Total Sugars vs. Added Sugars: What's the Difference?
2 min read · Educational overview
Key takeaways
Total Sugars includes both natural and added sugar; Added Sugars counts only what's added.
Only Added Sugars has a % Daily Value, because that's the sugar to limit.
Plain milk and fruit show total sugars but little or no added sugars.
On the Nutrition Facts label, sugar shows up on two lines: Total Sugars and, indented beneath it, Includes Xg Added Sugars. Understanding the difference is the key to judging any sweet product.
Total Sugars
Total Sugars is every gram of sugar in a serving, no matter where it came from. That includes natural sugars — the fructose in an apple, the lactose in milk — and any sugar added during processing. Because natural sugars aren't something to limit, Total Sugars has no % Daily Value.
Added Sugars
Added Sugars is the subset that was put in: cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, and more. This line does have a % Daily Value, based on a 50-gram daily limit, because added sugar is what health authorities say to cut back on.
Reading the two together
Compare the lines to understand a product instantly:
Plain milk: ~12g total sugars, 0g added — all natural lactose.
Whole apple: sugar present, but 0g added — plus fiber.
Soda: total sugars ≈ added sugars — nearly all of it is added.
Flavored yogurt: some natural (from milk) plus a chunk added.
When the two numbers are close, most of the sugar was added. When Added Sugars is much lower than Total Sugars, the food's sweetness is mostly natural.
This is why the added vs. natural sugars distinction is so useful for drinks: it separates a smoothie's fruit sugar from the syrup pumped into a flavored latte.
Frequently asked questions
Is natural sugar bad for you?
Natural sugars in whole foods like fruit and milk come with fiber, water, protein, and nutrients that slow absorption, so they're treated very differently from added sugars. The guidance to limit sugar is specifically about added sugars.
Why doesn't total sugars have a % Daily Value?
Because total sugars includes natural sugars that don't need limiting. Only added sugars carries a %DV, set against a 50-gram daily reference.
See it on a real label
Build a Nutrition Facts label for any drink and watch the sugar, added sugars, and caffeine update as you customize it.
This article is general educational information, not medical, nutritional, or legal advice. For guidance about your own diet or health conditions such as diabetes, talk to a qualified healthcare professional. Nutrition values cited are typical figures and vary by product and preparation.