Sugar cookies, which are high in carbohydrates and sugar, provide little nutritional value. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the consumption of added sugars and sweet treats -- like sugar cookies -- contributes to the growing national obesity epidemic, the rise in type 2 diabetes and the increase in cardiovascular diseases.
Variations
Sugar cookie types contain varying degrees of sugar and carbohydrates -- the primary ingredients in all varieties. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a single commercially prepared sugar cookie with added vanilla contains about 68 g of carbohydrates and more than 37 g of sugar, of which 35 g comes from added sugar. A homemade sugar cookie that includes margarine in the recipe may have as much as 60 g of carbohydrates and almost 25 g of added sugars.
Ingredients
Sugar and flour are the main ingredients used to make sugar cookies. Sugar cookies contain between 68 and 74 calories per cookie, of which nearly half comes from fat. A sugar cookie averages about 3 inches in diameter and contains less than 1 g of protein.
Fats
Depending on how they are made, sugar cookies contain significant amounts of saturated fats and trans fats that cause the batter to solidify prior to cooking. Most of the fat used to make the cookies comes from unhealthy saturated fat. Each cookie contains slight amounts of iron and calcium as well as moderate amounts of dietary fiber, potassium and sodium.
Effects
According to Women's Health.gov, food is broken down in the system into glucose, or blood sugar, that is stored for energy. Insulin provides the stimulus to move the glucose through the body as it's needed. When you develop diabetes, glucose builds up and is not efficiently used by the body. The result is a host of disorders ranging from poor circulation to blindness and kidney failure.
Warning
High-fructose corn syrup is a common ingredient in commercially made baked goods, including sugar cookies, according to MayoClinic.com. The ingredient, also called corn sugar, is very similar to table sugar in taste. The processing may increase the health risks you take from eating large amounts of sugary sweets by increasing your risk for dental problems, obesity, increased triglyceride counts and risk for heart attack. Men should not consume more than 150 calories a day from corn syrup and other added sugars, while women should limit their sugar intake to no more than 100 calories, or an average of one-and-a-half cookies a day, if you eat no other sugary substances.
Tips
Make your own cookies with alternatives that could save you calories. According to Mayo Clinic.com, by using artificial sweeteners, you'll add no additional calories to your baked goods and may even end up with even sweeter-tasting cookies. Artificial sweeteners tend to be many times sweeter than sugar, so you also can use less of the ingredient.
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