Sweet Tooth, Bitter Truth: The High Cost of Free Sugars in Our Golden Years
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If you’ve celebrated more than six decades on this earth, you likely have a lifetime of sweet memories – birthday cakes with the grandkids, ANZAC biscuits with your morning cuppa, maybe a cheeky lamington at church bake-offs. Sugar has a way of weaving itself into our happiest traditions.
But for many Australians over 60, that lifelong sweet tooth might be taking a bitter toll. Just ask Margaret Grimes.
At 59, Margaret admitted she was “simply waiting to die” after years of living with type 2 diabetes. “I’m over giving myself needles every day, every night… it’s like I’m living for the needles… I honestly am trapped,” she confessed, worn down by decades of blood sugar swings. Diagnosed in her late 30s, she spent two decades assuming her path was set in stone.
She wasn’t alone. Another woman, Barbara Flick, believed renal failure and an early death were inevitable – the fate she’d seen her own mother suffer from diabetes.
But here’s the heartwarming twist: their story didn’t end in despair. Determined to fight back against the sweet enemy, Margaret and Barbara joined a community health program in rural NSW to take control of their diets. The results were nothing short of astounding. Barbara shed 15 kilograms and went from five insulin injections a day to just a tiny dose twice daily. And Margaret? She dropped from four insulin shots a day to zero, as her blood sugar levels plunged from dangerously high readings of 17 mmol/L down to a near-normal 6 or 7. Her doctor was stunned – he “couldn’t believe” the transformation. After feeling imprisoned by diabetes for years, these women proved it’s never too late to turn things around with healthier choices.
Their journey is a cautionary tale with a hopeful message. It shines a light on an issue that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: the hidden health consequences of “free sugars” in our diets. This isn’t just about diabetes. It’s about how the sugars we freely add (or that are added for us in processed foods) quietly chip away at our health – from expanding our waistlines and inflaming our hearts, to rotting our teeth and even fogging our brains. And it’s about what we, as older Australians, can do to reclaim our health without losing life’s sweetness.
In this editorial, we’ll take a deep dive into the bitter truth behind all those “sweet nothings.” We’ll explore what free sugars really are (and how they differ from the sugars in an apple or glass of milk), and why they matter especially for those of us in our 60s, 70s, and beyond.
We’ll journey through real stories – like Margaret’s – and cutting-edge research, to understand how too much added sugar can affect everything from our belts to our brains. Along the way, we’ll revisit how sugar snuck into nearly every corner of our diet (did you know the sugar industry once paid scientists to downplay sugar’s harms? More on that soon).
But it’s not all doom and gloom; we’ll also celebrate inspiring seniors who have kicked the habit and thrived, like the 74-year-old grandmother who credits quitting sugar for her bikini-body health. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how you can enjoy a sweet life – without so much sweet in your food.
So put the kettle on (maybe skip the sugar this time) and settle in. Whether you have a sweet tooth or just care about living your healthiest life, this is for you. After all, at our age, every bite counts – and every choice is an opportunity. Let’s dive into the high cost of “free sugars” and discover how to savour life’s sweetness wisely.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), free sugars include “all forms of sugar added to foods and drinks by manufacturers, cooks, or consumers, plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices”. In other words, it’s the sugar that’s been set free from its original whole-food source or manufactured outright, ready to surge through your bloodstream. It does not include the intrinsic sugars found in intact fruits, veggies, or plain milk, because in those, the sugar is bound up with fibre or protein, slowing its absorption. An apple’s sugar, for example, is accompanied by fibre that makes you feel full and releases sugar gradually. But apple juice (even with no sugar added) is considered “free sugar” – all the sweetness with the fibre stripped away. Your body guzzles it like it would a soft drink, spiking your blood sugar.
Why does this matter, especially as we get older? Because an older body isn’t as nimble at processing sugar. Metabolism naturally slows down with age, and our insulin response – the hormone reaction that keeps blood sugar in check – tends to weaken. As Carolyn Hartz, a 74-year-old Australian who gave up sugar in her mid-40s, puts it: “Our metabolism slows down as we get older, and that means we have to take control and make healthier choices. We must be aware while we eat of the type of food we eat and the amount”. Hartz speaks from experience: facing pre-diabetes and other health scares in her 40s, she made the radical decision to cut all added sugars from her diet. It wasn’t easy – she’d spent much of her life hooked on the typical Western diet of sweets and refined carbs. But she persevered, switching to whole foods, learning to bake without sugar, and embracing natural ingredients.
Now, 30 years on, Carolyn is a picture of vibrant health – a grandmother who looks and feels decades younger than her age, thanks (she says) to eliminating free sugars. Her story has inspired many, and it underscores a key point: while anyone can be harmed by too much sugar, seniors often feel the effects sooner and harder. Understanding what free sugars are – and how they sneak into our diet – is crucial to protecting our health in the golden years.
So let’s break it down further. Free sugars lurk in places you might expect (like lollies, biscuits, and soft drinks) and in plenty of places you might not. That store-bought pasta sauce? Likely loaded with sugar to balance the acidity of tomatoes. The low-fat yogurt you eat for calcium? Many brands pump in sugar to replace the flavor lost when they removed the fat. Even some wholemeal breads have molasses or syrup added. It’s no wonder that health experts bang on about “hidden sugars.” In fact, the average Australian consumes about half a kilogram of sugar each week! How is that possible? Because much of it is invisible – dissolved in our beverages and packaged foods. We’re pouring it down our throats often without even realizing.
Australians consume about half a kilogram of added sugar each week on average. Much of this sugar is hidden in foods and drinks – that daily soft drink, the “healthy” muesli bar, or even a jar of savoury pasta sauce can contain more free sugar than we’d guess. It all adds up quickly, contributing to our intake without us ever scooping a spoonful of table sugar.
The term “free sugars” might be relatively new in popular use, but it’s become key in public health guidelines. The WHO recommends that to maintain good health, adults (and kids) should limit free sugars to no more than 10% of their daily energy intake – roughly 12 teaspoons of added sugar a day at most. To put that in perspective, a single 375ml can of cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar, nearly hitting that limit. And that’s just one drink! The WHO further advises that keeping free sugars under 5% of daily calories (around 6 teaspoons) would provide additional health benefits, especially for preventing tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain.
Now, here’s the kicker: most Australians exceed these recommended limits. In fact, almost half of Australians consume more than 10% of their diet from added sugars, and a whopping 90% of us overshoot the 5% ideal threshold. On average, we’re ingesting about 57.8 grams of free sugar a day – roughly 14 to 15 teaspoons. And although sugary drinks (soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices) are the single largest source, it’s the cakes, biscuits, candies, sweetened cereals, condiments and processed meals combined that account for the lion’s share of our sugar haul. It’s a collective habit that has been decades in the making.
Many of today’s seniors grew up in a time when dessert was a once-in-a-while treat and soft drinks came in small glass bottles, not bottomless jumbo cups. So what changed? In short, the food environment around us. Over the past 50 years, sugar went from a luxury to a cheap staple in processed foods. Manufacturers learned that “bliss point” – the perfect amount of sugar (plus salt and fat) that makes foods irresistibly palatable. Our supermarket shelves filled with products loud on sweetness and low on nutrition. Nutrition science itself sent mixed messages: fat was demonized (especially in the 1980s and 90s), which prompted food companies to cut fat but double down on sugar to keep foods tasty. Remember all those “99% fat-free” labels on cookies and yogurts? They often hid a dirty little secret: heaps of added sugar. We now know that was a devil’s bargain for our health.
Amazingly, it’s come to light that the sugar industry had a direct hand in shaping those dietary guidelines of yesteryear. Internal documents from the 1960s show that the Sugar Research Foundation (an industry group) paid Harvard scientists to publish research downplaying sugar’s role in heart disease and instead pinning the blame solely on saturated fat. The result, published in a prominent journal in 1967 with no disclosure of the sugar industry’s funding, shaped medical opinion for decades. Essentially, Big Sugar pulled off one of the most successful (and deadly) PR coups: convincing the world that as long as we cut fat from our diets, sugar was benign.
Many of us remember being told to choose margarine over butter, skim milk over whole, and to satisfy cravings with a “fat-free” muffin (loaded with sugar and refined flour) instead of something genuinely nutritious. We were, quite literally, sold a lemon – or maybe a lemonade. It wasn’t until the 2000s and 2010s that large-scale studies and growing rates of obesity and diabetes forced experts to re-examine sugar’s role. The verdict? Sugar is a major culprit behind many chronic ills, and its risks were indeed swept under the rug for too long.
As older adults, many of us are now grappling with the consequences of that grand nutritional misdirection. It’s not about casting blame – who among us didn’t trust the health advice of the day? – but it is about recognizing the reality so we can make better choices going forward. Let’s face it: our generation has seen both sides of the dietary coin. We grew up on home-cooked meat-and-three-veg (with dessert only on special occasions), then rode the wave of convenience foods, colas, and “low-fat, high-sugar” snacks in midlife. Now, in our senior years, the bill for all that sugar might be coming due in the form of expanding waistlines, type 2 diabetes diagnoses, heart troubles, aching joints, dental work, and maybe even memory lapses.
But knowledge is power. By understanding how free sugars affect our bodies – and acknowledging it’s a bigger deal for us at 60+ than it was at 16 – we can start to take back control. In the sections that follow, we’ll examine the specific health consequences of too much free sugar, one by one. Consider it a gentle wake-up call, from one friend to another. You’ve enjoyed many sweet moments in life; now it’s time to ensure those moments don’t cut life short.
It’s not just about empty calories (though free sugars do pack plenty of those). It’s about how sugar-rich foods fail to satisfy and trick our bodies’ appetite controls. A sugary drink or a slice of cake adds calories, sure, but because it lacks protein or fibre, it doesn’t fill you up. You can down a 600ml bottle of soft drink and not feel full, even though you just gulped the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar and over 250 calories. Free sugars make it easy to consume excess energy without realizing, leading to weight gain over time. And obesity, as we know, is no trivial matter – it’s a major risk factor for a host of diseases from heart disease to certain cancers.
