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Key takeaways
- WHO: free sugars under 10 percent of daily calories, with a further cut to under 5 percent (about 25 g, or 6 teaspoons, on 2,000 calories) for extra benefit.1
- US: under 10 percent of calories from added sugars from age 2, and none for children under 2. The label Daily Value is 50 g.2, 4
- American Heart Association: no more than 25 g (100 calories) a day for women and 36 g (150 calories) for men.3
- UK: free sugars no more than 5 percent of energy, which is 30 g a day for adults.5, 6
- Whole fruit and plain milk do not count. Juice, honey, syrups and anything stirred in do.1
What counts as added sugar
The WHO uses the term free sugars: all sugars added to foods and drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. Sugars inside intact fruit and vegetables, and the lactose in plain milk, are not free sugars, because they arrive packaged with fiber, water and other nutrients that change how the body handles them.1
The US label uses added sugars, a slightly narrower idea: sugars and syrups added during processing, including honey, maple syrup and juice concentrates used as sweeteners. The one notable difference is 100 percent fruit juice, which the WHO counts as free sugar but the US label does not count as added.4 For practical purposes treat juice as a sugary drink; a glass carries about as much sugar as a soda.
The limits, side by side
| Body | Limit | In grams and teaspoons |
|---|---|---|
| World Health Organization1 | Free sugars under 10% of energy; under 5% for additional benefit | Under 50 g (12 tsp); ideally under 25 g (6 tsp) on 2,000 calories |
| US Dietary Guidelines2 | Added sugars under 10% of calories from age 2; none under 2 | Under 50 g on 2,000 calories |
| US FDA label4 | Daily Value for added sugars | 50 g |
| American Heart Association3 | 100 calories a day for women, 150 for men | 25 g (6 tsp) women; 36 g (9 tsp) men |
| UK SACN and NHS5, 6 | Free sugars no more than 5% of energy | 30 g adults; 24 g ages 7 to 10; 19 g ages 4 to 6 |
One teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g, so the stricter limits come to 6 to 9 teaspoons a day. A single 12-ounce (355 ml) can of regular soda holds 35 to 40 g, which is the whole stricter allowance in one drink.
Why the limits exist
The WHO's recommendation rests on two findings. Higher free sugar intake is associated with higher body weight in both adults and children, and reducing it is associated with weight loss. And free sugars are the main dietary driver of dental caries, which remains the most common non-communicable disease worldwide.1 Sugary drinks are singled out because they deliver a lot of sugar without any fullness, so the calories tend to be added on top of what you would have eaten anyway.2, 3
Where it comes from
In the US diet, sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, energy and sports drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, fruit drinks) are the largest single source of added sugars, at roughly a quarter of the total. Desserts and sweet snacks are next at about a fifth, followed by sweetened coffee and tea, candy, breakfast cereals and bars, and sandwiches.2 The pattern is similar in the UK, where soft drinks, confectionery, biscuits, cakes and sugary cereals dominate.6
The less obvious sources add up: flavored yogurt, granola, pasta sauce, ketchup and barbecue sauce, salad dressings, "healthy" bars, plant milks, and bread. None is dramatic on its own, but 5 g here and 8 g there is how an otherwise careful day reaches 60 g.
Finding it on a label
On US labels, look for the indented line "Includes X g Added Sugars" under Total Sugars, with its percent Daily Value based on 50 g. Five percent (2.5 g) or less per serving is low; 20 percent (10 g) or more is high.4, 7 UK and EU labels show total sugars per 100 g instead; the traffic light is red above 22.5 g and green at 5 g or less, and you will need the ingredient list to tell added from natural.6
In the ingredient list, added sugars go by many names: sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, corn sweetener, dextrose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose (when added), malt syrup, rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, molasses, invert sugar, cane juice and fruit juice concentrate.4 Anything ending in "-ose" or containing "syrup" is a reliable tell. Because ingredients are listed by weight, a sugar in the first three is a sign the product is largely sugar.
Cutting it without misery
- Start with drinks. They are the biggest source and the easiest swap: water, sparkling water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or a half-and-half mix while you taper.
- Buy plain, add fruit. Plain yogurt plus berries has a fraction of the sugar of the flavored version and more protein.
- Whole fruit over juice. The fiber in whole fruit slows absorption and makes you full; juice is free sugar.
- Halve, do not ban. Cutting the sugar in coffee or recipes by half is rarely noticed after a week, and it sticks.
- Check sauces and cereals. These are where 10 g servings hide in savory and "healthy" foods.
- Be wary of "no added sugar" claims. Dried fruit, smoothies and juice can be very high in sugar with nothing added at all.
Questions people ask
Is the sugar in fruit bad for you?
Whole fruit is excluded from the WHO limit on free sugars because its sugar comes with fiber and water and is absorbed slowly.1 Fruit juice is different: once the fiber is removed, the sugar counts as free sugar, and a glass of juice is close to a glass of soda in sugar content.
Is honey or maple syrup healthier than sugar?
They contain trace minerals, but the body treats them as sugar and both the WHO and the US label count them as free or added sugars.1, 4 They fall under the same daily limit.
How many grams of sugar per day is okay?
For added or free sugars: under 25 g a day is the stricter WHO and American Heart Association target for women, 36 g for men under the AHA, 30 g for adults in the UK, and 50 g is the US label Daily Value on a 2,000-calorie day.1, 3, 4, 6 Natural sugars in whole fruit and plain milk are not counted.
Does "no added sugar" mean low sugar?
No. It only means nothing was added. Fruit juice, smoothies and dried fruit can contain 20 to 40 g of sugar per serving with no added sugar at all. Read the total sugars line and the ingredient list.
Are artificial sweeteners a good replacement?
They cut sugar and calories in the short term, but a 2023 WHO guideline conditionally recommends against relying on non-sugar sweeteners for weight control, because the evidence does not show a long-term benefit for body weight and suggests possible undesirable effects with long-term use.8 Water and gradually tapering sweetness are the better long-term bet.
How Calobook uses this
Every Calobook plan includes a daily added-sugar guardrail. Sugar from a barcode, a label photo or a meal photo counts toward it, and the fit score flags a high-sugar meal in the context of your goal, which matters most if you told the app you have diabetes, prediabetes or PCOS. The weekly check-in also shows your sugar trend next to your weight trend, so you can see whether the two move together.
Scan a barcode or snap the label and Calobook counts added sugar against your own daily guardrail.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children (2015).
- US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
- American Heart Association. Added Sugars
- US Food and Drug Administration. Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label
- Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (UK). Carbohydrates and Health report (2015).
- NHS. Sugar: the facts
- US Food and Drug Administration. How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- World Health Organization. Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline (2023).
This article is general nutrition information written by the Calobook team from the sources listed above. It is not medical advice and does not replace a consultation with a doctor or registered dietitian. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or managing a medical condition, talk to a professional before changing your diet. Last reviewed October 17, 2026.