Does sugar cause direct fat gain?

Does sugar cause direct fat gain?

No, but indirectly it might. Let me explain!

Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University was able to lose over 10 pounds by eating a “Twinkie Diet”. During this diet, he mostly consumed sugary and highly processed food.

🔑The key here is that the professor did count calories and maintained a calorie deficit.

If we look at the research, you can eat sugar and still lose fat, as long as calories are controlled [1, 2]. But the problem with a high sugar intake is that it makes it difficult to control your calories in the first place.

Sugary snacks are high in calories and not filling. This is why eating more sugar typically also promotes eating more calories in a day [3].

So while you technically can lose fat by eating a high-sugar diet if you count your calories, having a high-sugar intake makes maintaining a calorie deficit much harder and you typically won’t feel good as well.

Focus on eating mostly nutritious whole foods that fill you up to make maintaining a deficit easier.

But if you want, fitting a small snack into your calories that contains sugar, will not sabotage your progress.