In Australia, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults has climbed alarmingly in recent decades. By 2014-2015, about 63.4% of Australians were overweight or obese – nearly two-thirds of the adult population. Excess sugar isn’t the only culprit, but it’s a significant one. Health surveys show that those with the highest sugar-sweetened beverage intake tend to have greater body weight. It’s telling that as sugary drink consumption has modestly declined in recent years, there’s been a slight plateauing of obesity rates – yet overall, we’re still consuming far above recommended sugar levels.
For seniors, carrying extra weight can be especially problematic. It worsens osteoarthritis (every kilo of weight adds about 4 kilos of pressure on knee joints), makes exercise more daunting, and can exacerbate conditions like hypertension. Perhaps most critically, obesity sets the stage for type 2 diabetes – something many older Aussies are intimately familiar with, as we’ll discuss next. It also ties into cardiovascular health and even certain cancers. In short, sugar-driven weight gain isn’t just about how we look in the mirror; it’s about our overall health and longevity.
Let’s consider an example. Dr. Peter Brukner is a renowned sports physician – you might assume a man who worked with Olympic athletes and AFL teams would be in tip-top shape himself. But in his fifties, Dr. Brukner had a wake-up call: he was overweight, feeling sluggish, and facing markers of poor metabolic health. How could this be, for someone so knowledgeable about fitness? The culprit, he realized, was his diet – full of the same sneaky sugars and refined carbs that plague many Australians. Determined to walk the talk, Brukner cut out added sugars and processed foods from his meals and adopted a lower-carb, whole-food approach. The weight “fell off easily, without hunger,” he recounted later, and he felt more energetic and mentally sharper than he had in years.
Inspired by his own transformation, he went on to establish the SugarByHalf campaign, aiming to educate Australians (young and old) about cutting their sugar consumption by 50%. In 2025, Dr. Brukner was even named Victorian Senior Australian of the Year for his advocacy and health leadership. His story drives home a powerful point: even those of us who think we “know better” can fall into the sugar trap – and it’s never too late to climb out. Reducing free sugars can lead to significant weight loss and health improvements even in later life, as Dr. Brukner and many everyday seniors have discovered.
For ordinary folks, weight loss isn’t always so dramatic, but every little bit counts. Scientific studies consistently find that when people cut back on sugary drinks and treats, they tend to consume fewer calories overall and lose weight. It’s interesting to note that in Australia, adults’ average free sugar intake actually declined slightly from the late 1990s to early 2010s (possibly due to awareness and slight shifts like more water consumption). Yet over half of us still exceed the recommended limits, indicating there’s room for improvement.
Key takeaway: If you’re struggling with your weight in your 60s or 70s, examining your sugar intake is a smart place to start. Those “innocent” biscuits with tea, the jam on your toast, the fruit juice with breakfast – they add up more than you might think. The good news? Trimming down sugar, even modestly, can help with trimming your waistline. And you don’t have to completely deprive yourself; often it’s about small swaps that shave off lots of sugar (for instance, having fruit with Greek yogurt instead of a sugary yogurt, or snacking on a few nuts instead of a muffin). Shedding even 5% of your body weight if you’re overweight can significantly improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. And staying at a healthy weight makes everything else in life easier – from keeping up with the grandkids to simply climbing the stairs without getting winded.
Before we move on, reflect for a moment: Do you know how much free sugar you’re actually eating daily? It’s an eye-opening exercise to read labels or use an app to tally your sugar for a day. Many older adults discover their “not too bad” diet hides 20, 30, even 40 teaspoons of added sugar per day! If you find you’re in that boat, don’t be discouraged. Awareness is the first step, and you can absolutely reduce it – as gradually or drastically as you feel able. Your waistline will thank you, and so will many other parts of your body, as we’re about to see.
Here’s how it works: Consuming a lot of fast-absorbing sugar (like the free sugars in sweets and sodas) causes repeated spikes in blood glucose. Each time, your pancreas must pump out insulin to bring that sugar down and escort it into cells. Do this occasionally and the body can cope. But bombard your system with high sugar loads day in, day out, and over time your cells start to become insulin resistant – they don’t respond as well to the hormone. The pancreas, sensing blood sugar still high, cranks out even more insulin in a desperate attempt to keep things normal. It’s like yelling at a listener going deaf – you shout louder and louder. Eventually, the pancreas begins to wear out; insulin-producing cells may dysfunction. At the same time, chronically high insulin and sugar levels promote fat storage (especially around the waist and organs) and inflammation, further worsening insulin resistance. This vicious cycle can lead directly to pre-diabetes and then full-blown type 2 diabetes.
Aging makes this process easier to happen. As noted earlier, our bodies naturally become less efficient at metabolizing sugar as we get older. We often become less active, lose muscle (which is a big sugar-burning tissue), and might gain fat – all of which exacerbate insulin resistance. So an older adult’s body is far less forgiving of a high-sugar diet than a teenager’s body might be. In fact, many people cruise through young adulthood eating poorly but only encounter diabetes in their 50s or 60s, once age-related insulin resistance catches up with them. It’s as if the credit card bill for decades of sugar finally comes due.
Type 2 diabetes is not just a minor inconvenience – it’s a serious chronic condition that can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, and limb amputations. It’s also a massive burden on our healthcare system, costing around $3.4 billion every year in Australia just in direct costs (and much more if you include indirect costs and lost quality of life). The tragedy is that type 2 diabetes is often preventable – and in many cases, even reversible with intensive lifestyle changes. Yet by the time many people realize the role of diet, they’re already dependent on medications like Metformin or daily insulin injections.
Let’s revisit Margaret Grimes and Barbara Flick’s story here, because it illustrates the power of cutting sugar (and overall carbs) for those already with diabetes. These women, in their late 50s, had decades-long histories of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes – insulin shots, complications looming, the whole nine yards. What turned things around for them was not a new drug or surgery, but a strict diet and exercise program that effectively slashed their sugar and starch intake while boosting activity. In just four weeks, Margaret’s glucose readings normalized and she got off insulin.
Barbara’s health markers similarly improved dramatically. Their program coordinator, Ray Kelly, noted that many health professionals wrongly believe type 2 diabetes in long-term patients “isn’t reversible” – but as he puts it, it’s more like putting it into remission. If you regain weight and old habits, the diabetes will come roaring back, much like cancer can. But with sustained lifestyle control, people can essentially live free of symptoms and medications. That’s an incredibly empowering message for anyone with diabetes: your choices can change the course of the disease.
Of course, preventing it in the first place is even better. And that brings us back to free sugars. Studies have found that high intake of sugary drinks is associated with greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, independent of weight gain. Even for two people of the same weight, the one who drinks lots of soda may have a higher diabetes risk than the one who doesn’t, because sugar has unique metabolic effects beyond just calories (like causing fatty liver, which in turn causes insulin resistance). That said, the weight gain caused by excess sugar is also a big driver of diabetes – so it’s a double whammy.
On the flip side, reducing sugar can sharply improve blood sugar control. Many seniors who adopt a lower-carb, sugar-restricted diet find that their blood glucose readings improve within days. Some are able to reduce their diabetes medications (under doctor supervision) or even come off them entirely if changes are drastic enough. Dr. Brukner’s initiative Defeat Diabetes (which he founded after SugarByHalf) actually focuses on helping people achieve remission of type 2 diabetes through diet. It’s endorsed by Diabetes Australia, indicating how mainstream this understanding is becoming.
For those without diabetes, consider yourself lucky – and take steps to keep it that way. If you have pre-diabetes (many older adults do and might not realize – ask your GP about a HbA1c or fasting glucose test), know that it’s a critical window to turn things around. The phrase “preventing diabetes” might sound abstract, but it could literally save your life or limbs. Simple reductions in free sugars – say, cutting out sugary drinks, halving the sugar you add to foods, switching from sweet snacks to nuts or cheese – can lighten the load on your pancreas significantly. Pair that with some daily walking or resistance exercise (to improve insulin sensitivity in muscles), and you have a powerful formula for diabetes prevention.
Ask yourself: Could I go one week without any sugary drinks or desserts? Try it as an experiment. Monitor how you feel, and if you have a glucose meter, see what happens to your blood sugar readings. You might be surprised how quickly your body responds to even short-term changes. And as Margaret’s story shows, even if you already have diabetes, it’s never too late to improve your condition through mindful eating.
The goal isn’t to remove every gram of sugar forever (unless you choose to, like Carolyn Hartz did), but to wrest control back from those cravings and habits that keep our blood sugar on a rollercoaster. Imagine the freedom of not being chained to medication schedules or finger-pricks – that’s the freedom cutting back on sugar helped give Margaret, who now says she finally has her life back.
Diets heavy in free sugars have been linked to a variety of cardiovascular risk factors: elevated triglycerides (a type of blood fat), lower levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol), higher blood pressure, and inflammation of blood vessels. Individually and together, these factors can damage arteries and strain the heart. How does sugar do this? Several mechanisms are at play:
It’s worth recalling again how for decades we were told dietary fat (especially saturated fat) was the main villain in heart disease. Many older Australians dutifully swapped butter for margarine, avoided eggs and red meat, and bought skim milk – yet during those same decades, a quiet rise in sugar consumption was happening. We cut fat but inadvertently often ate more sugar and refined carbs in its place (hello, fat-free cake!). Today, experts like Dr. Peter Brukner argue that this was a colossal mistake, and that sugar and refined starches have been the true drivers of the dual epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which in turn drive heart disease. This doesn’t mean saturated fat is off the hook entirely, but it means we have to expand our view. A heart-healthy diet is not just “low in fat/salt” – it should also be prudent in sugar. Harvard researchers, for example, have pointed out that reducing added sugar could significantly reduce cardiovascular deaths, and some have even called for warning labels on high-sugar foods for this reason.
