Sugar is a tricky topic to discuss in the health world as there are plenty of differing opinions, research, and negative stigmas surrounding the word ‘sugar.’ Some of this stigma and confusion comes from the spreading and normalization of extremely general statements using the overarching term, sugar.
Sugar is an umbrella term used to represent many compounds that are all technically classified as varying types of sugar. These various types of sugar serve different functions and purposes in your body, making them all extremely distinct. They also are not all made up of the same thing, so when one refers to the general term sugar, one could be talking about any of the types of sugar. This explains why there is so much confusion surrounding the term because, most of the time, when the word sugar is used, it isn’t specified which type of sugar is being referenced.
All of these different types of sugar can be separated into a number of categories, but the most popular category plaguing the general public is which types of sugar are good for you vs. not good for you. Yes! You heard right; some sugars are indeed good for you. But keep in mind that all good things are enjoyed in moderation. The body only needs a small amount of sugar to operate properly, and the source and amount of sugar you consume are crucial.
“Good For You” Sugars
The “better for you” types of sugars include sucrose and lactose. An assortment of these sugars must be part of everyone’s diet to maintain proper body function. A compound found in most sugars is essential for brain function and blood sugar stabilization. So, consuming some sugar is vital.
Sucrose
Sucrose is a type of sugar mostly found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Sucrose is equally split into two sugar compounds, half glucose and half fructose. Glucose is arguably the most important sugar for your body as it is needed by your brain to function. Consuming foods where sucrose occurs naturally is the best way to give your body the sugar it needs. When you consume fruits and vegetables, your body is not only getting the sucrose it needs but also digesting the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in the produce. Bananas, apples, grapes, and cherries are fabulous examples because they contain lots of natural sugar and fiber, vitamin C, and carbohydrates.
However, sucrose is also found in cane sugar and sugar beets, which are commercially farmed and processed by sugar refinery plants. This processed sugar is where table sugar comes from, as table sugar is also made of sucrose. That said, even though this processed sugar does contain sucrose, it only contains sucrose and not the fiber, vitamins, or minerals that are in produce. This is just one reason it is very important to get your sucrose sugar from products that naturally contain it.
Lactose
Lactose is considered a milk sugar, meaning it can most often be found in dairy products. It is made up of glucose and galactose. It is a diet staple around the world and contains essential minerals like calcium and vitamin D, as well as protein and essential fats. This makes lactose a sugar that is better for you because while you are consuming lactose sugar, you are also consuming so many other necessary nutrients that occur in dairy products.
Some people do have lactose intolerance, which means their digestive tract doesn’t have the enzyme to break down and digest lactose. This just means that they can consume their milk in other forms, such as almond milk or oat milk. These milk also have sugar, as almonds contain sucrose, but some of these non-dairy milk also contain essentials like protein, fats, and calcium.
Check out some delicious ways to incorporate fruit and milk sugars into your diet by searching “recipes” on alternativemedicine.com.
Sugar Consumption
The average person’s recommended sugar intake is less than 10% of their overall daily caloric intake. In this context, sugar intake cumulatively refers to any and all types of sugar. So, if someone consumes 2,000 calories a day, they shouldn’t consume more than 200 calories of sugar within that day. 200 calories of sugar equates to about 12 teaspoons, or 48 grams. A 12oz can of soda alone contains about 39 grams of sugar, over 80% of the average person’s daily sugar allowance. The average American consumes about 71 grams of sugar a day, which is almost double the recommended limit. However, keep in mind that everyone’s sugar intake is different, and the amount of sugar one consumes is based on several factors, so please discuss these with your doctor if you are curious.
This constant overconsumption of sugar is another cause of the generalized statements normalizing the phrase, all sugar is bad for you. But when consuming the right kinds of sugar and the right amounts, sugar isn’t classified as bad for you.
