Excess intake of starch-derived sweeteners, especially from soft drinks, accelerates absorption, strains the liver, and heightens risks of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, with implications for pregnancy and childhood health, says Prof. Dr. Okan Bülent Yıldız.
Excess consumption of starch-based sugar can speed up absorption, strain the liver and contribute to a chain of metabolic problems that includes obesity, insulin resistance and, over time, type 2 diabetes, according to Prof. Dr. Okan Bülent Yıldız of Hacettepe University. Yıldız said the sweetener, often produced industrially from corn starch, is broken down into glucose and fructose and absorbed faster in liquid form than table sugar.
The concern, he said, is not only the amount consumed but the way the body handles it. Glucose is used broadly by cells across the body with the help of insulin, while fructose is processed mainly in the liver. When intake is high and prolonged, the liver can become overloaded, which may encourage fat storage in the wrong places and increase abdominal fat, a pattern linked to broader metabolic disease. Similar warnings about excess sugar appear in Harvard Health and Healthline coverage, which tie high intake to weight gain, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease and elevated cardiovascular risk.
Yıldız also pointed to soft drinks as a major source of added sugar. One can of fizzy drink can contain 35 to 40 grams of sugar, he said, which can nearly exhaust an adult’s daily allowance in a single serving. The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of daily energy intake, with further reductions preferred, while Harvard Health advises reading labels carefully and choosing less processed foods.
He said label literacy is one of the most practical ways to cut intake, because sugar may appear under several names, including fructose, glucose, glucose-fructose syrup or corn syrup. He urged consumers to check the amount per 100 grams or 100 millilitres rather than relying on serving sizes, which can make products seem less sugary than they are. The same advice is echoed by health publications that recommend limiting sugary drinks and packaged foods in favour of whole foods.
Yıldız said the issue is especially important in pregnancy, when added sugar can raise the mother’s risk of obesity and metabolic disease and may also affect the baby’s weight before birth. He said studies suggest that exposure in the womb may influence long-term health through epigenetic programming, potentially increasing the child’s later risk of chronic disease even if the baby is born healthy. He added that children’s taste preferences are shaped early, making it unhelpful to treat sweets as a reward or sign of affection.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