From a personal perspective, if you have any form of heart disease or risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of heart attacks, examining your sugar intake might reveal an overlooked piece of the puzzle. Take the example of John (not a hypothetical person, but a composite of many patient stories shared by cardiologists): a 68-year-old retired accountant with a bit of a belly, on medication for hypertension and cholesterol. John didn’t think he ate too badly – he enjoyed toast with jam in the morning, a sandwich and a soft drink for lunch, and meat-and-potatoes for dinner, with ice cream for dessert.
When his doctor suggested he cut down on sugar, John was skeptical – he wasn’t eating cakes all day, after all. But he decided to try swapping the soft drink for water, cutting the jam and ice cream, and reducing his overall bread and cereal (since those quickly turn into sugar too). Over six months, John lost 5 kg without counting calories, his blood pressure dropped enough to reduce one of his pills, and his triglycerides plummeted. He felt more energetic on walks as well. His only regret? That he hadn’t been warned about sugar years earlier, before he ended up on three different meds.
It’s stories like this that drive home how under-recognized sugar’s role in heart health is. The Australian Heart Foundation now acknowledges that eating too much added sugar – particularly in drinks – can increase heart disease risk, both directly and via diabetes/obesity. Interestingly, some researchers compare sugar’s effect on the heart to that of alcohol: in moderation, probably minimal for most people, but at high doses and chronic exposure, it’s toxic to organs (and sugar, unlike alcohol, doesn’t give you a nice buzz – only a fleeting rush and the dreaded crash).
One more angle to mention is that sugar can indirectly harm the heart by promoting type 2 diabetes, which in turn dramatically raises cardiovascular risk. People with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Indeed, cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death for those with diabetes. So everything said earlier about diabetes comes full circle: controlling sugar to avoid or manage diabetes is partly about saving your heart and blood vessels from the ravages of high glucose.
Lastly, consider stress and energy levels. Ever had a sugar rush followed by a crash that left you jittery or exhausted? Rollercoaster blood sugars can mimic anxiety symptoms (heart palpitations, sweatiness) and put strain on the heart. Stable blood sugar, achieved by cutting out the big sugar spikes, can lead to steadier energy and less strain on your cardiovascular system day-to-day.
So, here’s a reflective question for you: When you think of eating “heart-healthy,” have you been overlooking sugar? Many of us have focused on cutting fat for years, maybe indulging our sweet tooth as a “trade-off.” It might be time to rethink that trade. Perhaps the teaspoon of sugar in your tea isn’t a huge issue by itself, but all the sources throughout the day – the muffin, the sugary cereal, the chocolate bar, the soda – collectively, they matter. What small change could you make this week to reduce sugar for your heart’s sake? Maybe skip the dessert on weeknights or choose an unsweetened yogurt instead of a sweetened one. Your heart works hard to keep you alive; giving it less sugar to deal with is one way to return the favor.
Many older Australians grew up without fluoridated water or modern dental care, and might already have a mouth full of fillings, or even dentures. The last thing we need in our senior years is to lose more teeth or have gum disease worsen. Yet, even in older age, sugar can continue to do damage. In fact, dental experts warn that seniors remain at high risk for decay, especially as we often produce less saliva (which normally helps protect teeth) and may have receding gums that expose softer root surfaces. Any caretakers in nursing homes can attest that dental issues are rampant in the elderly.
How does sugar cause cavities? It’s pretty straightforward chemistry. Bacteria in our mouth (like Streptococcus mutans) love sugar just as much as we do. They feed on the sugars left on our teeth and produce acid as a byproduct. This acid then erodes the tooth enamel, eventually creating holes (cavities). Frequent sugar intake means frequent acid attacks on your teeth. Over time, enamel weakens and decay sets in. The more often you snack on sugary foods or sip sweet drinks, the more your teeth are under siege.
The Australian Dental Association emphasizes that sugar is one of the biggest factors leading to tooth decay. Their recommendation: keep free sugar to under about 6 teaspoons per day to minimize risk of cavities. This aligns with the WHO’s lower guideline, not just for weight control but specifically for protecting teeth. They also note that it’s not only the amount of sugar, but the frequency of exposure. Sipping a sugary cola over two hours is worse for your teeth than drinking it in one go, because the slow sipping continuously bathes the teeth in sugar and acid.
For many seniors, dental health can feel like a losing battle, especially if past years weren’t kind. But reducing sugar can at least prevent further damage. Even if you have partial dentures or some implants, taking care of the remaining natural teeth is crucial. Plus, gum health (periodontal health) is influenced by diet too – high sugar intake can exacerbate gum inflammation.
Consider the costs: dental work is expensive, and not fully covered by Medicare. A root canal and crown can set you back thousands. Tooth extractions and dentures, while sometimes necessary, impact quality of life – chewing ability, speech, even facial structure. Preventing decay is far preferable. I recall a gentleman in his 70s, Ron, who told me he had a “lolly a day” habit – each afternoon he’d suck on a hard candy while reading the newspaper. It seemed harmless enough.
But over a couple of years, he developed cavities in several teeth, including around old fillings where decay crept underneath. His dentist gently pointed out that constant sugar, even one hard candy a day, can be a problem in a dry mouth. Ron decided to switch to sugar-free gum in the afternoons (which actually can help increase saliva and prevent decay). At his next check-up, his dentist noted no new cavities, and some improvement in gum health – a small victory that saved Ron pain and money.
Another aspect is oral thrush – people with diabetes or those who wear dentures often struggle with fungal infections in the mouth, and guess what fungus thrives on? Sugar. Keeping sugar low can help mitigate these issues too.
We should mention that poor oral health doesn’t just stay in the mouth. It can affect nutrition (if you avoid healthy foods because they’re hard to chew), and even heart health – chronic gum disease has been linked to heart disease. So, cutting sugar is a two-for-one: your teeth benefit, and you might inadvertently help other parts of your body.
If you have a sweet tooth and find it hard to cut back on treats for the sake of your waistline or blood sugar, maybe think of your teeth as a motivator. Some people find that visualizing the damage (like picturing sugar bugs on teeth producing acid) helps them resist that toffee or caramel that tends to stick around in your molars.
Also, as we age, many of us experience some dry mouth due to medications or just age-related changes. Without as much saliva to neutralize acids, even moderate sugar intake can become more risky for teeth. This is why dentists suggest older adults be especially vigilant about limiting sweets and perhaps using products like high-fluoride toothpaste or sugar-free lozenges to stimulate saliva.
Here’s a quick self-reflection: How many teeth have you lost or had drilled in the past decade, and could reducing sugar have prevented some of that? It may be hard to know for sure, but if the answer is “quite a few,” it’s worth considering the changes you can make going forward. We can’t change the past, but we can prevent future cavities. Brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups are your frontline defense, but diet is the foundation of oral health. Even a perfect brusher will struggle if their teeth are exposed to sugar constantly.
One more note – many “healthy” foods marketed to seniors can be sugar traps. Think of those “instant breakfast” drinks or certain meal replacement shakes – some are loaded with sugar. Cough drops, throat lozenges, and certain medications (like syrupy tonics) also often contain sugar. It’s worth reading labels on anything that goes in your mouth regularly. Your dentist (and wallet) will thank you. As the saying goes, “be true to your teeth, or they will be false to you.” And one of the truest things you can do for your teeth is to cut down on sugar.
Scientists have begun calling Alzheimer’s disease “type 3 diabetes” in some research circles, due to the association between impaired glucose metabolism in the brain and the disease. While that label is a bit provocative, it highlights an important link: people with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. High blood sugar and high insulin over years may damage brain cells and vascular health, contributing to cognitive decline. But even independent of diagnosed diabetes, a high-sugar diet could potentially harm the brain.
Emerging research suggests that diets high in added sugars are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. In animal studies, rodents fed lots of sugar show memory deficits and inflammation in brain regions like the hippocampus (critical for memory). Human observational studies have found correlations between high sugar consumption and poorer cognitive function or smaller brain volume in certain areas. While this field of research is still developing, the signals are concerning enough that many neurologists and geriatricians now counsel patients to watch their sugar intake for the sake of brain health.
One particularly striking finding came from the renowned Mayo Clinic: A study found that people over 70 who ate diets high in carbohydrates (and sugar in particular) had nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to dementia. Conversely, those who ate more healthy fats and protein (and relatively fewer carbs) had a reduced risk of cognitive problems. Four times the risk is not a small increase – it’s huge. It suggests that for older adults, a high-carb, high-sugar diet might be one of the riskier things you can do for your brain.
Why would sugar affect the brain? Several theories: High blood sugar can cause inflammation that damages neurons. Repeated insulin spikes could lead to insulin resistance in the brain, affecting how brain cells use glucose (their main fuel). There’s also the connection that diabetes-related vascular damage can cause “mini-strokes” and impair blood flow to the brain. Even aside from dementia, unstable blood sugar levels can acutely affect cognitive performance – anyone who’s had a blood sugar crash knows it can make you lightheaded, irritable, or confused.
On a more subtle level, a diet high in sugar may displace more nutritious foods. The brain needs various nutrients (omega-3 fats, vitamins, antioxidants from fruits/veggies, etc.) to function optimally. If a lot of your calories are coming from soda and donuts, you might be missing out on brain-friendly nutrients. Over years, that could have an effect.
Now, it’s important to say: dementia is a complex, multifactorial disease. You can do everything “right” and still develop Alzheimer’s, or do many things “wrong” and never lose your marbles. But we do have growing evidence that lifestyle factors – including diet – significantly influence risk. And unlike genetic risk factors (which we can’t change), our diet is something we can change.
For many seniors, the idea that what they eat could affect their memory is a powerful motivator. We all fear the loss of our memories and mental faculties. If cutting down on sugar might help preserve them, that’s worth considering. It doesn’t mean sugar is the only factor, of course – you also want to stay mentally active, socially engaged, physically fit, and manage blood pressure and so on. But diet is part of that puzzle.
