We keep reading that sugars are bad for you. Artificial sugars have a reputation for being especially deleterious, but is there such a thing as the best of these awfuls? Some facts.
- The three main nutrients you consume are proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- Carbohydrates are essential for providing energy, maintaining blood sugar levels and supporting muscle and brain function. They are also a source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
- There are three types of carbohydrates: sugars, starches and fiber.
- Your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, or blood sugar. Glucose can be stored in your liver and muscles for later use.
- There are two types of sugars.
- Monosaccharides like glucose (primary source of energy in the body, and also found in fruits, vegetables and honey), fructose (fruit sugar, found in fruits, honey and corn syrup) and galactose (dairy products).
- Disaccharides.
- Sucrose, known as table sugar, is a combination of glucose and fructose. My first job was working in sugar cane factory, where the primary product was raw sugar, sucrose.
- Lactose, found in milk, is a combination of glucose and galactose.
- Maltose, from two glucose molecules, found in barley and other grains.
- Sucrose, glucose and fructose contain the same amount of energy/gram (4 calories/gram).
- Starches are complex carbohydrates, or lots of simple sugars strung together in a molecule.
- These need to be broken down into the various sugars for use as energy.
- Found in bread, cereal, potato, peas and corn.
- Fiber is also a complex carb.
- Your body cannot break down most fibers, thus they help to make you feel full.
- Can also prevent stomach and intestinal problems, such as constipation.
- Helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar in the blood.
- Found in plants like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and grains.
- Note that meat, fish, poultry, some types of cheese and oils don't have much carbohydrates.
- Is a low carb diet safe? Generally safe, but check with your doctor first.
- Harvard says there is no good sugar.
- To begin, a high intake of sugar is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and even long-term mental health.
- Sugary beverages are the greatest source of added sugar, followed by ready to eat cereals. Even fruit juices are today not considered to be healthy.
- Forget the misconception that high fructose corn syrup is unhealthy, while fructose from agave nectar is okay.
- They are both bad.
- By the way, corn syrup is 55% fructose, while agave syrup is 90% fructose. And fructose is an especially bad sugar.
- Tequila is brewed from blue agave, which is high in fructose. Is this alcohol then especially dangerous to drink? Most articles seem to say that tequila is healthier than other alcohols, for dubious reasons. However, that is mostly public relations. On the other hand, I don't see any article that especially denigrates tequila because of fructose roots.
- What sugar does is that it lights up your nervous system, releasing dopamine, which is a feel-good chemical. This same process occurs when people smoke or take their drug of choice. SUGAR IS ADDICTIVE! Artificial sweeteners also are addictive.
- You break down sucrose and get equal parts of glucose and fructose. Is fructose worse than glucose? Yes.
- The liver metabolizes them differently.
- The hormone insulin controls glucose levels in your blood. Your pancreas produces insulin. If you lose your pancreas, then you will regularly need to take insulin shots.
- When you consume fructose, the liver will convert it into glucose. However, other products are also formed, like triglyceride, uric acid and free radicals.
- For a high-fat diet, fructose is especially bad.
- Very large amounts of added fructose may cause health problems. Fructose plays a role in obesity and fatty liver disease.
- One complicating factor is that there is a range of health benefits associated with eating fruit, that these serve to neutralize the negativity of fructose. The term fruit is derived from fructose.
- Of course, too much sugar can affect your dental health.
- Turns out that sucrose, in particular, contributes to plaque formation, but all sugars are cariogenic (cavity-causing).
- Dental caries is the most common human disease, affecting up to 90% of the world population.
- However, water fluoridation has decreased the prevalance of dental caries. Enamel is strengthened and plaque bacteria are inhibited.
- This has become a controversial topic, and Health Secretary RFK Jr wants to end fluoridation in the U.S.
- While dentists are for fluoridation, there have been studies conducted in some countries that 1.5 milligrams/liter of fluoride--which is twice the recommended level in the U.S.--was associated with lower IQs in kids.
- A topic for the future.
- Now the question about artificial sweeteners.
- For one, artificial sweeteners have fewer calories, so that's good. 3 calories/teaspoon compared to sugar with 16.
- Some sweeteners are up to 700 times sweeter than sugar.
- Thus, artificial sweeteners are used by diabetics, for they don't affect your blood sugar level.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers artificial sweeteners safe for human consumption.
- But there are health concerns.
- This is so serious that natural sugars, as bad as they might be, are recommended over artificial varieties.
- Research has shown that artificial sugars cause:
- Obesity.
- Hypertension.
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Heart disease.
- Early menstruation.
- Mood disorders.
- Mental stress.
- Depression.
- Autism (when consumed during pregnancy).
- To all the above, YIKES!
- The most common ones are:
- Saccharine (Sweet n'Low).
- Aspartame (Equal).
- Sucralose (Splenda).
- Is a relative newcomer, created in 1992.
- Derived from sugar, although 600 times sweeter.
- However, as Splenda passes through your digestive system, chlorine is formed, which is not good for your body.
- There are also sugar alcohols used to sweeten foods, like xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol and maltitol. But they too come with health challenges. For example, colonic bacteria releases gases leading to bloating and diarrhea. Erythritol is linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
- The use of artificial sweeteners remains controversial. Think of this additive this way: smoking cigarettes is legal for adults, but that doesn't mean smoking is good for you. Similarly, artificial sweeteners are allowed, but that doesn't make them a healthy choice.
The bottom line is that any kind of sugar is not good for you. Plus, they are found in many kinds of foods like salad dressings, pasta sauce, cheese and crackers. Also, swapping out sugar for an artificial sweetener isn't going to give you any health benefits, and can be dangerous to your long-term health.
So is there a good sugar? Not really, but, given a choice, natural sugar over artificial ones, and glucose over fructose. Remember that table sugar has equal amounts of both. Of course, I'm not a medical doctor, so don't take these notions too seriously. Watch Dr. Blake, The Cooking Doc, on a video of the healthiest type of sugar. He also doesn't say much.
A good way to end this posting is with a baby elephant and Annie's Song, with John Denver.
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