How much sugar per day is too much? (And where it hides)
How much sugar per day is too much? WHO, NHS and AHA daily limits, added vs natural sugar, grams in a teaspoon and the hidden names of sugar on labels.
By the Green Point editorial teamUpdated 6 min readKey takeaways
- WHO advises keeping free sugars below 10% of your daily energy, and ideally below 5%, which is about 25 g or 6 teaspoons a day.
- The NHS sets a maximum of 30 g of free sugars a day for adults; the American Heart Association suggests about 25 g for women and 36 g for men.
- Sugar in whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk does not count. Sugar added to food, plus honey, syrups and fruit juice, does.
- One teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g, so divide the grams on a label by 4 to picture it.
- Sugary drinks are the easiest place to cut back: one can of cola can hold more than an adult's whole daily limit.
On this page
Health authorities say adults should keep free sugars (added sugars plus honey, syrups and fruit juice) to less than 10% of daily calories, ideally under 5%. For WHO, the 5% level is about 25 g (6 teaspoons) a day, and the NHS sets an adult maximum of 30 g. Sugar naturally found in whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk does not count toward the limit.
How much sugar per day? The official limits
| Source | Recommendation | In grams |
|---|---|---|
| World Health Organization | Free sugars below 10% of energy; below 5% for extra benefits | Below 5% is about 25 g (6 teaspoons) |
| NHS (UK) | Maximum free sugars for adults | 30 g (about 7 sugar cubes) |
| American Heart Association | Added sugars for most women, teens and children over 2 | About 25 g (6 teaspoons) |
| American Heart Association | Added sugars for most men | About 36 g (9 teaspoons) |
| US Nutrition Facts label | Daily Value for added sugars | 50 g (a maximum, not a target) |
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025 to 2030, released in January 2026, take an even firmer line: they say no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended as part of a healthy diet, and that no single meal should contain more than 10 g of added sugars.
Daily sugar intake for children
Limits are lower for children. The NHS recommends a maximum of 24 g of free sugars a day for children aged 7 to 10, 19 g for ages 4 to 6, 14 g for ages 2 to 3 and 10 g at age 1. Babies under 1 should not have sugar added to their food or drinks, and the American Heart Association also advises avoiding added sugars before age 2.
Added sugar vs natural sugar: what counts?
The limits above apply to free sugars (WHO and NHS) or added sugars (US). The idea is the same: sugars that are added to food or drink by manufacturers, cooks or you, plus sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice.
- Counts: table sugar, sugar in sodas, sweets, cakes, cereals and sauces, honey, maple and agave syrup, fruit juice and smoothies (even unsweetened).
- Does not count: sugar inside whole fruit and vegetables, and lactose naturally present in plain milk and yogurt.
Why the difference? In whole fruit, sugar comes packaged with fiber and water, which slows you down and fills you up. Juicing breaks that structure, which is why the NHS suggests no more than 150 ml of fruit juice or smoothie a day.
How to find sugar on a food label
On EU and UK labels, sugar appears as "Carbohydrate, of which sugars". That figure is total sugars, including natural ones from milk or fruit, so a plain yogurt shows sugars even with nothing added. The ingredient list tells you whether sugar was added.
US labels show Total Sugars and, underneath, Includes Xg Added Sugars, which makes life easier. As a rule of thumb, more than 22.5 g of total sugars per 100 g is high and 5 g or less is low. Our guide on how to read nutrition labels explains the other thresholds.
How many grams of sugar are in a teaspoon?
A level teaspoon of granulated sugar weighs about 4 g. To picture the sugar in a product, divide the grams by 4: a yogurt with 12 g of sugars holds about 3 teaspoons, and a 500 ml soft drink with 50 g holds about 12. A sugar cube is usually around 4 g as well.
Hidden sugar names on ingredient lists
Sugar goes by dozens of names, and a product can contain several kinds, each listed separately so none of them appears first. Look out for these:
| Type | Names to look for |
|---|---|
| Words ending in "-ose" | Sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose |
| Syrups | Glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, invert sugar syrup, rice syrup, golden syrup |
| Natural-sounding sugars | Honey, maple syrup, agave syrup or nectar, coconut sugar, molasses, treacle, cane sugar, raw or brown sugar |
| From fruit and grains | Fruit juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, date syrup, barley malt extract |
Natural-sounding sugars like honey or coconut sugar are still free sugars, with very little nutritional advantage over white sugar. If you want sweetness without sugar, see our guide to artificial sweeteners, which explains what is known about them.
Where sugar hides: drinks and everyday foods
Sugary drinks are the biggest single source for many people. The NHS notes that a can of cola can contain as much as 9 cubes of sugar, which is more than the adult daily maximum in one go. Energy drinks, iced teas, flavored coffees and juices add up quickly too.
- Breakfast cereals and granola: many contain 20 g of sugars per 100 g or more; see how to choose a healthy breakfast cereal.
- Flavored yogurts: often far sweeter than plain yogurt with fruit.
- Sauces: ketchup, barbecue and sweet chili sauce, and many pasta sauces.
- Bread, crackers and "healthy" bars: cereal bars and protein bars can be surprisingly sweet.
- Low-fat products: some replace fat with sugar to keep the taste.
Frequently asked questions
Is the sugar in fruit bad for you?
No. Health authorities do not include sugars in whole fresh fruit in their limits, because fruit also brings fiber, vitamins and water, and eating more fruit and vegetables is linked to better health. Dried fruit is very concentrated and easy to overeat, and juice counts as free sugar, so keep juice to a small glass a day.
Are honey and maple syrup healthier than sugar?
Not in a meaningful way. Both count as free sugars in WHO and NHS guidance and are treated like added sugar on US labels. They contain tiny amounts of other compounds, but not enough to make a difference at normal amounts. Use them for flavor, sparingly, as you would table sugar.
What happens if you eat too much sugar?
Regularly eating more free sugar than recommended raises the risk of tooth decay and makes it easier to take in more calories than you need, which can lead to weight gain over time. Excess weight in turn raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Sugary drinks are especially easy to overconsume.
Does "no added sugar" mean a product is sugar free?
No. "No added sugar" means no sugars or sweetening ingredients were added, but the product can still contain natural sugars, sometimes a lot, as with fruit juices, smoothies or dried fruit snacks. "Sugar free" is a stricter claim: in the EU it means no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g or 100 ml.
Sources
- WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and childrenWorld Health Organization
- Sugar: the factsNHS
- Added sugars and daily limitsKaiser Permanente (Healthwise)
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030: Progress on added sugar, protein hype, saturated fat contradictionsHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have a skin, allergy or health concern, talk to a doctor, dermatologist or dietitian. Green Point scores and Skin Scan results are informational and are not a diagnosis.