Let’s highlight a story here: take Pauline, age 72, who was starting to feel “foggy” and had a family history of dementia. She read about the possible sugar-brain link and decided to overhaul her diet. Out went the sweets and refined flour products; in came more vegetables, fish, and yes, fewer carbs overall. Over the next year, she lost a bit of weight, her energy improved, and interestingly, she found her memory lapses seemed to happen less often.
Now, this is anecdotal – perhaps it was placebo, or the effect of better overall nutrition, or maybe avoiding sugar highs and lows steadied her focus. But Pauline felt she was doing something proactive for her brain, and her neurologist gave a nod of approval. Stories like this abound on forums for cognitive health: individuals report sharper thinking after cutting sugar.
Even short-term, have you ever noticed how a big slice of cake might make you feel tired and mentally hazy an hour later? That post-sugar crash can make you feel like you need a nap, not a Sudoku puzzle. Over time, repeated swings might not be great for the brain’s equilibrium.
One fascinating area of research is looking at insulin in the brain. The brain actually produces its own insulin and insulin-like growth factors, which seem to be involved in learning and memory. Some studies have found insulin resistance in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and even trials of intranasal insulin (insulin sprayed into the nose to act on the brain) have shown some cognitive benefits in patients. All of this ties back to how closely linked metabolic health is with brain health.
So the verdict on sugar and the brain: we can’t say conclusively that too many lollies will give you Alzheimer’s – but there’s enough evidence to warrant caution. Reducing sugar is likely beneficial for your brain and it certainly won’t harm it. Plus, what’s good for the heart is generally good for the brain (they share many risk factors), so by cutting sugar you kill two birds with one stone.
Now, imagine yourself at 85, with a clear mind and fond memories intact. What choices now might help make that a reality? It’s a heavy question, and of course many factors are out of our control. But some are within it – and diet is among the most immediate. By cutting back on free sugars, you’re not only nurturing your body, but perhaps also nurturing your mind. Next time you’re about to reach for a second biscuit, it might be worth thinking: “Is this feeding my brain or just my sweet tooth?” Sometimes that pause is enough to make a different choice, like grabbing a handful of berries (which have natural sugars but also brain-healthy antioxidants and fibre) instead of a biscuit.
Because here’s the empowering truth: at any age, you can make changes to improve your health. You don’t have to cut sugar completely (unless you want to); even small reductions can yield noticeable benefits. And as we’ve seen from real Australians like Margaret, Barbara, Carolyn, and Dr. Brukner, it’s possible to turn things around even after years of sugary indulgence.
So how do we put this knowledge into action without feeling miserable or deprived? After all, food is one of life’s pleasures, and strict diets can be joyless. The key is finding balance and making sustainable swaps that preserve joy and flavor. Here are some strategies – consider them friendly suggestions rather than hard rules, coming from someone who appreciates a good pavlova as much as the next person, but has learned to respect its power:
Before wrapping up, it’s worth acknowledging that food is personal and emotional. Especially for us older folks – we have attachments to certain foods and habits spanning a lifetime. The thought of changing can bring out defensiveness (“I’ve eaten this way all my life, why stop now?”) or sadness (“But baking brownies is how I show love to my family”). These feelings are valid. The goal isn’t to strip away all the joy – it’s to enhance your health so you can continue to enjoy those family moments and rituals for years to come. Maybe you’ll tweak the brownie recipe to use less sugar and add some walnuts for nutrition; maybe you’ll indulge but then go for a nice long walk with the grandkids to balance it out. It’s about finding that middle ground that respects both your heritage of food enjoyment and your present health needs.
Carolyn Hartz, reflecting on her journey, said she doesn’t miss sugar at all now – her taste buds have changed, and she delights in fresh fruits and creative baking with almond meal and other sugar substitutes. Not everyone will go to that extreme, but her story shows that change is possible and can even be pleasant. She often shares one of her mottos: “Age is just a number. It’s your attitude and how you treat your body that counts.”
We started this discussion with a question of sorts: what is the cost of those free sugars we love so much? In truth, the cost can be very high – measured in kilograms gained, illnesses developed, years of vitality lost. But unlike many costs that hit us in older age, this is one we have a measure of control over. We can decide to budget our sugar “spending,” to save our health for things that matter more.
So, as we conclude, I invite you to reflect on your own life and health. Think about those stories – Margaret reclaiming her life from diabetes, Dr. Brukner turning his health around, Carolyn aging vibrantly, and many others. Think of your own story – past, present, and future. How do you want the next chapters of your life to read, and what role will sugar play in them? It’s an open-ended question because you hold the pen. You might even say the answer is yours to sweeten – carefully, of course.
After reading all this, what changes, if any, will you choose to make in how you enjoy the sweetness in your life?
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Diabetes – Australian facts. AIHW. (Statistics on diabetes prevalence by age)
Brett Debritz. (2025, May 8). High cost of “free sugars”. National Seniors Australia. Retrieved from https://nationalseniors.com.au/news/health/high-cost-of-free-sugars
Cain, J. (2024, November 14). Cost of living has serious impact on people living with diabetes [Media release]. Diabetes Australia. Retrieved from https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/mediarelease/cost-of-living-has-serious-impact-on-people-living-with-diabetes/
Domonoske, C. (2016, September 13). 50 years ago, sugar industry quietly paid scientists to point blame at fat. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat
Gupta, A., Miller, C., Harford, J., Smithers, L. G., & Braunack-Mayer, A. (2019). Australia’s sugar tale. Public Health Nutrition, 22(14), 2682–2687. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019001228
Hartz, C. (2018). Quoted in Carolyn Hartz’s inspirational story: How giving up sugar transformed her (Niruvita blog, March 7, 2023).
Ingall, J. (2018, April 30). Diabetes program gives hope to resident who was “waiting to die”. ABC News. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-30/diabetes-program-gives-hope/9699162
Mayo Clinic. (2012, October 16). Eating lots of carbs, sugar may raise risk of cognitive impairment, Mayo Clinic study finds [Press release]. Mayo Clinic News Network. Retrieved from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/eating-lots-of-carbs-sugar-may-raise-risk-of-cognitive-impairment-mayo-clinic-study-finds/
myDr. (n.d.). Diabetes in older people. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://mydr.com.au/diabetes/diabetes-in-seniors/
Queensland Health. (2022, July 12). Sickly sweet: Sugar consumption and our health. Health and Wellbeing Queensland. Retrieved from https://hw.qld.gov.au/blog/sickly-sweet-sugar-consumption-and-our-health/
Peter Brukner OAM. (2025). Dr Peter Brukner – 2025 VIC Senior Australian of the Year [Profile]. Australian of the Year Awards. Retrieved from https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/dr-peter-brukner-oam
But for many Australians over 60, that lifelong sweet tooth might be taking a bitter toll. Just ask Margaret Grimes.
At 59, Margaret admitted she was “simply waiting to die” after years of living with type 2 diabetes. “I’m over giving myself needles every day, every night… it’s like I’m living for the needles… I honestly am trapped,” she confessed, worn down by decades of blood sugar swings. Diagnosed in her late 30s, she spent two decades assuming her path was set in stone.
She wasn’t alone. Another woman, Barbara Flick, believed renal failure and an early death were inevitable – the fate she’d seen her own mother suffer from diabetes.
But here’s the heartwarming twist: their story didn’t end in despair. Determined to fight back against the sweet enemy, Margaret and Barbara joined a community health program in rural NSW to take control of their diets. The results were nothing short of astounding. Barbara shed 15 kilograms and went from five insulin injections a day to just a tiny dose twice daily. And Margaret? She dropped from four insulin shots a day to zero, as her blood sugar levels plunged from dangerously high readings of 17 mmol/L down to a near-normal 6 or 7. Her doctor was stunned – he “couldn’t believe” the transformation. After feeling imprisoned by diabetes for years, these women proved it’s never too late to turn things around with healthier choices.
Their journey is a cautionary tale with a hopeful message. It shines a light on an issue that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: the hidden health consequences of “free sugars” in our diets. This isn’t just about diabetes. It’s about how the sugars we freely add (or that are added for us in processed foods) quietly chip away at our health – from expanding our waistlines and inflaming our hearts, to rotting our teeth and even fogging our brains. And it’s about what we, as older Australians, can do to reclaim our health without losing life’s sweetness.
In this editorial, we’ll take a deep dive into the bitter truth behind all those “sweet nothings.” We’ll explore what free sugars really are (and how they differ from the sugars in an apple or glass of milk), and why they matter especially for those of us in our 60s, 70s, and beyond.
We’ll journey through real stories – like Margaret’s – and cutting-edge research, to understand how too much added sugar can affect everything from our belts to our brains. Along the way, we’ll revisit how sugar snuck into nearly every corner of our diet (did you know the sugar industry once paid scientists to downplay sugar’s harms? More on that soon).
But it’s not all doom and gloom; we’ll also celebrate inspiring seniors who have kicked the habit and thrived, like the 74-year-old grandmother who credits quitting sugar for her bikini-body health. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how you can enjoy a sweet life – without so much sweet in your food.
So put the kettle on (maybe skip the sugar this time) and settle in. Whether you have a sweet tooth or just care about living your healthiest life, this is for you. After all, at our age, every bite counts – and every choice is an opportunity. Let’s dive into the high cost of “free sugars” and discover how to savour life’s sweetness wisely.
Image source: Seniors Discount Club
What Exactly Are “Free Sugars”? (And Why Should We Care?)
We’ve all heard that “sugar is bad” for us in a general sense. But you might wonder – sugar is sugar, right? The spoonful in your coffee, the lactose in your morning milk, the fructose in an apple – don’t they all impact health similarly? Not quite. Nutrition experts today make an important distinction between naturally occurring sugars (like those locked inside whole fruits, vegetables, and dairy) and “free sugars.” Free sugars are, essentially, the added sugars – the sweet stuff that doesn’t come with Mother Nature’s packaging of fibre or protein.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), free sugars include “all forms of sugar added to foods and drinks by manufacturers, cooks, or consumers, plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices”. In other words, it’s the sugar that’s been set free from its original whole-food source or manufactured outright, ready to surge through your bloodstream. It does not include the intrinsic sugars found in intact fruits, veggies, or plain milk, because in those, the sugar is bound up with fibre or protein, slowing its absorption. An apple’s sugar, for example, is accompanied by fibre that makes you feel full and releases sugar gradually. But apple juice (even with no sugar added) is considered “free sugar” – all the sweetness with the fibre stripped away. Your body guzzles it like it would a soft drink, spiking your blood sugar.
