Hidden Sugar: Take Our Test to Recognize Your True Sugar Consumption

WISE NEWS PRESS / LONDON, UK — Nov. 10, 2025

It is important for all of us to know how much sugar we consume, but most of us are eating more than we realize, which significantly increases the risks of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

As global dietary habits have changed drastically over the decades, rates of obesity and diabetes have rapidly increased in parallel. According to data published in The Lancet medical journal, it is estimated that by 2050, more than half of all adults worldwide and one-third of children, adolescents, and young adults will be overweight or obese.

The International Diabetes Federation forecasts that the number of diabetes patients in Europe will exceed 72 million by 2050, up from 65 million in 2024.

One of the main challenges we face while managing our weight is the high amount of hidden sugar added to commonly consumed products, ranging from yogurt and bread to salad dressings, ketchup, and fruit/vegetable juices. Leading up to World Diabetes Day on November 14th, we provide advice on how to avoid consuming too much sugar every day.

We also have a game to help you gauge your sugar intake. How good are you at calculating how much hidden sugar is in your food and drinks? Test your knowledge in the module below.

What is 'Free Sugar'?

Yogurt, granola, and fruit juice may sound like a healthy breakfast. However, depending on which products you choose, this meal could lead you to consume more sugar than the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation for the entire day.

According to the UK National Health Service, adults should not consume more than 30 grams of "free sugars" per day. "Free sugars" refer to extra sugars added to sweeten foods or drinks, as well as sugars naturally found in honey, syrups, and agave nectar. These sugars, first defined by a WHO study group in 1989, are also found in fruit juices.

Your body processes sugar differently depending on how it is contained within a food item. For instance, when you eat whole fruits or vegetables, the fibers they contain slow down digestion, preventing harmful spikes in blood sugar. However, when you consume added or free sugars, they enter your bloodstream quickly and in large quantities, causing your blood sugar to rise rapidly. The same happens after drinking fruit or vegetable juice because fruits lose their beneficial fiber when juiced.

When these large blood sugar increases happen repeatedly over time, another problem that can arise is that your cells become less sensitive to the insulin hormone.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Hidden Names

The rise in processed foods means that sugar constitutes a much larger part of our diets compared to previous generations. Processed foods, even unexpected items like canned meat and fish, are treated to make them last longer or taste better, and sugar is often added alongside salt.

Ultra-processed foods take this a step further. These foods are subjected to industrial processing and contain many complex ingredients that you would be unlikely to find in your kitchen cupboard. If a product contains more than five ingredients, it is highly likely to be ultra-processed.

Also, pay attention to the ingredients list of the products you buy: high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, honey, and agave nectar are alternative names for sugar. This means a flavored milk or a jar of pasta sauce bought from the supermarket could contain your entire daily sugar allowance.

Where is Sugar Consumption Rising the Most?

Globally, despite increasing awareness that it is poor for our health, we are consuming more sugar every day than ever before. Global health organizations state that the US remains the country with the highest per capita sugar consumption, but intake is also rapidly increasing in India, China, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

According to data published in the scientific journal The Lancet in March, covering more than 200 countries, if current global obesity trends continue, by 2050, 57.4% of men and 60.3% of women will be overweight or obese.

It is estimated that within 25 years, China, India, and the US will have the largest populations of overweight or obese people, with 627 million, 450 million, and 214 million, respectively, placing significant strain on national healthcare systems. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people in the overweight or obese category is expected to increase by more than 250% to 522 million. Nigeria, in particular, stands out with an estimated increase of more than three times the number of overweight and obese people.

However, there are things we can do today to prevent this crisis and take control of our future health. For instance, in the US, 63% of adults consume sugary drinks daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Avoiding these beverages, along with sweets, candies, and processed foods, could lead to a major improvement in the nation's health.

The WHO recommends that added sugar constitute less than 10% of daily calories, with a target of less than 5% for ideal health. This amounts to approximately six teaspoons per day, including everything from the sugar you add to your tea to sugar added to processed foods.

Does Body Mass Index (BMI) Work?

You can also track your Body Mass Index (BMI) to measure whether you are overweight. BMI is widely used by doctors around the world because it is a relatively simple calculation based on height and weight. However, BMI is not a perfect measure and has obvious limitations.

For example, while it measures whether a person is heavier than average for their height, it cannot account for whether that weight is due to fat or muscle. Your BMI also doesn't consider different types of body fat—such as excess fat accumulating around the abdomen or internal organs. Furthermore, it does not take age, physical activity levels, or a person's gender into account.

Since individuals from certain Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK have been found to be at greater risk for chronic health issues like cardiovascular disease or Type 2 diabetes at lower BMI levels, the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued new guidelines in January 2025. For these groups, the BMI thresholds used to measure whether a person is overweight or obese were lowered, meaning the potential risks of being overweight can be addressed at an earlier stage.

NICE's updated guideline also addresses how body composition, including differences in fat and muscle mass, varies among ethnic groups.

Methodology

To create the test, we selected a list of foods and calculated the amount of sugar per 100g for each product. For example, if a food contains 25g of sugar per 100g, and the serving size is 50g, that portion would contain 12.5g of sugar. From this calculation, we determined the equivalent number of teaspoons of sugar in each product using the measure of 4g of sugar per teaspoon, a metric used by the UK government agency Public Health England. To reach the average sugar amount in a generic product like biscuits, we selected five different brands and averaged their content. Please note that these are only approximate indicators.

We consulted with the National Health Service in the UK to refine the methodology. To calculate the approximate number of steps required to burn the sugar, we worked with Nicholas Sculthorpe, Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of West Scotland, applying the Atwater system, which defines the energy provided per gram of each macronutrient (in kilocalories). For carbohydrates, this value is 4 kilocalories per gram. We used an estimate between 0.04 and 0.05 for the approximate calories burned per step taken; however, this may vary depending on the incline of the ground and the body mass of the individual.

Data collection and research: Damilola Ojetunde, Swati Joshi, Carla Rosch, Maryam Nikan, Onur Erem, Caroline Souza, Carlos Serrano, Aghnia Adzkia, Amira Mhadhbi, and Brian Osweta Producers: Angela Henshall and Leoni Robertson Editors: Alexandra Fouche and Victoria Lindera Design and graphics: Raees Hussain and Maryam Nikan Developer: Matthew Taylor Project Leader: Princess Irede Abumere Senior News Editor: Kate Forbes

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Source: BBC