When it comes to sugar consumption, common sense just doesn’t kick in—the temptation is too sweet. Children and teenagers, in particular, find it hard to break the habit because they become accustomed to sweet flavors at an early age, for example with soft drinks. Now Germany wants to introduce a sugar tax.
The health consequences are dramatic and costly for health insurance companies. Economic pressure has accelerated the debate over a sugar tax in Germany. In countries such as the United Kingdom, a sugar tax has been in place since 2018 for manufacturers of sweetened beverages. As a result, the sugar content in a UK Fanta Orange is 4.5 g/100 ml, which is much lower than the 7.6 grams in Germany. Switzerland, based on the Milan Declaration, is relying on voluntary industry action to gradually reduce sugar in various product groups.
Germans consume nearly 26 grams of sugar daily in the form of soft drinks and are among the highest consumers of this kind in Europe. All in all, an average of 83 grams of sugar is consumed daily. The WHO and the German Nutrition Society [Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung] recommend limiting sugar intake to a maximum of 50 grams per day for adults;1 that’s ten teaspoons of sugar or 14 sugar cubes. Just half a liter of Coca-Cola Original is enough to exceed this recommendation.
It has long been known that consistently high sugar consumption leads to health problems. These include not only being overweight but also conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The body’s blood sugar levels are kept stable within narrow limits through a delicate regulatory process, but if they exceed 100 milligrams per deciliter on an empty stomach, this is referred to as elevated, prediabetic blood sugar levels. Chronically elevated levels damage the blood vessels in the brain and lead to the formation of plaque. This narrowing impairs the blood supply to brain cells, which increases the risk of neurological diseases such as dementia and stroke.2
Blood sugar fluctuations within a narrow range are definitely healthier than a sharp rise followed by a sharp drop, as is the case when consuming too much sugar and white flour products. These also have the disadvantage of causing hunger to return quickly, leading to increased food intake. It is difficult to break this vicious cycle without changing one’s diet. At the same time, cases of being overweight and obese are rising sharply worldwide.
Getting Accustomed to Sweets
Once you’ve become accustomed to the sweet taste, you’ll experience a constant craving for sweets, which can even lead to binge eating. Unlike fat or protein, sugar also has an addictive effect due to dopamine—the “feel-good hormone”—that is released when you consume sugar and leads to a repeated craving for sugar.
It takes time to get used to less sweetness or to the natural sweetness found in fruits and dried fruits. Especially with children, it is advisable to limit sugar intake from the very beginning. The sense of taste adapts when the stimulation threshold is lowered so that even a small amount of sugar is enough to elicit a positive perception of sweetness. There are indications that dietary patterns established during childhood and adolescence remain stable. Thus, the habits and food preferences developed in early childhood play a decisive role in further development and overall health well into adulthood.3 The time from conception to the age of two, the first 1000 days, are considered crucial.
A Healthy Dose
Sugar is found in a wide variety of processed foods. Food manufacturers use it as a cost-effective flavor enhancer and preservative. So-called “children’s foods,” in particular, often have a high sugar content, which is difficult for many parents to recognize because of names like “flower nectar,” “grape or apple sweetener,” or “malt extract.” Fruit snacks are also real sugar bombs for children. These products contain a lot of fructose, which has negative effects on health comparable to regular sugar.4
Basically, the physical body doesn’t need free sugar from food because it can produce its own from complex carbohydrates, such as those found in whole-grain products and potatoes. But that doesn’t mean we have to give up the pleasureable experience of eating sugar entirely. The debate over sugar isn’t about a complete ban but about finding the right balance. After all, as Paracelsus postulated hundreds of years ago, it’s the dosage that makes the poison.
Napoleon’s Sweet Initiative
Sugarcane has been used for some 10,000 years. The sweetness extracted from it was used as a spice and was even valued as highly as gold. During the First Crusade in the eleventh century, the Crusaders from Central Europe were introduced to sugarcane. From then on, sugar was regularly imported into Europe, with Venetian merchants dominating the sugar trade. In the 13th century, Venice was the most important trading port for sugar in Europe. As a luxury good, sugar remained the preserve of the nobility and the wealthy. The dark side of this luxury was evident in the sugarcane plantations of South America where enslaved men and women worked and lived under inhumane conditions. They were brought from Africa and exploited, which kept sugar production costs low. Over time, sugar became accessible to all social classes, and consumption rose. Back then, no one asked about fair growing conditions or the origin of the sugar. In the 18th century, the supply dried up due to a slave revolt in Santo Domingo. This crisis created an opportunity for the discovery of the sugar beet in Europe. The sugar beet was then bred to increase its sugar content. Today, modern varieties contain up to 20 percent sugar. Napoleon promoted the spread of beet cultivation and had sugar factories built. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that sugar became affordable for the entire population. To this day, beet sugar dominates the European market, partly due to subsidy policies.
While sweetness used to be a sign of nutritious food (which was a lifesaver in times of famine), today the focus is on the sense of well-being and pleasure that sweetness provides. We’ve come a long way from using it in small amounts and as a spice.
See also Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum, Dr. Jasmin Peschke and Lea Sprügel, “Sugar: A Question of Balance.”
Translation Joshua Kelberman
Photo Dmitry Dreyer, Unsplash
Footnotes
- World Health Organization (2015). Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children. World Health Organization.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN), “World Brain Day 2024: Zu viel Zucker versalzt die Hirngesundheit” [Too much sugar is bad for brain health], July 9, 2024.
- Clarissa Spiegler, Sara Jansen, Leonie Burgard, Friederike Wittig, et al., “Unfavorable Food Consumption in Children up to School Entry Age: Results from the Nationwide German KiESEL Study,” Frontiers in Nutrition 11 (2024): 1335934.
- Foodwatch, “Foodwatch-Marktcheck: ‘Kinder-Fruchtsnacks meist stark überzuckert’” [Foodwatch Market Check: “Most children’s fruit snacks contain far too much sugar”], June 20, 2024, (accessed June 21, 2026).