Why does this matter, especially as we get older? Because an older body isn’t as nimble at processing sugar. Metabolism naturally slows down with age, and our insulin response – the hormone reaction that keeps blood sugar in check – tends to weaken. As Carolyn Hartz, a 74-year-old Australian who gave up sugar in her mid-40s, puts it: “Our metabolism slows down as we get older, and that means we have to take control and make healthier choices. We must be aware while we eat of the type of food we eat and the amount”. Hartz speaks from experience: facing pre-diabetes and other health scares in her 40s, she made the radical decision to cut all added sugars from her diet. It wasn’t easy – she’d spent much of her life hooked on the typical Western diet of sweets and refined carbs. But she persevered, switching to whole foods, learning to bake without sugar, and embracing natural ingredients.
Now, 30 years on, Carolyn is a picture of vibrant health – a grandmother who looks and feels decades younger than her age, thanks (she says) to eliminating free sugars. Her story has inspired many, and it underscores a key point: while anyone can be harmed by too much sugar, seniors often feel the effects sooner and harder. Understanding what free sugars are – and how they sneak into our diet – is crucial to protecting our health in the golden years.
So let’s break it down further. Free sugars lurk in places you might expect (like lollies, biscuits, and soft drinks) and in plenty of places you might not. That store-bought pasta sauce? Likely loaded with sugar to balance the acidity of tomatoes. The low-fat yogurt you eat for calcium? Many brands pump in sugar to replace the flavor lost when they removed the fat. Even some wholemeal breads have molasses or syrup added. It’s no wonder that health experts bang on about “hidden sugars.” In fact, the average Australian consumes about half a kilogram of sugar each week! How is that possible? Because much of it is invisible – dissolved in our beverages and packaged foods. We’re pouring it down our throats often without even realizing.
Australians consume about half a kilogram of added sugar each week on average. Much of this sugar is hidden in foods and drinks – that daily soft drink, the “healthy” muesli bar, or even a jar of savoury pasta sauce can contain more free sugar than we’d guess. It all adds up quickly, contributing to our intake without us ever scooping a spoonful of table sugar.
The term “free sugars” might be relatively new in popular use, but it’s become key in public health guidelines. The WHO recommends that to maintain good health, adults (and kids) should limit free sugars to no more than 10% of their daily energy intake – roughly 12 teaspoons of added sugar a day at most. To put that in perspective, a single 375ml can of cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar, nearly hitting that limit. And that’s just one drink! The WHO further advises that keeping free sugars under 5% of daily calories (around 6 teaspoons) would provide additional health benefits, especially for preventing tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain.
Now, here’s the kicker: most Australians exceed these recommended limits. In fact, almost half of Australians consume more than 10% of their diet from added sugars, and a whopping 90% of us overshoot the 5% ideal threshold. On average, we’re ingesting about 57.8 grams of free sugar a day – roughly 14 to 15 teaspoons. And although sugary drinks (soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices) are the single largest source, it’s the cakes, biscuits, candies, sweetened cereals, condiments and processed meals combined that account for the lion’s share of our sugar haul. It’s a collective habit that has been decades in the making.
Many of today’s seniors grew up in a time when dessert was a once-in-a-while treat and soft drinks came in small glass bottles, not bottomless jumbo cups. So what changed? In short, the food environment around us. Over the past 50 years, sugar went from a luxury to a cheap staple in processed foods. Manufacturers learned that “bliss point” – the perfect amount of sugar (plus salt and fat) that makes foods irresistibly palatable. Our supermarket shelves filled with products loud on sweetness and low on nutrition. Nutrition science itself sent mixed messages: fat was demonized (especially in the 1980s and 90s), which prompted food companies to cut fat but double down on sugar to keep foods tasty. Remember all those “99% fat-free” labels on cookies and yogurts? They often hid a dirty little secret: heaps of added sugar. We now know that was a devil’s bargain for our health.
Amazingly, it’s come to light that the sugar industry had a direct hand in shaping those dietary guidelines of yesteryear. Internal documents from the 1960s show that the Sugar Research Foundation (an industry group) paid Harvard scientists to publish research downplaying sugar’s role in heart disease and instead pinning the blame solely on saturated fat. The result, published in a prominent journal in 1967 with no disclosure of the sugar industry’s funding, shaped medical opinion for decades. Essentially, Big Sugar pulled off one of the most successful (and deadly) PR coups: convincing the world that as long as we cut fat from our diets, sugar was benign.
Many of us remember being told to choose margarine over butter, skim milk over whole, and to satisfy cravings with a “fat-free” muffin (loaded with sugar and refined flour) instead of something genuinely nutritious. We were, quite literally, sold a lemon – or maybe a lemonade. It wasn’t until the 2000s and 2010s that large-scale studies and growing rates of obesity and diabetes forced experts to re-examine sugar’s role. The verdict? Sugar is a major culprit behind many chronic ills, and its risks were indeed swept under the rug for too long.
As older adults, many of us are now grappling with the consequences of that grand nutritional misdirection. It’s not about casting blame – who among us didn’t trust the health advice of the day? – but it is about recognizing the reality so we can make better choices going forward. Let’s face it: our generation has seen both sides of the dietary coin. We grew up on home-cooked meat-and-three-veg (with dessert only on special occasions), then rode the wave of convenience foods, colas, and “low-fat, high-sugar” snacks in midlife. Now, in our senior years, the bill for all that sugar might be coming due in the form of expanding waistlines, type 2 diabetes diagnoses, heart troubles, aching joints, dental work, and maybe even memory lapses.
But knowledge is power. By understanding how free sugars affect our bodies – and acknowledging it’s a bigger deal for us at 60+ than it was at 16 – we can start to take back control. In the sections that follow, we’ll examine the specific health consequences of too much free sugar, one by one. Consider it a gentle wake-up call, from one friend to another. You’ve enjoyed many sweet moments in life; now it’s time to ensure those moments don’t cut life short.
A Heavy Toll on Waistlines and Weight
Is that spare tire around the middle feeling a bit tighter these days? You’re not alone. As we age, many of us notice keeping weight off gets harder, even if our eating habits haven’t drastically changed. Part of this is natural – metabolism slows and muscle mass tends to decrease. But free sugars are pouring fuel on the fire, contributing significantly to weight gain and obesity in older adults.It’s not just about empty calories (though free sugars do pack plenty of those). It’s about how sugar-rich foods fail to satisfy and trick our bodies’ appetite controls. A sugary drink or a slice of cake adds calories, sure, but because it lacks protein or fibre, it doesn’t fill you up. You can down a 600ml bottle of soft drink and not feel full, even though you just gulped the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar and over 250 calories. Free sugars make it easy to consume excess energy without realizing, leading to weight gain over time. And obesity, as we know, is no trivial matter – it’s a major risk factor for a host of diseases from heart disease to certain cancers.
In Australia, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults has climbed alarmingly in recent decades. By 2014-2015, about 63.4% of Australians were overweight or obese – nearly two-thirds of the adult population. Excess sugar isn’t the only culprit, but it’s a significant one. Health surveys show that those with the highest sugar-sweetened beverage intake tend to have greater body weight. It’s telling that as sugary drink consumption has modestly declined in recent years, there’s been a slight plateauing of obesity rates – yet overall, we’re still consuming far above recommended sugar levels.
For seniors, carrying extra weight can be especially problematic. It worsens osteoarthritis (every kilo of weight adds about 4 kilos of pressure on knee joints), makes exercise more daunting, and can exacerbate conditions like hypertension. Perhaps most critically, obesity sets the stage for type 2 diabetes – something many older Aussies are intimately familiar with, as we’ll discuss next. It also ties into cardiovascular health and even certain cancers. In short, sugar-driven weight gain isn’t just about how we look in the mirror; it’s about our overall health and longevity.
Let’s consider an example. Dr. Peter Brukner is a renowned sports physician – you might assume a man who worked with Olympic athletes and AFL teams would be in tip-top shape himself. But in his fifties, Dr. Brukner had a wake-up call: he was overweight, feeling sluggish, and facing markers of poor metabolic health. How could this be, for someone so knowledgeable about fitness? The culprit, he realized, was his diet – full of the same sneaky sugars and refined carbs that plague many Australians. Determined to walk the talk, Brukner cut out added sugars and processed foods from his meals and adopted a lower-carb, whole-food approach. The weight “fell off easily, without hunger,” he recounted later, and he felt more energetic and mentally sharper than he had in years.
Inspired by his own transformation, he went on to establish the SugarByHalf campaign, aiming to educate Australians (young and old) about cutting their sugar consumption by 50%. In 2025, Dr. Brukner was even named Victorian Senior Australian of the Year for his advocacy and health leadership. His story drives home a powerful point: even those of us who think we “know better” can fall into the sugar trap – and it’s never too late to climb out. Reducing free sugars can lead to significant weight loss and health improvements even in later life, as Dr. Brukner and many everyday seniors have discovered.
For ordinary folks, weight loss isn’t always so dramatic, but every little bit counts. Scientific studies consistently find that when people cut back on sugary drinks and treats, they tend to consume fewer calories overall and lose weight. It’s interesting to note that in Australia, adults’ average free sugar intake actually declined slightly from the late 1990s to early 2010s (possibly due to awareness and slight shifts like more water consumption). Yet over half of us still exceed the recommended limits, indicating there’s room for improvement.
