Author and educator Gary Taubes is among a small group of health investigators who have been relentlessly spreading the word about the strong associations between sugar consumption and the rising rates of obesity and major diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Taubes’ latest book is called “The Case Against Sugar,” which covers topics such as whether sugar should be considered a food or a drug, its addictive nature, and the health ramifications of eating a high-sugar processed food diet. All of these topics are also covered in this featured lecture.

How Much Sugar Do You Eat Each Day?

If you’re like most people, you might not know the exact answer to that question, and the reason for that is because it’s in virtually all processed foods, including products you would never suspect would have added sugar in it.

For example, fruit flavored yogurt can contain upwards of 20 grams of sugar, or 5 teaspoons, per serving, and a package of sweet and sour chicken with rice contains more than 12 teaspoons (more than a can of soda).

Sugar can also hide under less familiar names, such as dextrose, maltose, galactose and maltodextrin, just to name a few.¹

High-sugar meals are a problem largely relegated to the processed food industry. You don’t really have this problem when you’re cooking from scratch with whole foods, which are packed with natural flavors. Then all you need is seasoning.

Rarely, if ever, would you consider adding several teaspoons of sugar to a home-cooked meal.

Most Americans Consume FAR Too Much Sugar

According to a 2014 study,² 10 percent of Americans consume 25 percent or more of their daily calories in the form of added sugars. Most adults (71.4 percent) get at least 10 percent of their daily calories from added sugar. The ramifications of this are significant.

People who consumed 21 percent or more of their daily calories in the form of sugar were TWICE as likely to die from heart disease compared to those who got 7 percent or less or their daily calories from added sugar.

The risk was nearly TRIPLED among those who consumed 25 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar. That means at least 10 percent of the adult population in the U.S. are in this tripled-risk category.

Personally I have chosen to consume an ultra-low carb diet with no added sugars and about 35 grams of net carbs a day (total carbs minus fiber). I prefer not to damage my mitochondria with a dirty fuel like glucose.

Sugar Recommendations

The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization recommend limiting your daily addedsugar intake to 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men, and 6 teaspoons (25 grams) for women. The limits for children range from 3 to 6 teaspoons (12- 25 grams) per day, depending on age.

Four grams of sugar is equivalent to about 1 teaspoon, and I strongly recommend limiting your daily fructose intake to 25 grams or less from all sources, including natural sources such as fruit — regardless of your sex. That equates to just over 6 teaspoons of total sugar per day as sugar is half fructose.

If you’re among the 80 percent who have insulin or leptin resistance or who are overweight or taking statins, or who have metabolic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, you’d be wise to restrict your total fructose consumption to as little as 15 grams per day until you’ve normalized your insulin and leptin levels.

The average American consumes around 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day. This is more than three times the recommended amount, and the evidence clearly indicates that this dietary trend goes hand in hand with our current epidemics of obesity and chronic disease.