However, this doesn’t mean that natural sugars from fruit and refined sugar from processed foods are interchangeable. The effects on your body and overall health is vastly different when it comes to natural versus refined sugar.

While confusing information may lead you to believe that fruit sugar and refined sugar influence your body the same way, nothing could be further from the truth.

You may be taking a closer look at the sugar in your diet due to encouragement from health experts. You may have also heard confusing messages, such as some fruits have as much sugar as a candy bar. With so much conflicting information, it’s no wonder you’re looking for clarity on the matter.

Fruit contains a mixture of sugars in the form of fructose, sucrose and glucose. Refined sugars come in many, many forms found in processed foods.

In the past, sucrose -- or table sugar -- reigned as the most common type of refined sugar. Today, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) takes that crown. Because table sugar is made of sucrose, and HFCS is made of fructose and glucose -- all three sugars found in fruit -- many people find themselves confused about the differences.

Refined Sugar

While all forms of simple sugars are broken down by your body into glucose, refined sugar is supplied in a way that causes negative health consequences when eaten to excess. Refined sugar is added to all sorts of processed foods to make them taste better. Even foods you may not consider sweet, like pasta sauces and ketchup, often contain significant amounts of refined sugar.

Natural Sugar from Fruit

The sugar you get from fruit breaks down into glucose, but fruit contains a host of beneficial nutrients.

Fruit is also rich in minerals, vitamins and other compounds that contribute to health. The fiber in fruit helps slow the rate at which your body absorbs sugar. These reasons are why a diet rich in fruits and vegetables contributes to health and lowers your risk for disease.

New "Added Sugar" Food Labeling Underway

Regularly eating too much added sugar contributes not only to weight gain, but to a host of negative health effects. Diets high in added sugar are linked to high cholesterol, elevated triglycerides and even high blood pressure. Of course, the weight gain caused by added sugars increases your risk for those same conditions, making it a double whammy.

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration revised the labeling guidelines to help Americans reign in their added sugar intake. The new labels will indicate the added sugar content of food, with the goal of making it easier for you to make healthier food choices. Most manufacturers are expected to implement the new labels by Jan. 1, 2020.