Key takeaway: If you’re struggling with your weight in your 60s or 70s, examining your sugar intake is a smart place to start. Those “innocent” biscuits with tea, the jam on your toast, the fruit juice with breakfast – they add up more than you might think. The good news? Trimming down sugar, even modestly, can help with trimming your waistline. And you don’t have to completely deprive yourself; often it’s about small swaps that shave off lots of sugar (for instance, having fruit with Greek yogurt instead of a sugary yogurt, or snacking on a few nuts instead of a muffin). Shedding even 5% of your body weight if you’re overweight can significantly improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. And staying at a healthy weight makes everything else in life easier – from keeping up with the grandkids to simply climbing the stairs without getting winded.
Before we move on, reflect for a moment: Do you know how much free sugar you’re actually eating daily? It’s an eye-opening exercise to read labels or use an app to tally your sugar for a day. Many older adults discover their “not too bad” diet hides 20, 30, even 40 teaspoons of added sugar per day! If you find you’re in that boat, don’t be discouraged. Awareness is the first step, and you can absolutely reduce it – as gradually or drastically as you feel able. Your waistline will thank you, and so will many other parts of your body, as we’re about to see.
The Not-So-Sweet Truth About Diabetes
Perhaps no condition is more tightly linked to our sugar intake than type 2 diabetes. And here’s a sobering fact: Australia is in the grip of a type 2 diabetes epidemic, with older Australians at the epicenter. In our country, about 1 in 6 people over 65 has diabetes (mostly type 2). By the time we reach age 80, nearly 1 in 5 of us is living with the disease. These are huge numbers that simply didn’t exist in our parents’ generation to this extent. To be clear, type 2 diabetes is a complex condition with multiple risk factors – genetics, age, and obesity all play a role. But diet is a major contributor, and diets high in free sugars are a recipe for trouble.Here’s how it works: Consuming a lot of fast-absorbing sugar (like the free sugars in sweets and sodas) causes repeated spikes in blood glucose. Each time, your pancreas must pump out insulin to bring that sugar down and escort it into cells. Do this occasionally and the body can cope. But bombard your system with high sugar loads day in, day out, and over time your cells start to become insulin resistant – they don’t respond as well to the hormone. The pancreas, sensing blood sugar still high, cranks out even more insulin in a desperate attempt to keep things normal. It’s like yelling at a listener going deaf – you shout louder and louder. Eventually, the pancreas begins to wear out; insulin-producing cells may dysfunction. At the same time, chronically high insulin and sugar levels promote fat storage (especially around the waist and organs) and inflammation, further worsening insulin resistance. This vicious cycle can lead directly to pre-diabetes and then full-blown type 2 diabetes.
Aging makes this process easier to happen. As noted earlier, our bodies naturally become less efficient at metabolizing sugar as we get older. We often become less active, lose muscle (which is a big sugar-burning tissue), and might gain fat – all of which exacerbate insulin resistance. So an older adult’s body is far less forgiving of a high-sugar diet than a teenager’s body might be. In fact, many people cruise through young adulthood eating poorly but only encounter diabetes in their 50s or 60s, once age-related insulin resistance catches up with them. It’s as if the credit card bill for decades of sugar finally comes due.
Type 2 diabetes is not just a minor inconvenience – it’s a serious chronic condition that can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, and limb amputations. It’s also a massive burden on our healthcare system, costing around $3.4 billion every year in Australia just in direct costs (and much more if you include indirect costs and lost quality of life). The tragedy is that type 2 diabetes is often preventable – and in many cases, even reversible with intensive lifestyle changes. Yet by the time many people realize the role of diet, they’re already dependent on medications like Metformin or daily insulin injections.
Let’s revisit Margaret Grimes and Barbara Flick’s story here, because it illustrates the power of cutting sugar (and overall carbs) for those already with diabetes. These women, in their late 50s, had decades-long histories of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes – insulin shots, complications looming, the whole nine yards. What turned things around for them was not a new drug or surgery, but a strict diet and exercise program that effectively slashed their sugar and starch intake while boosting activity. In just four weeks, Margaret’s glucose readings normalized and she got off insulin.
Barbara’s health markers similarly improved dramatically. Their program coordinator, Ray Kelly, noted that many health professionals wrongly believe type 2 diabetes in long-term patients “isn’t reversible” – but as he puts it, it’s more like putting it into remission. If you regain weight and old habits, the diabetes will come roaring back, much like cancer can. But with sustained lifestyle control, people can essentially live free of symptoms and medications. That’s an incredibly empowering message for anyone with diabetes: your choices can change the course of the disease.
Of course, preventing it in the first place is even better. And that brings us back to free sugars. Studies have found that high intake of sugary drinks is associated with greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, independent of weight gain. Even for two people of the same weight, the one who drinks lots of soda may have a higher diabetes risk than the one who doesn’t, because sugar has unique metabolic effects beyond just calories (like causing fatty liver, which in turn causes insulin resistance). That said, the weight gain caused by excess sugar is also a big driver of diabetes – so it’s a double whammy.
On the flip side, reducing sugar can sharply improve blood sugar control. Many seniors who adopt a lower-carb, sugar-restricted diet find that their blood glucose readings improve within days. Some are able to reduce their diabetes medications (under doctor supervision) or even come off them entirely if changes are drastic enough. Dr. Brukner’s initiative Defeat Diabetes (which he founded after SugarByHalf) actually focuses on helping people achieve remission of type 2 diabetes through diet. It’s endorsed by Diabetes Australia, indicating how mainstream this understanding is becoming.
For those without diabetes, consider yourself lucky – and take steps to keep it that way. If you have pre-diabetes (many older adults do and might not realize – ask your GP about a HbA1c or fasting glucose test), know that it’s a critical window to turn things around. The phrase “preventing diabetes” might sound abstract, but it could literally save your life or limbs. Simple reductions in free sugars – say, cutting out sugary drinks, halving the sugar you add to foods, switching from sweet snacks to nuts or cheese – can lighten the load on your pancreas significantly. Pair that with some daily walking or resistance exercise (to improve insulin sensitivity in muscles), and you have a powerful formula for diabetes prevention.
Ask yourself: Could I go one week without any sugary drinks or desserts? Try it as an experiment. Monitor how you feel, and if you have a glucose meter, see what happens to your blood sugar readings. You might be surprised how quickly your body responds to even short-term changes. And as Margaret’s story shows, even if you already have diabetes, it’s never too late to improve your condition through mindful eating.
The goal isn’t to remove every gram of sugar forever (unless you choose to, like Carolyn Hartz did), but to wrest control back from those cravings and habits that keep our blood sugar on a rollercoaster. Imagine the freedom of not being chained to medication schedules or finger-pricks – that’s the freedom cutting back on sugar helped give Margaret, who now says she finally has her life back.
Heartbreak: Sugar and Your Heart Health
Most of us grew up hearing about the dangers of too much salt or fatty foods for our heart. But what about sugar? Can too many sweets really affect your ticker? Emerging research says yes – absolutely. In fact, a high-sugar diet may be as harmful to your heart as a high-sodium or high-cholesterol diet, if not more so in some ways. This is a newer understanding that’s gaining traction in the medical community. For older adults concerned about heart attacks or strokes (which should be all of us, since cardiovascular disease remains Australia’s #1 killer), it’s time to take sugar’s impact on the heart seriously.Diets heavy in free sugars have been linked to a variety of cardiovascular risk factors: elevated triglycerides (a type of blood fat), lower levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol), higher blood pressure, and inflammation of blood vessels. Individually and together, these factors can damage arteries and strain the heart. How does sugar do this? Several mechanisms are at play:
- Triglycerides and Cholesterol: When you consume excess sugar, the liver often converts the surplus into triglycerides – which then circulate in your blood or get stored as fat (often around the liver itself, causing fatty liver). High blood triglycerides are a known risk for heart disease. Diets high in fructose (one component of table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup) are particularly adept at raising triglyceride levels. High sugar intake can also lower HDL cholesterol and raise small dense LDL particles, both of which are unfavorable for heart health.
- Blood Pressure: You might not think candy could affect your blood pressure, but studies have shown a correlation between high sugar intake and hypertension. One reason is that excessive sugar can lead to insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia (high insulin) can prompt the kidneys to retain sodium, thereby increasing blood pressure. Sugar may also reduce the elasticity of arteries. There’s even evidence suggesting that a high-sugar diet might stimulate the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” response), which can raise heart rate and blood pressure.
- Inflammation: Chronically high blood sugar and insulin levels can create an inflammatory state in the body. Inflammation is a key player in the development of atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaques in arteries). Think of inflammation like rust on the inside of your pipes; it makes it easier for debris (like cholesterol) to stick and clog things up. Some research indicates that people consuming lots of sugary drinks have higher levels of inflammatory markers.
- Weight and Fat Distribution: Sugar, by contributing to weight gain, indirectly worsens heart health too. Particularly, it promotes visceral fat – the fat around your organs – which is strongly linked with heart disease and metabolic issues. Even in people who aren’t “obese” by BMI, a diet high in sugar can lead to a pot belly, and that visceral fat is metabolically active and harmful.
It’s worth recalling again how for decades we were told dietary fat (especially saturated fat) was the main villain in heart disease. Many older Australians dutifully swapped butter for margarine, avoided eggs and red meat, and bought skim milk – yet during those same decades, a quiet rise in sugar consumption was happening. We cut fat but inadvertently often ate more sugar and refined carbs in its place (hello, fat-free cake!). Today, experts like Dr. Peter Brukner argue that this was a colossal mistake, and that sugar and refined starches have been the true drivers of the dual epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which in turn drive heart disease. This doesn’t mean saturated fat is off the hook entirely, but it means we have to expand our view. A heart-healthy diet is not just “low in fat/salt” – it should also be prudent in sugar. Harvard researchers, for example, have pointed out that reducing added sugar could significantly reduce cardiovascular deaths, and some have even called for warning labels on high-sugar foods for this reason.
From a personal perspective, if you have any form of heart disease or risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of heart attacks, examining your sugar intake might reveal an overlooked piece of the puzzle. Take the example of John (not a hypothetical person, but a composite of many patient stories shared by cardiologists): a 68-year-old retired accountant with a bit of a belly, on medication for hypertension and cholesterol. John didn’t think he ate too badly – he enjoyed toast with jam in the morning, a sandwich and a soft drink for lunch, and meat-and-potatoes for dinner, with ice cream for dessert.
