What's a reasonable amount of sugar to be consuming in a day?

November 4, 2008 12:50 PM

What's a "healthy" or "Reasonable" amount of sugar for a healthy mid-20's male to be consuming daily?

I've recently started to think about my sugar consumption. I make it a point to avoid corn syrup and I don't drink soda or sugar-y juice very often, but I sneak sugar into my coffee and eat more than my shake of fruits (Raisins! So much sugar) and occasionally some candy-ish snacks.

As a result, I'm wondering: What's a reasonable or healthy amount of sugar for a healthy 24 year old male to be consuming? I know the stock answer is "NONE", but that's not really helpful. For example, my box of raisins has thirty grams of sugar. Is that a lot? Is it a third of a reasonable intake? A tenth? Triple what I should be consuming?

posted by GilloD to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

A lot of sources say that the USDA recommends no more than 40g per day, assuming a 2000 calorie per day energy intake. I wasn't able to locate the specific document on the USDA site however, but 40g doesn't sound unreasonable.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:05 PM on November 4, 2008

Best answer: "According to the World Health Organization, no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sweeteners. This advice is in line with the long-standing recommendations of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid, which called for a maximum of 12 teaspoons of sugar (48 grams) in a 2,200-calorie diet -- or roughly 9 percent of daily calories. Current USDA guidelines, revised in 2005, simply say to limit these calories." [source]
posted by nitsuj at 1:09 PM on November 4, 2008

Response by poster: Yikes! Well. It'll give me something to strive for.
posted by GilloD at 1:11 PM on November 4, 2008

... eat more than my shake of fruits ...

According to the World Health Organization, no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sweeteners...

The fruit you eat wouldn't count towards your 10% unless it has added sugar (which a lot of dried fruit does have).
posted by Utilitaritron at 1:20 PM on November 4, 2008

If the only added sugar you regularly consume is a spoonful in your coffee, you're very very well below the guidelines. A teaspoon of sugar is about four grams.
posted by desuetude at 1:32 PM on November 4, 2008

It depends on how much you are burning off by excercising.
posted by Zambrano at 2:25 PM on November 4, 2008

It depends on how much you are burning off by excercising.

is this actually true? if i drink a litre of coke, then ride my bike at >20mph for an hour, is the coke still harmful?
posted by klanawa at 3:12 PM on November 4, 2008

The "harm" of coke probably goes beyond the caloric content. Here's a short break-down of components of energy expenditure:
* Resting metabolic rate (RMR),
* The thermic effect of food (TEF),
* Physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE).
The linked article mentions that endurance training can increase your average RMR, but more casual exercise only changes that rate for a brief while.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:45 PM on November 4, 2008

Count the sucrose, not the fructose (not counting the flesh-eating HFCS of course, which it sounds like you're only consuming in an occasional kitkat or whatever). I bet you're okay. Lots of bread has a considerable amount of sugar. And restaurant food is tasty because it's often more sugary than food you'd make at home (and saltier, and fattier...).
posted by zpousman at 5:37 PM on November 4, 2008