Why added sugar is one of the most consistent inflammatory triggers — and where it hides.
Of all the dietary signals THE FAD tracks, added sugar has some of the most consistent research behind it — and it's often the single biggest lever people can pull.
Frequent spikes in blood glucose — from sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, or large amounts of added sugar — trigger insulin responses that, over time and in excess, are associated with increased inflammatory signalling. It's less about any single sweet treat and more about the cumulative daily and weekly pattern.
Added sugar hides in sauces, bread, flavoured yogurts and many "healthy" snack bars — often in amounts that surprise people once they actually look at a label. This is part of why photo-based food logging is useful: it's easier to notice patterns you'd otherwise scroll past.
Pairing carbohydrates with protein, fibre or fat slows the blood sugar spike. Whole fruit — despite containing natural sugar — behaves very differently from fruit juice or added sugar, largely thanks to its fibre content. THE FAD's Food signal reflects this distinction rather than treating "sugar" as one flat number.
This isn't a call to eliminate sugar entirely — it's about visibility. Most people underestimate how much added sugar they eat in a normal week until they start tracking it.
THE FAD