When his doctor suggested he cut down on sugar, John was skeptical – he wasn’t eating cakes all day, after all. But he decided to try swapping the soft drink for water, cutting the jam and ice cream, and reducing his overall bread and cereal (since those quickly turn into sugar too). Over six months, John lost 5 kg without counting calories, his blood pressure dropped enough to reduce one of his pills, and his triglycerides plummeted. He felt more energetic on walks as well. His only regret? That he hadn’t been warned about sugar years earlier, before he ended up on three different meds.
It’s stories like this that drive home how under-recognized sugar’s role in heart health is. The Australian Heart Foundation now acknowledges that eating too much added sugar – particularly in drinks – can increase heart disease risk, both directly and via diabetes/obesity. Interestingly, some researchers compare sugar’s effect on the heart to that of alcohol: in moderation, probably minimal for most people, but at high doses and chronic exposure, it’s toxic to organs (and sugar, unlike alcohol, doesn’t give you a nice buzz – only a fleeting rush and the dreaded crash).
One more angle to mention is that sugar can indirectly harm the heart by promoting type 2 diabetes, which in turn dramatically raises cardiovascular risk. People with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Indeed, cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death for those with diabetes. So everything said earlier about diabetes comes full circle: controlling sugar to avoid or manage diabetes is partly about saving your heart and blood vessels from the ravages of high glucose.
Lastly, consider stress and energy levels. Ever had a sugar rush followed by a crash that left you jittery or exhausted? Rollercoaster blood sugars can mimic anxiety symptoms (heart palpitations, sweatiness) and put strain on the heart. Stable blood sugar, achieved by cutting out the big sugar spikes, can lead to steadier energy and less strain on your cardiovascular system day-to-day.
So, here’s a reflective question for you: When you think of eating “heart-healthy,” have you been overlooking sugar? Many of us have focused on cutting fat for years, maybe indulging our sweet tooth as a “trade-off.” It might be time to rethink that trade. Perhaps the teaspoon of sugar in your tea isn’t a huge issue by itself, but all the sources throughout the day – the muffin, the sugary cereal, the chocolate bar, the soda – collectively, they matter. What small change could you make this week to reduce sugar for your heart’s sake? Maybe skip the dessert on weeknights or choose an unsweetened yogurt instead of a sweetened one. Your heart works hard to keep you alive; giving it less sugar to deal with is one way to return the favor.
Sweet Tooth, Sour Mouth: Dental Dangers
Our teeth often tell the tale of our sugar habits – sometimes more than we’d like. If you’ve had a few cavities or crown fittings lately, you might want to take a closer look at those sweet snacks. Tooth decay is one of the most direct, undeniable consequences of free sugar consumption. And unlike weight or blood sugar issues, which can sneak up silently, the process of developing a cavity can literally cause pain – a sharp reminder that “maybe I shouldn’t have had those lollies.”Many older Australians grew up without fluoridated water or modern dental care, and might already have a mouth full of fillings, or even dentures. The last thing we need in our senior years is to lose more teeth or have gum disease worsen. Yet, even in older age, sugar can continue to do damage. In fact, dental experts warn that seniors remain at high risk for decay, especially as we often produce less saliva (which normally helps protect teeth) and may have receding gums that expose softer root surfaces. Any caretakers in nursing homes can attest that dental issues are rampant in the elderly.
How does sugar cause cavities? It’s pretty straightforward chemistry. Bacteria in our mouth (like Streptococcus mutans) love sugar just as much as we do. They feed on the sugars left on our teeth and produce acid as a byproduct. This acid then erodes the tooth enamel, eventually creating holes (cavities). Frequent sugar intake means frequent acid attacks on your teeth. Over time, enamel weakens and decay sets in. The more often you snack on sugary foods or sip sweet drinks, the more your teeth are under siege.
The Australian Dental Association emphasizes that sugar is one of the biggest factors leading to tooth decay. Their recommendation: keep free sugar to under about 6 teaspoons per day to minimize risk of cavities. This aligns with the WHO’s lower guideline, not just for weight control but specifically for protecting teeth. They also note that it’s not only the amount of sugar, but the frequency of exposure. Sipping a sugary cola over two hours is worse for your teeth than drinking it in one go, because the slow sipping continuously bathes the teeth in sugar and acid.
For many seniors, dental health can feel like a losing battle, especially if past years weren’t kind. But reducing sugar can at least prevent further damage. Even if you have partial dentures or some implants, taking care of the remaining natural teeth is crucial. Plus, gum health (periodontal health) is influenced by diet too – high sugar intake can exacerbate gum inflammation.
Consider the costs: dental work is expensive, and not fully covered by Medicare. A root canal and crown can set you back thousands. Tooth extractions and dentures, while sometimes necessary, impact quality of life – chewing ability, speech, even facial structure. Preventing decay is far preferable. I recall a gentleman in his 70s, Ron, who told me he had a “lolly a day” habit – each afternoon he’d suck on a hard candy while reading the newspaper. It seemed harmless enough.
But over a couple of years, he developed cavities in several teeth, including around old fillings where decay crept underneath. His dentist gently pointed out that constant sugar, even one hard candy a day, can be a problem in a dry mouth. Ron decided to switch to sugar-free gum in the afternoons (which actually can help increase saliva and prevent decay). At his next check-up, his dentist noted no new cavities, and some improvement in gum health – a small victory that saved Ron pain and money.
Another aspect is oral thrush – people with diabetes or those who wear dentures often struggle with fungal infections in the mouth, and guess what fungus thrives on? Sugar. Keeping sugar low can help mitigate these issues too.
We should mention that poor oral health doesn’t just stay in the mouth. It can affect nutrition (if you avoid healthy foods because they’re hard to chew), and even heart health – chronic gum disease has been linked to heart disease. So, cutting sugar is a two-for-one: your teeth benefit, and you might inadvertently help other parts of your body.
If you have a sweet tooth and find it hard to cut back on treats for the sake of your waistline or blood sugar, maybe think of your teeth as a motivator. Some people find that visualizing the damage (like picturing sugar bugs on teeth producing acid) helps them resist that toffee or caramel that tends to stick around in your molars.
Also, as we age, many of us experience some dry mouth due to medications or just age-related changes. Without as much saliva to neutralize acids, even moderate sugar intake can become more risky for teeth. This is why dentists suggest older adults be especially vigilant about limiting sweets and perhaps using products like high-fluoride toothpaste or sugar-free lozenges to stimulate saliva.
Here’s a quick self-reflection: How many teeth have you lost or had drilled in the past decade, and could reducing sugar have prevented some of that? It may be hard to know for sure, but if the answer is “quite a few,” it’s worth considering the changes you can make going forward. We can’t change the past, but we can prevent future cavities. Brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups are your frontline defense, but diet is the foundation of oral health. Even a perfect brusher will struggle if their teeth are exposed to sugar constantly.
One more note – many “healthy” foods marketed to seniors can be sugar traps. Think of those “instant breakfast” drinks or certain meal replacement shakes – some are loaded with sugar. Cough drops, throat lozenges, and certain medications (like syrupy tonics) also often contain sugar. It’s worth reading labels on anything that goes in your mouth regularly. Your dentist (and wallet) will thank you. As the saying goes, “be true to your teeth, or they will be false to you.” And one of the truest things you can do for your teeth is to cut down on sugar.
Mind Matters: Sugar and the Aging Brain
One of the most unsettling prospects of growing older is cognitive decline – those “senior moments” of forgetfulness, and worse, the specter of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. We all want to stay sharp to enjoy our independence and our memories. Surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly, given everything we’ve discussed), sugar may play a role here too. The brain, after all, is an organ that responds to what we eat. And an excess of free sugars might just be junk food for the mind.Scientists have begun calling Alzheimer’s disease “type 3 diabetes” in some research circles, due to the association between impaired glucose metabolism in the brain and the disease. While that label is a bit provocative, it highlights an important link: people with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. High blood sugar and high insulin over years may damage brain cells and vascular health, contributing to cognitive decline. But even independent of diagnosed diabetes, a high-sugar diet could potentially harm the brain.
Emerging research suggests that diets high in added sugars are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. In animal studies, rodents fed lots of sugar show memory deficits and inflammation in brain regions like the hippocampus (critical for memory). Human observational studies have found correlations between high sugar consumption and poorer cognitive function or smaller brain volume in certain areas. While this field of research is still developing, the signals are concerning enough that many neurologists and geriatricians now counsel patients to watch their sugar intake for the sake of brain health.
One particularly striking finding came from the renowned Mayo Clinic: A study found that people over 70 who ate diets high in carbohydrates (and sugar in particular) had nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to dementia. Conversely, those who ate more healthy fats and protein (and relatively fewer carbs) had a reduced risk of cognitive problems. Four times the risk is not a small increase – it’s huge. It suggests that for older adults, a high-carb, high-sugar diet might be one of the riskier things you can do for your brain.
Why would sugar affect the brain? Several theories: High blood sugar can cause inflammation that damages neurons. Repeated insulin spikes could lead to insulin resistance in the brain, affecting how brain cells use glucose (their main fuel). There’s also the connection that diabetes-related vascular damage can cause “mini-strokes” and impair blood flow to the brain. Even aside from dementia, unstable blood sugar levels can acutely affect cognitive performance – anyone who’s had a blood sugar crash knows it can make you lightheaded, irritable, or confused.
On a more subtle level, a diet high in sugar may displace more nutritious foods. The brain needs various nutrients (omega-3 fats, vitamins, antioxidants from fruits/veggies, etc.) to function optimally. If a lot of your calories are coming from soda and donuts, you might be missing out on brain-friendly nutrients. Over years, that could have an effect.
Now, it’s important to say: dementia is a complex, multifactorial disease. You can do everything “right” and still develop Alzheimer’s, or do many things “wrong” and never lose your marbles. But we do have growing evidence that lifestyle factors – including diet – significantly influence risk. And unlike genetic risk factors (which we can’t change), our diet is something we can change.
