this is not true, sugar is sugar* -- what matters is how it is consumed, not how it is added. if sugar is consumed with a lot of fibers then it will be absorbed slower by your intenstines. the same fruit consumed as juice or whole fruit impacts how the sugar is absorbed.

[1] sugar is actually multiple sugars, and different sugars (glucose vs fructose vs sucrose) - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sucrose-glucose-fructos...

> Added sugar doesn't have as many nutrients

Most overweight people (the audience of a calorie counting app) don't need more nutrients, they need less calories. Besides, fruit is a really poor source of vitamins/minerals in general, so this is a weak ground to stand on.

> [added sugar is] absorbed by the body much more quickly.

You're using circular logic.