Added sugar and the sugar in fruit are not the same problem

7 October 2026, 2 minute read

The molecules match. What surrounds them does not.

The sugar in an apple and the sugar in a can of cola are chemically close relatives. What differs is the package. An apple comes with fibre and water and takes a few minutes to chew. The cola delivers its sugar in seconds and leaves you no fuller than before.

This is why health guidance targets free sugars and leaves whole fruit alone. Free sugars are the ones added by a manufacturer, a cook or you, plus the sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice. The sugar inside whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk is not counted.

The numbers

The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars below 10 percent of daily energy, and says that going below 5 percent brings extra benefit. On 2,000 kilocalories a day, 10 percent is 50 grams, about twelve teaspoons. Five percent is 25 grams.

One 330 ml can of regular cola holds about 35 grams. A glass of orange juice has around 20. Both are free sugars.

Where it hides

• flavoured yogurt
• breakfast cereal and granola
• ketchup, barbecue sauce and ready-made dressings
• cereal bars sold as a healthy snack

The fastest way under the limit is to stop drinking sugar. Water, unsweetened tea and coffee cover most of it. Eat fruit whole instead of juiced, and choose plain yogurt and add the fruit yourself.