Research
Energy balance
High doses of added sugars (>20% of calories) in hypercaloric trials increase fasting triglycerides and visceral abdominal fat, but these effects are confounded by weight gain and total caloric excess.
If you are consuming very high amounts of sugar (over 20% of calories) and eating more calories than you burn, you may see increases in triglycerides and belly fat. However, this is largely due to the extra calories and weight gain, not the sugar itself. Reducing total calories is the primary solution.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Diets containing greater than 20% of kcals from simple sugars may result in elevated fasting triglycerides... individuals also gained an average of two pounds... significance in abdominal weight gain occurred only pre-to-post in the fructose arm and this was not compared to the glucose arm.
Why this rating
Based on RCTs, but results are confounded by weight gain and short durations.
Source
Relationship between Added Sugars Consumption and Chronic Disease Risk Factors: Current Understanding
James M. Rippe et al. · Nutrients · 2016
DOI 10.3390/nu8110697
narrative_reviewCited 227×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Energy balance
- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
- Achieving type 2 diabetes remission requires significant weight loss (≥15 kg) via major caloric restriction, independent of macronutrient composition.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →