One of my favorite topics to research and write about: sugar and gut health.

Why? Because sugar is literally in almost everything.

I am making this very clear with the list below of 192 sugar sources and alternate names.

And while we (and by “we,” of course I mean me!) love sugar, I can never help but constantly question –

Does sugar contribute to a healthy gut? Or maybe the question is, ‘What does a high-sugar diet do to the gut microbiome?”

Note: This post was originally published in 2014. It has been updated as of 2024. Yes, I’ve been around for a very long time doing this work 🙂

Sugar is the Most Potent Drug

Let’s start here….Did you know that sugar is the most potent drug? 

Or that the sugar addiction is real?

I once stumbled upon an article from a company called Fooducate.

The article’s title, “Is Evaporated Cane Sugar Juice Healthier than Sugar?”

The short answer is “no, it is not.”

Evaporated cane juice is simply cane sugar. They contain the same amount of calories. Evaporated cane juice confers no additional nutrients or antioxidants.

There is one difference though. Evaporated cane juice is derived from sugar cane, not from beets. Approximately half the sugar supply in the US is from beets, and most of them are genetically modified. Sugar cane is not genetically modified. Manufacturers could easily state that they are using cane sugar, but again, cane juice sounds healthier.

The article reminded me of the trickery that is so many of our favorite sweet treats, how it’s everywhere and in everything, but that many times we are fooled because it doesn’t wear the name tag: I am sugar.

As a matter of fact, for the most part, sugar is sugar is sugar….and if you want to heal your gut or simply just feel better in general, all that extra sugar and natural sweeteners must leave your daily choices immediately.

Sugar and Gut Health

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17 teaspoons.

That’s how much sugar the average American consumes on a daily basis (according to the American Heart Association).

And while this is a high intake of sugar, rarely do we recognize that we are, in fact, indulging in excessive sugar consumption.

But make not mistake about it – high sugar consumption has clearly been shown to have a significant effect on the human gut.

​Let’s check out some previous studies and even more recent ones that have been conducted….

Diabetology put out research titled, “Impact of Dietary Sugars on Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health.”

In their study, they found:

Although added sugars in the form of nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners are generally considered as safe, a growing body of evidence correlate their consumption with adverse effects on gut microbial ecosystem; namely an abnormal synthesis of short-chain fatty acids, altered intestinal barrier integrity and chronic inflammation that often fuel a panoply of metabolic conditions.

Furthermore, Columbia University Irving Medical Center found the following:

A study of mice found that dietary sugar alters the gut microbiome, setting off a chain of events that leads to metabolic disease, pre-diabetes, and weight gain.

​They also noted,

Sugar eliminates the filamentous bacteria, and the protective Th17 cells disappear as a consequence.

​And “what function for the gut’s purpose do Th17 cells provide?”

Science Direct states,

Th17 cells are proinflammatory cells that secrete IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, and IL-22 and provide immunity to several extracellular pathogens including defense against infections from Candida, Citrobacter, and Klebsiella (Happel et al., 2005; Huang et al., 2004; Mangan et al., 2006)

This could help you understand more about why your practitioner tells you absolutely no sugar if you have Candida.

More Scientific Research Regarding High Sugar Intake and Gut Bacteria

The NIH also came out with research stating, 

Consequently, high dietary sugar can, through the modulation of microbiota, promote metabolic endotoxemia, systemic (low grade) inflammation and the development of metabolic dysregulation.

They further state,

High sugar intake seems to stagger the balance of microbiota, by modifying the ratio of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, to have increased pro-inflammatory properties, decreased immune-regulatory functions and decreased capacity to regulate epithelial integrity.

This is important to note because we already know that when there is dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier, increased permeability occurs and thus “leaky gut syndrome” surfaces.

In case you’re new ’round here, I wrote a book in 2019 about leaky gut, and am super passionate about the topic.

I focus a lot on it, and healing and sealing the gut lining because of it today.

Anyways….

We are misled when it comes to sugar

And here are just some of the overall health lies we are told regarding added sugar.

• No-calorie (aka nonnutritive or artificial sweeteners) sugars will make us “thin” (Grab me another Diet Coke because it’s just what I need for this sweet tooth.)
• As long as it’s “organic,” it’s not only okay, but it’s good for us (Natural sugars are healthy for me.)
• If the package doesn’t say “sugar,” then there’s no sugar in it (I’m not seeing the words, “Cane Sugar” on this packaged product; I’m good to go.)

Sugar is a major problem child, and for good reason; sugar’s effects are addictive. 

If you don’t believe me, study my list of 192 sugar sources and alternate names below.

Then, cut them all for even just three days.

Keep meticulous notes in your gut healing journaling system [get it HERE] and revisit this article.

I do this experiment with these dietary changes once every few months.

Here’s what happens in the first three days alone:

1. Intestinal inflammation drastically reduces and one way I know this is because my bowel movements are at least 2 x’s per day on the Bristol Stool Chart #4. It’s incredible!
2. The highs-and-lows disappear; blood sugar levels normalize. (You can do an actual test with this by using the Nutrisense [HERE – save $30]
3. Sugar cravings drastically reduce; no, they aren’t gone in 3 days, but they are majorly reduced.

It is this addiction to all types of sugar that keeps bad gut bacteria thriving. 

Gut microbes not consisting of good bacteria love them some sugar to feast on.

And the longer we ignore the impact sugar has on gut health, consuming too much sugar, the more likely it is that we cannot heal irritable bowel syndrome and/or inflammatory bowel disease.

In A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach for healing the gut, I put together a list of 192 sugar sources and alternate names. (For the record, I also did the same thing with the following: corn, dairy, egg, fish, legumes and beans, soy, wheat, and gluten. And yes, I worked on this for months!)

When it comes to healing the gut, knowing exactly what to look for on labels is critical.

Here is my contribution to helping you spot sugar! 

192 Sugar Sources and Alternate Names

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Now that you understand the intersection of sugar and gut health, here are 192 sugar sources and alternate names.

I bet you had no idea there could be so many!

1. Acesulfame-K
2. Agave Nectar
3. Agave Syrup
4. Amasake
5. Amber Liquid Sugar
6. Apple Sugar
7. Apply Syrup
8. Arenga Sugar
9. Aspartame
10. Bakers Special Sugar
11. Barbados Sugar
12. Barley Malt
13. Barley Malt Syrup
14. Bar Sugar
15. Beet Molasses
16. Beet Sugar
17. Beet Syrup
18. Berry Sugar
19. Blackstrap Molasses
20. Brown Rice Syrup
21. Brown Sugar
22. Buttery Syrup
23. Cake
24. Cane Crystals
25. Cane Juice (evaporated)
26. Cane Juice Crystals
27. Cane Juice Powder
28. Cane Sugar
29. Caramel
30. Carob Syrup
31. Castor Sugar
32. Cellobiose
33. Chicory
34. Coarse Sugar
35. Coco Sugar
36. Coconut Nectar
37. *Coconut Sugar (Coconut Palm Sugar) 
38. Concord Grape Juice Concentrate
39. Confectioner’s Sugar
40. Cookies
41. Corn Sweetener
42. Cornsweet 90
43. Corn Syrup
44. Corn Syrup Solids
45. Creamed Honey (this is not the natural honey)
46. Crystal Dextrose
47. Crystalline Fructose
48. Crystallized Organic Cane Juice
49. D-Arabino-Hexulose
50. D-Fructose
51. D-Mannose
52. D-Xylose
53. Dark Brown Sugar
54. Dark Molasses
55. Date Sugar
56. Decorating Sugar
57. Dehydrated Sugar Cane Juice
58. Demerara Sugar
59. Dextrin
60. Dextran
61. Dextrose
62. Diatase
63. Diastatic Malt
64. Dixie Crystals
65. ECJ
66. Equal
67. Erythritol (alcohol)
68. Ethyl Maltol
69. First Molasses
70. Florida Crystals
71. Fructamyl
72. Fructose (some of this allowed; specified where)
73. Fruit Juice
74. Fruit Juice Concentrate
75. Galactose
76. Glucomalt
77. Glucoplus
78. Glucose
79. Glucose Solids
80. Glucose Sweet
81. Glucose Syrup
82. Glycol (alcohol)
83. Golden Syrup
84. Gomme Syrup
85. Granulated Fructose
86. Granulated Sugar
87. Granulated Sugar Cane Juice
88. Grape Sugar
89. Gum
90. Gur
91. High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS, HFCS 42, HFCS 55)
92. High Dextrose Glucose Syrup
93. High Fructose Maize Syrup
94. High Maltose Corn Syrup
95. Honey 
96. HSH
97. Hydrogenated Starch
98. Hydrogenated Starch Hydrosylate
99. Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
100. Icing Sugar
101. Inulin
102. Invert Sugar
103. Inverted Sugar Syrup
104. Invert Syrup
105. Isoglucose
106. Isomalt
107. Jaggery
108. Lactitol
109. Lactose
110. Levulose
111. Light Brown Sugar
112. Light Molasses
113. Liquid Sugar
114. Malt
115. Malted Barley Syrup
116. Malted Corn Syrup
117. Malt Syrup
118. Maltodextrin
119. Maltitol
120. Maltitol Syrup
121. Maltose
122. Mannitol (alcohol)
123. Maple Sugar
124. Maple Syrup
125. Meritose
126. Meritab 700
127. Mints
128. Misri
129. Mycose
130. Mylose
131. Nutra-sweet
132. Organic Agave Syrup
133. Organic Brown Rice Syrup
134. Organic Sucanat
135. Organic Sugar
136. Organic Raw Sugar
137. Orgeat Syrup
138. Panela
139. Pancake Syrup
140. Panocha
141. Pearl Sugar
142. Powdered Sugar
143. Pure Cane Syrup
144. Pure Sugar Spun
145. Raisin Syrup
146. Raffinose
147. Rapadura
148. Raw Agave Syrup
149. Raw Sugar
150. Refiner’s Syrup
151. Rice Malt
152. Rice Syrup
153. Rice Syrup Solids
154. Rock Sugar
155. Saccharin
156. Saccharose
157. Sanding Sugar
158. Shakar
159. Simple Syrup
160. Sirodex
161. Splenda
162. Sucrose
163. Sorbitol (alcohol)
164. Sorghum
165. Sorghum Syrup
166. Stevia (it usually has many other added things to it)
167. Sucrose
168. Sucrosweet
169. Sugar
170. Sugar Beet Crystals
171. Sugar Beet Syrup
172. Sugar Cane Juice
173. Sugar Cane Natural
174. Sulfured Molasses
175. Sweet-n-Low
176. Sweetened Condensed Milk
177. Sweetleaf
178. Table Sugar
179. Tagatose
180. Treacle
181. Triose
182. Truvia
183. Turbinado Sugar
184. Unrefined Sugar
185. White Crystal Sugar
186. White Grape Juice Concentrate
187. White Refined Sugar
188. White Sugar
189. Wood Sugar
190. Xylose
191. Xylitol (alcohol)
192. Yellow Sugar

The Master Guide to Nonnutritive Sweeteners

Examples of nutritive sweeteners include: table sugar, honey, agave, and High-fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

A nonnutritive sweetener, though, provides no nutrition; simply just marketed as sugar free sugars.

According to the USDA, a nonnutritive sweetener is defined as,

Zero- or low-calorie alternatives to nutritive sweeteners, such as table sugar. These sweeteners can be added to both hot and cold beverages and some can be used for baking. Nonnutritive sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar so only small amounts are needed. They provide fewer calories per gram than sugar because they are not completely absorbed by your digestive system.

But what exactly are nonnutritive sweeteners? How will you know what they are/what are they called? (Because, no, when reading a nutrition label it will not say, “nonnutritive sweetener.”) And is it okay to use them?

Grab the full Master Guide to Nnonnnutritive Sweeteners HERE.

If you liked this post on sugar and gut health, you might also enjoy:

1. All About the Large Intestine
2. Best Supplements for SIBO – small intestine bacterial overgrowth – [based off experience + research]
3. Interesting Facts About the Immune System {Plus 13 Science Backed Ways to Boost Your Immune System}

 
Xox,
SKH