When it comes to weight loss, the first impulse is usually to cut out sugar — a measure often recommended for those who are overweight or obese — especially excessive consumption of fizzy drinks, desserts, sweets and sweetened beverages. But is that, by itself, enough?

First and foremost, it is essential to understand how sugar acts in the body and what is, in fact, its influence on the development of overweight and obesity.

How sugar acts in the body

When you consume sugar, it is rapidly absorbed and enters the bloodstream, raising blood glucose levels. In response, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone responsible for transporting this glucose to the cells, where it is converted into energy.

When you consume sugar in excess — especially repeatedly — your body begins to store what it cannot use immediately. This storage occurs mainly in the form of fat, contributing to weight gain.

Furthermore, frequent sugar consumption can lead to:

  • Rapid peaks and drops in glucose, leaving you feeling hungrier shortly after
  • Insulin resistance, where the body does not respond well to the hormone and accumulates more fat
  • Chronic inflammation in the body
  • Imbalances in appetite and satiety, making calorie control difficult

Is cutting sugar alone enough?

Reducing sugar consumption is important and can have a significant impact on weight loss. However, it is not the sole and isolated solution for overweight and obesity.

Remember: weight gain is the result of a calorie imbalance — you consume more calories than you burn. Sugar contributes to this, but it is not the only factor.

Other essential aspects include:

  • Total calorie intake — regardless of source (proteins, fats, carbohydrates)
  • Overall diet quality — including whole foods, fruits, vegetables and proteins
  • Regular physical activity — to burn energy and maintain muscle mass
  • Sleep pattern — inadequate rest affects hormones related to hunger
  • Stress management — chronic stress can lead to compulsive eating
  • Genetic and metabolic factors — each person has unique characteristics

Cutting out sugar is an excellent starting point and can result in visible changes, but for lasting results in weight management, a more comprehensive approach is needed involving balanced nutrition, regular movement and healthy lifestyle habits.

When we talk about sugar, it is important to remove the idea that it is merely "bad" or "harmless". In practice, it acts as a source of energy and the problem lies much more in the form, quantity and frequency of consumption than in sugar in isolation.

What happens when you consume sugar?
When you ingest sugar (mainly those with rapid absorption, such as fizzy drinks, sweets and ultra-processed foods), it is rapidly transformed into glucose in the blood.

This glucose increases rapidly in our body in what we call a "glycaemic spike".

And what does the body do with this?
The body needs to control this glucose. So the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin has a very clear function: to get glucose inside the cells, to be used as energy.

And when there is too much sugar?
When this process happens repeatedly (lots of sugar, many times a day), the body begins to deal with excess energy. And then three important things happen:

First, part of this glucose becomes immediate energy storage (glycogen) and when this storage is full, the excess begins to be converted into fat and this accumulation contributes directly to weight gain

The hormonal impact and on appetite
Sugar does not only affect energy, it affects eating behaviour. When there are rapid spikes in glucose, followed by rapid drops, they generate: More hunger, desire for more sugar and a sense of "vicious cycle", that is: the more you consume, the more you tend to want to consume. And in the long term excessive and frequent consumption can lead to important changes, such as:

Insulin resistance (the body stops responding well to insulin)

Greater risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes

Increased fat accumulation, mainly abdominal

Greater cardiovascular risk

Is sugar the main problem?
Sugar facilitates excessive calorie intake (and that is the main point)

The eating pattern of consuming sugar with increased frequency, associated with the person's metabolic context, favours fat storage, causes hormonal dysregulation and increases the risk of metabolic diseases.

Weight gain occurs when calorie consumption is greater than energy expenditure.

And sugar has two characteristics that favour this: it is highly palatable (the more you consume, the more you want) and is present in many foods in a "hidden" way.

Sugar does not cause obesity in isolation.
But it facilitates excessive calorie consumption, favours fat accumulation, dysregulates hunger and satiety and contributes to metabolic changes.

And, for this reason, significantly increases the risk of overweight and obesity, so the combination of regular physical activity, adequate sleep and good nutrition is the best choice when thinking about healthy weight loss.

Dr. Rebeca Soares Andrade CRM - GO 39335