The broad category of “sweeteners” includes caloric sweeteners (like white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, and fruit syrups) as well as natural and artificial calorie-free sugar substitutes (including aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, stevia, and sugar alcohols).
All caloric sweeteners have roughly the same number of calories (about 20 calories per teaspoon and 60 calories per tablespoon). Sugars are a highly concentrated source of calories that don’t fill you up, so it’s easy to see how a high-sugar diet can promote weight gain. Most caloric sweeteners have no nutritional value outside of supplying calories — that’s why you’ll often hear them referred to as “empty calories.” (Blackstrap molasses is the one exception. It’s a concentrated source of iron, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals, but like other sweeteners, it’s calorie-dense and should be used only in small amounts.)
Honey, white sugar, brown sugar, and other caloric sweeteners are considered low-quality carbs because they’re made up of simple sugars that can rapidly raise your body’s blood-sugar levels. Eating sugary foods and drinking sugary beverages is basically like getting on an emotional roller-coaster ride that sends you up and down, and can potentially zap your energy level. Individuals with diabetes, who have an impaired ability to regulate their blood sugar, should dramatically limit their intake of all caloric sweeteners and sugary foods.
There are a number of other good reasons to cut back on sugar in your coffee, cereal, and homemade baked goods, as well as added sugars in packaged foods like soda and other sweetened drinks, cookies, candy, snack bars, and sweetened yogurts. Aside from the fact that the calories from sugar add up and can sabotage your weight-loss goals, sugar can also negatively impact the health of your teeth by promoting cavities and decay. In addition, scientists are currently exploring whether a high-sugar diet has a negative impact on your skin by causing inflammation in skin cells, resulting in acne and premature aging and wrinkles. A high intake of sugary foods and beverages has also been linked to high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.