with increased sugar and refined carb content) and a steep rise in diabetes incidence.

Sugar and Cancer – Feeding the Fire

Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time researching cancer and cancer treatments. Every oncologist I’ve met has informed me that sugar (or glucose) absolutely plays a role in cancer growth and risk.

Cancer cells consume glucose — a lot of it. In fact, one of the ways doctors detect cancer in PET scans is by tracing how much sugar cells absorb. Tumor cells use sugar at a much higher rate than normal cells — a phenomenon known as the Warburg Effect⁷.

That doesn’t mean eating a cupcake gives you cancer. What it means is that consistently high blood sugar and insulin levels create an environment that supports cancer growth. Elevated insulin acts as a growth signal, stimulating cell division and reducing the body’s ability to suppress abnormal cells⁸.

Excess sugar also fuels chronic inflammation, which damages DNA and weakens immune surveillance — the very system designed to detect and destroy emerging cancer cells.

Sugar doesn’t cause cancer overnight — but it helps set the stage for it to thrive. If you have a family history of cancer or metabolic disease, controlling sugar isn’t just about weight; it’s about reducing your lifetime risk.

Sugar and Aging – The Silent Accelerator

If you’ve ever wondered why a high-sugar diet seems to “age” people faster, the answer lies in a process called glycation.

When excess sugar circulates in your bloodstream, it binds to proteins and fats, forming sticky molecules called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)⁹. These compounds damage collagen and elastin — the very proteins that keep your skin firm, your joints flexible, and your arteries elastic.

Glycation also stiffens blood vessels, increases oxidative stress, and disrupts cellular repair — all key drivers of premature aging. The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs your body accumulates.

Simply, sugar makes your cells older. Researchers now link high AGE levels to wrinkles, joint pain, cataracts, and even cognitive decline¹⁰.

The good news? Cutting added sugar and eating antioxidant-rich foods (like berries, leafy greens, and green tea) can help slow the process and even reduce AGE buildup.

The Fast-Food Trap – Sugar by Another Name

If you think you don’t eat much sugar, check again. Sugar hides everywhere — in sauces, salad dressings, “healthy” granola, and coffee drinks that could double as milkshakes.

Manufacturers disguise it under 50+ names, including maltose, fructose, agave nectar, rice syrup, and cane juice. The problem isn’t just dessert — it’s the everyday foods that quietly push your intake sky-high.

A “healthy” fruit smoothie can contain 60–70 grams of sugar, the equivalent of two cans of soda. Barbecue sauce can have more sugar than ice cream.

Around the World – The Sweet Divide

Sugar is one of those ingredients that tells you a lot about culture.

• Japan uses far less added sugar but enjoys sweetness in small, refined forms — think green tea mochi or lightly sweetened rice desserts. Their sugar intake is roughly half that of Americans¹¹.

• France enjoys dessert, but portion sizes are tiny. Sweets are a ritual, not a reflex. You don’t eat a croissant on the run — you savor it.

• Mediterranean countries use natural sugars in fruit, honey, and wine — but meals emphasize balance: fiber, healthy fats, and protein that slow glucose absorption.
  

The lesson? Sweetness isn’t the enemy. Overexposure is. Other cultures never lost control of moderation — we did.

Sweet Swap Chart – Smarter Ways to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Sweeteners aren’t “good” or “bad” — they’re tools. The goal is to use the least amount.

The Truth

The World Health Organization recommends limiting added sugar to less than 10% of daily calories, ideally under 5%¹². For most adults, that’s about 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day.

That doesn’t mean cutting all sweetness — it means being selective.

• Choose whole fruits over juices.

• Use honey or maple syrup sparingly — natural doesn’t mean limitless.

• Watch for added sugars in sauces, condiments, and cereals.
  

If you want to reset your sugar tolerance, go 10 days without added sugar. You’ll be amazed how sweet real food starts to taste again.

My Opinion

Sugar is a tough one to swallow — literally and figuratively. Our bodies don’t need it and too much of it accelerates aging, drives inflammation, and contributes to nearly every major disease we fear most — diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s.

I grew up on soda, cereal, and sundaes. Sweet foods were a comfort, celebration, and habit all wrapped into one. But I’ve learned to live with less and after some time, I don’t really miss it.

Sugar should be a treat, not a lifestyle. Enjoy it occasionally, savor it fully, and keep it in moderation. If fat and salt earned their redemption, sugar is our wake-up call … a reminder that not everything we enjoy is good for us. The real reward comes from feeling better, living longer, and aging well.

The Myths and Realities of the Things We Eat

By Ken York, President of Benefit Airship

As someone who loves food — the smell of a sizzling pan, a great cup of coffee, a perfectly cooked steak — I’m fascinated by what we eat and how it affects us. I also get frustrated by the constant noise around it. One day butter is a superfood, the next it’s poison. Coffee adds years to your life — unless it’s silently killing you. Every week seems to bring a new diet, miracle supplement, or shocking study that contradicts the last one.

I’ve spent years researching health and wellness — both personally and professionally — and I’ve learned that truth in nutrition is rarely simple. What’s good for one person might not be for another. But there is science behind how these foods work, and it’s not as mysterious as the headlines make it seem.

Sources

1. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Sugar and Type 2 Diabetes

2. Mayo Clinic, Fructose and Blood Sugar Response

3. Nature Metabolism, Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Microbiota

4. National Institutes of Health, Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance

5. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, Sugar, Inflammation, and Lipid Metabolism

6. CDC, Added Sugar Consumption in the U.S. (2024)

7. Cancer Metabolism Journal, The Warburg Effect and Tumor Glycolysis

8. American Cancer Society, Insulin and Cancer Risk

9. Journal of Gerontology, Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and Aging

10. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, Glycation and Cellular Aging

11. World Health Organization, Dietary Sugar Intake by Country (2024)

12. WHO, Guideline: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children (2023)