For many seniors, the idea that what they eat could affect their memory is a powerful motivator. We all fear the loss of our memories and mental faculties. If cutting down on sugar might help preserve them, that’s worth considering. It doesn’t mean sugar is the only factor, of course – you also want to stay mentally active, socially engaged, physically fit, and manage blood pressure and so on. But diet is part of that puzzle.
Let’s highlight a story here: take Pauline, age 72, who was starting to feel “foggy” and had a family history of dementia. She read about the possible sugar-brain link and decided to overhaul her diet. Out went the sweets and refined flour products; in came more vegetables, fish, and yes, fewer carbs overall. Over the next year, she lost a bit of weight, her energy improved, and interestingly, she found her memory lapses seemed to happen less often.
Now, this is anecdotal – perhaps it was placebo, or the effect of better overall nutrition, or maybe avoiding sugar highs and lows steadied her focus. But Pauline felt she was doing something proactive for her brain, and her neurologist gave a nod of approval. Stories like this abound on forums for cognitive health: individuals report sharper thinking after cutting sugar.
Even short-term, have you ever noticed how a big slice of cake might make you feel tired and mentally hazy an hour later? That post-sugar crash can make you feel like you need a nap, not a Sudoku puzzle. Over time, repeated swings might not be great for the brain’s equilibrium.
One fascinating area of research is looking at insulin in the brain. The brain actually produces its own insulin and insulin-like growth factors, which seem to be involved in learning and memory. Some studies have found insulin resistance in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and even trials of intranasal insulin (insulin sprayed into the nose to act on the brain) have shown some cognitive benefits in patients. All of this ties back to how closely linked metabolic health is with brain health.
So the verdict on sugar and the brain: we can’t say conclusively that too many lollies will give you Alzheimer’s – but there’s enough evidence to warrant caution. Reducing sugar is likely beneficial for your brain and it certainly won’t harm it. Plus, what’s good for the heart is generally good for the brain (they share many risk factors), so by cutting sugar you kill two birds with one stone.
Now, imagine yourself at 85, with a clear mind and fond memories intact. What choices now might help make that a reality? It’s a heavy question, and of course many factors are out of our control. But some are within it – and diet is among the most immediate. By cutting back on free sugars, you’re not only nurturing your body, but perhaps also nurturing your mind. Next time you’re about to reach for a second biscuit, it might be worth thinking: “Is this feeding my brain or just my sweet tooth?” Sometimes that pause is enough to make a different choice, like grabbing a handful of berries (which have natural sugars but also brain-healthy antioxidants and fibre) instead of a biscuit.
Image source: Seniors Discount Club
Breaking Free: Living Sweetly Without So Much Sugar
By now, we’ve journeyed through the bittersweet story of sugar’s impact on an older body – from the widening waistlines and stubborn diabetes to the strained heart, aching teeth, and even the cloudy mind. It’s clear that the stakes are high, but the tone of this story isn’t meant to be merely cautionary; it’s also hopeful.Because here’s the empowering truth: at any age, you can make changes to improve your health. You don’t have to cut sugar completely (unless you want to); even small reductions can yield noticeable benefits. And as we’ve seen from real Australians like Margaret, Barbara, Carolyn, and Dr. Brukner, it’s possible to turn things around even after years of sugary indulgence.
So how do we put this knowledge into action without feeling miserable or deprived? After all, food is one of life’s pleasures, and strict diets can be joyless. The key is finding balance and making sustainable swaps that preserve joy and flavor. Here are some strategies – consider them friendly suggestions rather than hard rules, coming from someone who appreciates a good pavlova as much as the next person, but has learned to respect its power:
- Be a Sugar Detective: Start checking those nutrition labels when you shop. You’ll be astonished where sugar pops up. Sauces, soups, breads, processed meats – you name it. Ingredients like “glucose syrup,” “molasses,” “fructose,” “barley malt,” etc., are all added sugars in disguise. If you see sugar (or its aliases) in the first few ingredients of a packaged food, that’s a red flag. Choosing lower-sugar versions or totally unsweetened versions of staples (and sweetening them yourself if needed, ideally with a healthier option) can drastically cut your intake. For example, buy plain rolled oats instead of sweetened instant oatmeal – you control the sweetness (try cinnamon or a few berries for flavor).
- Rethink Your Drinks: Liquid sugar is arguably the worst for our health because it’s so rapidly absorbed and doesn’t fill us up. Trading that daily soft drink or fruit juice for water, sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon, or unsweetened tea can save you a heap of sugar. If you find water boring, experiment with herbal teas (hibiscus iced tea can be very refreshing and naturally tangy) or infuse water with slices of cucumber and mint. Some seniors have told me that switching to diet soda helped them transition off sugar – while diet drinks have their own controversies, they are generally considered safer than regular soda for those who must have a fizzy treat. Ultimately, good old water is king, and your kidneys and waistline will thank you for it.
- Whole Foods for the Win: Whenever possible, choose whole fruits and foods over processed, “free-sugar” laden versions. For example, eat an orange instead of orange juice. Have a baked sweet potato instead of a sweet potato pie. Enjoy a handful of almonds instead of almond brittle candy. Whole foods come packaged with nutrients and fibre that buffer the sugars and nourish your body. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever have dessert – but perhaps reserve the really sweet stuff for truly special occasions, and aim for natural sweetness in daily life. Many people find that after a few weeks of cutting back on added sugar, their taste buds become more sensitive to sweetness in natural foods. A carrot or an apple starts to taste incredibly sweet once your palate isn’t dulled by constant sugar bombs.
- Moderation, Not Elimination (Unless You Prefer): An all-or-nothing approach works for some (like Carolyn Hartz, who went fully sugar-free and thrived), but for others it backfires. You might manage fine without chocolate for a week, then end up bingeing on a whole box of Favourites on day 8. If you know you do better with moderation, set a reasonable allowance. Maybe one small treat a day, or dessert only on weekends. And when you do indulge, truly savour it – pick the best quality treat you can, eat it mindfully, and enjoy it without guilt. Then continue with your low-sugar meals. The occasional treat won’t wreck your health; it’s the daily habits that count the most.
- Find Sweet Replacements: Cravings are real. Especially if sugar has been a daily friend for decades, your brain is used to that dopamine hit. To break the habit loop, find alternative rewards. If you usually have ice cream while watching TV at night, try having some Greek yogurt with a few berries and a sprinkle of nuts. It’s lower in sugar and higher in protein, but still feels like a treat. If you crave a biscuit with your tea, see if a few slices of ripe pear or a couple of dates (which, though high in natural sugar, at least come with fibre and nutrients) satisfy that sweet urge. Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla can also trick our brains into perceiving sweetness. Many people find that a cup of cinnamon or peppermint tea after dinner can replace a sweet dessert, because the flavor is satisfying.
- Lean on Support and Share the Journey: Lifestyle changes are easier when you’re not alone. Perhaps your spouse, a sibling, or a friend also wants to get healthier – do it together. Swap low-sugar recipes, celebrate each other’s victories (blood sugar down! Pants fit better! Dentist visit with no new cavities!). If you slip up, laugh about it, learn, and get back on track the next meal. Some communities, like the one Margaret and Barbara joined, make it a group effort, which can be incredibly motivating. There are also national campaigns like Dr. Brukner’s SugarByHalf, and resources from Diabetes Australia or Heart Foundation with tips for reducing sugar. Tap into those.
- Remember Your “Why”: Lastly, keep front and center why you might want to reduce sugar. Is it to control your diabetes so you can see your grandchildren grow up? To fit into your favorite dress or suit for your 50th anniversary? To keep a sharp mind so you can continue doing the crossword every morning? Whatever your personal motivation, remind yourself of it. Write it on a sticky note on the pantry: “Less sugar = more years of bushwalking” or whatever resonates. It helps on those days when the cravings or social pressures hit (“Oh go on, have another slice, it’s the holidays…”).
Before wrapping up, it’s worth acknowledging that food is personal and emotional. Especially for us older folks – we have attachments to certain foods and habits spanning a lifetime. The thought of changing can bring out defensiveness (“I’ve eaten this way all my life, why stop now?”) or sadness (“But baking brownies is how I show love to my family”). These feelings are valid. The goal isn’t to strip away all the joy – it’s to enhance your health so you can continue to enjoy those family moments and rituals for years to come. Maybe you’ll tweak the brownie recipe to use less sugar and add some walnuts for nutrition; maybe you’ll indulge but then go for a nice long walk with the grandkids to balance it out. It’s about finding that middle ground that respects both your heritage of food enjoyment and your present health needs.
Carolyn Hartz, reflecting on her journey, said she doesn’t miss sugar at all now – her taste buds have changed, and she delights in fresh fruits and creative baking with almond meal and other sugar substitutes. Not everyone will go to that extreme, but her story shows that change is possible and can even be pleasant. She often shares one of her mottos: “Age is just a number. It’s your attitude and how you treat your body that counts.”
We started this discussion with a question of sorts: what is the cost of those free sugars we love so much? In truth, the cost can be very high – measured in kilograms gained, illnesses developed, years of vitality lost. But unlike many costs that hit us in older age, this is one we have a measure of control over. We can decide to budget our sugar “spending,” to save our health for things that matter more.
So, as we conclude, I invite you to reflect on your own life and health. Think about those stories – Margaret reclaiming her life from diabetes, Dr. Brukner turning his health around, Carolyn aging vibrantly, and many others. Think of your own story – past, present, and future. How do you want the next chapters of your life to read, and what role will sugar play in them? It’s an open-ended question because you hold the pen. You might even say the answer is yours to sweeten – carefully, of course.
After reading all this, what changes, if any, will you choose to make in how you enjoy the sweetness in your life?
References (APA)
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Ingall, J. (2018, April 30). Diabetes program gives hope to resident who was “waiting to die”. ABC News. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-30/diabetes-program-gives-hope/9699162
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