“Not-So-Good for You” Sugars
This overindulgence of sugar is due to a number of reasons. Sugar is delicious, and when eaten the brain releases dopamine, the happy chemical. Sugar tastes good and usually makes people happy. It also can operate as a preservative to enhance food flavor and color. This is why it is an added ingredient in many processed foods. One of the most common added sugars is high fructose corn syrup.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a processed sugar made of glucose and fructose. It is derived from corn starch and corn syrup. Pure corn syrup is made of 100% glucose. However, HFCS is made of fructose and glucose. This explains why it’s called high fructose corn syrup, which is because the original corn syrup contains no fructose. That said, because HFCS is made in a factory, makers can alter the specific amounts of glucose and fructose. Depending on the food HFCS is used in, it either contains 44% or 55% fructose instead of the 50% fructose and 50% glucose found in natural sucrose. What’s more, in sucrose, the glucose and fructose bond together to make sucrose, and the body must break the bond to fully process the sugar. HFCS, however, doesn’t have the same luxury. The fructose and glucose in HFCS are not bonded together, so the body doesn’t have to work to split the compounds apart first. This means your body processes HFCS faster than sucrose, causing your blood sugar to spike faster.
To put in perspective just how many sugar compounds there are in HFCS, an apple contains about 11g of fructose, and a 12oz can of soda contains 22g of fructose. A 12oz can of soda is double the amount of fructose sugar, and by drinking it, you get none of the apple’s extra nutrients. High Fructose Corn Syrup has no extra vitamins or minerals to benefit from, unlike sugars like sucrose or lactose. This specific kind of sugar is sometimes referred to as “empty calories” because they add no nutritional value to your body.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is now added to so many foods that previously did not contain sugar, or it’s added to foods that already contain sugar. Because of this, people end up consuming much more sugar than their bodies can handle. Cumulative surveys done by the University of North Carolina reveal that about 68% of the food people consume on a daily basis contains added sugars or alternative sweeteners.
Due to all of this added sugar that people either consciously or unconsciously consume, their body reaches its daily sugar quota and has no choice but to store the rest of the sugar consumed as fat. This abundance of sugar in the body can lead to an increase in hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, tooth decay, and much more. This is one of the many reasons limiting the sugars you consume and eating the correct sugars is essential for your health.
Artificial Sugars and Sweeteners
The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved several different forms of artificial and alternative sweeteners that now appear in certain foods and drinks. These include Aspartame (Equal), Saccharin (Sweet N’ Low), Acesulfame Potassium (Ace K), Neotame (Newtame), Sucralose (Splenda), Xylitol, and Stevia. The FDA has deemed all five of these alternative sweeteners safe for the general public and diabetics to consume. There are many health concerns and negative stigmas about these alternative sweeteners, but there has been no extreme, concrete evidence that any of these notions are true. Some of these sweeteners have been around for more than 100 years but have only been approved by the FDA as all-purpose alternative sweeteners in approximately the last 50 years. In the FDA, 50 years isn’t an extremely long time, and due to this shorter timeline, scientists don’t have extensive knowledge of the long-term effects of these alternative sweeteners on the body.
Equal (Aspartame)
Aspartame or Equal, as it’s more commonly known, is one of the most tested food additives in existence. It can be found in diet sodas, gelatin, certain desserts, and sugar-free gum and juice. Aspartame is approximately 180 times sweeter than sucrose but contains no calories. Its purpose is to make foods taste sweeter and make flavors richer without providing the extra calories of sucrose sugar. Technically, aspartame is safe for diabetics to consume because it has no caloric value and, therefore, doesn’t increase someone’s blood sugar level.
Even though aspartame appears in a fair number of products, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you or that there is extensive public knowledge about it. Aspartame has a questionable history and has had many negative health claims associated with it. Some of the most notable are heart conditions, stroke, dementia, and diabetes. In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared aspartame possibly carcinogenic, as there has been research and rumors that aspartame causes cancer. Based on the current publicly released research, the amount of aspartame in food isn’t enough to cause cancer and is safe for human consumption within a certain dosage.
This dosage depends on the consumer’s body weight, but overall, someone’s daily aspartame intake should be limited to 0-40mg per kg. However, this is only the case if the person drinking the diet soda doesn’t consume aspartame from any other sources. This aspartame limit is also meant for the general population. This does not apply to those with existing conditions, such as seizure disorders or other neurological conditions, and aspartame should not be consumed at all by those with phenylketonuria.
Sweet N’ Low (Saccharin)
Saccharin is another of the oldest alternative sweeteners and is around 300-400 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). This means you only need a little bit to get that sweet taste, but saccharin has a strong, bitter aftertaste, so it is often mixed with other alternative sweeteners such as aspartame. It is used in many processed foods, such as low-calorie candies, jellies, and desserts.
