What do we really mean when we say something contains sugar?
Thing is, sugar is a bit of a vague umbrella term for a bunch of sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates found in our food (and some other places, like wood and straw). Like most carbs, sugars are used by our cells as energy, meaning we actually NEED some of them!
Introducing the three types of sugars we associate with the white stuff in our pantries and products, and when and why they become an issue.
Sucrose
Sucrose is probably what you’re thinking of when you think ‘sugar’. It’s a disaccharide (that is, a two-sugar compound) made up of glucose and fructose and is found in plants like fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Sucrose is also produced commercially when it’s extracted and refined from sugar cane and sugar beets, giving us the white stuff we’ve all come to know and love (that is, have a deeply problematic relationship with).
The key issue here is that by refining sugar in a commercial process and then adding it in large quantities to sooooo many products, we’re simply consuming way more sugar than nature intended us to when it wrapped it up in a nice nutrient-filled banana, berry or carrot.
Glucose
Glucose is a monosaccharide (that is, a single or simple sugar compound) that makes up 50% of sucrose or table sugar. It’s the primary source of energy for our cells, carried all around the body via the blood and delivered into cells via the messenger hormone insulin.
Again, the issue arises when we overconsume high-sugar, high-carb foods, which can lead to our blood sugar levels being chronically elevated. When our levels remain out of whack over sustained periods of time, our body can get overwhelmed and stop responding to our insulin messengers properly. This is known as insulin resistance.
It’s a bit of a viscous cycle. Insulin resistance leads to even higher blood glucose levels, which can damage cell function and promote inflammation, making the Insulin resistance worse. Eventually, it can lead to type-2 diabetes, which can be really serious if left untreated.
Fructose
Fructose is another monosaccharide and the other half of sucrose. Many health experts reckon this bad boy is the primary player in a lot of metabolic health issues and diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers.
You see, while glucose can be metabolised by every cell in the body, fructose can only be metabolised by our liver. So, when we overindulge in high-sugar, high-fat foods, the liver takes a huge hit and starts converting fructose into fat.
Fructose in high quantities is also an inflammatory substance. Inflammation, while a super important immune response, is generally bad when it becomes chronic. It damages healthy tissue and interferes with cellular communication, leading to all sorts of issues down the line.
Fructose is also one of the FODMAPs, a group of short-chain carbohydrates that some people can’t digest properly. Those of us who can’t digest fructose can be left with all sorts of fun side effects like bloating, gas and general digestive discomfort.
As If we needed more reasons to say see ya to the sweet stuff!