Saccharin itself cannot be processed by the human body, so when it is consumed, it exits the body through urination within 48 hours of consumption. So far, the FDA has approved specified amounts of saccharin safe for human consumption. However, as with most alternative sweeteners, there is suspicion that overconsumption of the chemical compound can lead to cancer. However, at this time, there is no strong, correlating evidence that saccharin directly causes cancer.
Splenda (Sucralose)
Splenda is another alternative, a non-caloric sweetener made of sucralose. Sucralose was discovered in 1976, which is considered fairly new in the alternative sweetener world. It is about 450-650 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), and although sucrose and sucralose sound similar, they are extremely different. Sucralose is made from sucrose (table sugar), but has been altered, so the body doesn’t recognize it as a type of sugar and therefore doesn’t process it. Sucralose is non-caloric and not metabolized by the body, so it doesn’t affect blood glucose levels.
Sucralose is classified as an organochloride and particular organochlorides are considered toxic, so there has been extensive testing and research on the effects of sucralose. However, the FDA has found no indications that sucralose is carcinogenic, or toxic, and has deemed it safe for human consumption when taken at the appropriate dose.
Do Alternative Sweeteners Cause Weight Loss?
If consumed regularly, alternative sweeteners can increase someone’s sugar cravings because they are used to products that can be over 300 times sweeter than normal sucrose sugar. This can lead people to reach for lots of foods with added calorie sugars, like high fructose corn syrup. This extra, unneeded sugar leads the body to store more fat and so sugar consumers put on extra weight. This is part of the stigma stating that sugar will cause you to gain weight. Sugar, in general, will not cause you to gain weight, but consuming too much of the wrong sugars will.
It is said that when someone first makes the switch to artificial, no-calorie sweeteners, they will lose weight because they are not consuming the extra calories they obtain from sugars like sucrose. That said, when they build up an expectation and tolerance to the extra sweetness that comes with aspartame, they will most likely switch to consuming foods with added sugars that contain sugars with calories, causing them to put the weight back on. So, there might be weight loss, but it is not a permanent or long-term weight loss solution.
If you or a family member are on a weight-loss journey and are trying to cut your sugar consumption, natural fruit sugar is definitely the best way to go. You still get that delicious sugar sweetness but only a small amount of ‘goof-for-you” sugar, as well as all of the nutrients of whichever fruit or vegetable you choose.
Nature’s Candy
All of this sugar talk boils down to context. Having an understanding of what food is bad for your body and your health and what food you should be consuming instead. Lots of the stigmas about sugar come from the spread of misinformation, so having a better grasp of what is going on in your body can make a large difference in your health and what foods you and your family choose to consume. Keep this sugar information in mind next time you head to the grocery store. Instead of reaching for that candy bar, or cupcake, consider trying some of nature’s candy instead.
References:
What Are the Different Types of Sugar? Added and Natural Sugars (webmd.com)
Sucrose vs Glucose vs Fructose: What’s the Difference? (healthline.com)
Sucrose vs. Fructose: What’s the Difference? (webmd.com)
Methanol: Systemic Agent | NIOSH | CDC
Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released (who.int)
Critical review of the current literature on the safety of sucralose – ScienceDirect
Artificial Sweeteners: History and New Concepts on Inflammation – PMC (nih.gov)
2.9: Disaccharides and Glycosidic Bonds – Chemistry LibreTexts
Sugar as a preservative – Sugar Nutrition Resource Centre
You’d Be Surprised at How Many Foods Contain Added Sugar – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
The Origins of the Obesity Epidemic in the USA–Lessons for Today – PMC (nih.gov)
Artificial sweeteners – a review – PMC (nih.gov)
WHO to declare artificial sweetener aspartame a possible cancer risk, sources say | CBC News
Are certain types of sugars healthier than others? – Harvard Health
The 8 Best and Worst Sugar Substitutes For Your Health (simplemost.com)
The 8 Best and Worst Sugar Substitutes For Your Health (simplemost.com)
High-Sugar Fruits (clevelandclinic.org)
WHO to declare artificial sweetener aspartame a possible cancer risk, sources say | CBC News
Are certain types of sugars healthier than others? – Harvard Health
Sugar in milk: Sources, amounts, and how to avoid it (medicalnewstoday.com)
What is table sugar? – Sugar Nutrition Resource Centre
Zero weight loss from zero calorie drinks? Say it ain’t so – Harvard Health
High Fructose Corn Syrup Questions and Answers | FDA
Here’s How Much Sugar You Should Have in a Day (clevelandclinic.org)
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