Sugar
Theunsweetenedtruth…
www.nichenutrition.co.uk
Introduction
Withallthemediahypeaboutthehazardsofconsumingtoomuch,itcanbeconfusingtoknow
whichsugarsreallyarebadforourhealthandwhichcanbeincludedaspartofahealthydiet.
Withtherecentannouncementofthe“sugartax”beingimplementedbytheUKGovernmenton
allsugareddrinkswithinthenexttwoyears,manypeoplearesearchingforahealthier
alternative.Sowhyissugarconsideredsobadforusandwhatareouroptions?
Issugarreallythatbadforus?
Thebrainandbodyneedsugartofunction–itisthebasicelementofenergyusedbyourcells.
Whenweeatsugarthebodyworksasquicklyaspossibletohelpbringthelevelofsugarinour
bloodstreambackwithinanormalrangebysecretingthehormoneinsulinfromthepancreas.
Insulintransportsglucosefromthebloodstreamtothemuscles,whereitisusedforenergy.
Whenthisextraenergyisn’tused(forexamplethroughexercise),itistransportedtotheliver–
whereitisstoredasafuturesourceofenergyintheformoffat.
Excesssugarinthedietislinkedtoanumberofhealthrisks,includingheartdisease,cancerand
insulinresistance.Ithasalsobeenlinkedtoincreasedcholesterolandinsulinresistance–the
precursortotype2diabetes.
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Explainingdifferenttypesofsugar:
Sugarfallsintothefoodgroupknownascarbohydrates.Carbohydratesareclassifiedeitheras
simpleandcomplexcarbohydrates.
Complexcarbohydratesaremadeupofmanysimplesugarsjoinedtogetherbychemicalbonds.
Themoresimplesugarsjoinedtogether,themorecomplexacarbohydrateisandthelongerit
takestobebrokendownbythebodyandthelessimpactithasonbloodsugarlevels.
Simplecarbohydratesareeithermonosaccharides(onesugarmolecule)ordisaccharides(two
sugarmolecules).Thetwomainmonosaccharidesareglucoseandfructose.Thetwomain
disaccharidesaresucrose(composedofglucoseandfructose)andlactose(whichismadeupof
galactoseandglucose).
Glucose
Glucoseisthemainsourceofenergyforthecellsinourbody.Whenweeatanycarbohydrates,
thebodybreaksthemdownintounitsofsimplesugar,knownasglucose.Whenwetalkabout
bloodsugarwearereferringtotheamountofglucoseintheblood.
TheGlycemicIndex(GI):
Theglycemicindexisarankingofhowquicklyaspecificfoodwillraiseyourbloodsugarlevels.
GlucoseisthedefiningstandardandhasaGIvalueof100.FoodswithalowGI(55orless)are
moreslowlydigestedandcausealowerandslowerriseinbloodglucose.Weshouldalleatmore
LowGIfoodstohelpsustainmoreevenbloodglucoselevels.
Fructose
Fructoseisasimplesugarfoundnaturallyinfruit,honey,sucroseandhighfructosecornsyrup.
Fructoseismetabolizeddifferentlytoglucoseasitismetabolisedbytheliver.Asaresult,blood
sugarlevelsdonotriseasquicklyaftereatingfructose,comparedtoothersimplesugars.
However,whentoomuchfructoseiseatenthelivercannotprocessitfastenoughandinstead,
startstostorethisexcesssugarasfat.
AnarticlepublishedbytheAmericanJournalofClinicalNutritionexplainshowhighfructose
intakecancontributetocardiovasculardisease,weightgainandincreasedriskofmetabolic
syndrome.
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Lactose
Lactoseisasugarfoundindairyproducts.Itisadisaccharideconsistingofglucoseandgalactose.
Inorderforustodigestlactoseweneedanenzymecalledlactase.Thosewhoarelactose
intolerantdon’tproduceenoughofthisenzymeandarethereforeunabletobreakitdowninto
thebasicsugars.Lactoseintolerancecanleadtodiarrhea,bloatingorcramps.
Lactosehelpstoincreasetheabsorptionofmineralssuchasmagnesium,calciumandzincandhas
alowGIvalueof41.
Sucrose
Sucroseisthewhite,crystalisedsugarweallknowastablesugar.Itisadisaccharide,consistingof
50%glucoseand50%fructose.Sucroseisquicklybrokendownintothesetwosimplesugarsand
raisesthebloodsugarlevels.
Sugarisextractedfromeithersugarcaneorsugarbeetandisthenpurifiedandcrystalised.
Itisconsideredan“Emptycaloriefood”asithasnonutrientvalueandhasaGIvalueof65.
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.
SoshouldIavoidallsugar?
Weallknowthatwe'resupposedtoeatatleast5portionsof
freshfruitandvegaday,andaccordingtoarecent
publicationfromUniversityCollegeLondon,7ratherthan5
portionsadayareneededtoavoidalltypesofcancer,heart
diseaseanddiabetes.
Butdespitethebenefitsofeatingmoreplantproduce;fruit
intakeisparticularlycontroversialwhenheadlineskeep
remindingusthatfruitcanbeveryhighinsugar.
AccordingtotheAmericanHeartAssociationandtheWHOweshouldbeeatingnomorethan
26gofaddedsugaraday(women)and31gaday(men).Withoutconsideringanyofthe
additionalsugarinourdiet,fruitinitselfcouldbecontributingtoalargeproportionofyourdaily
sugarintake.
However,overallfruitisn'ttheenemyifeatenaspartofourdailysugarallowance-providing
uswithfiber,vitamins,minerals,antioxidantsandwater.
IfanappleadaydoeskeeptheDratbay,considerlowersugaralternativessuchascherries,
raspberriesandcranberries.
Sweetbutnotsoinnocent….
Alternativestosugaryouneedtowatchoutfor
Honey
Honeyisthemostnaturalofthesweetenersandrequiringnoprocessingoradditives.Richin
antioxidantsandwithantibacterialproperties,it’sbeenlinkedtocuresforhayfever,theflu,
infectionsandsorethroats.
Buthowdoesitcompareasasweetener?
Theaveragecompositionofhoneyisabout80%carbohydrates,18%waterand2%aminoacids,
vitamins,andminerals.TheCarbohydratesaremadeupofa50:50splitofglucoseandfructose,
althoughthisratiocanvarygreatly,dependingonthenectar.
Theglycemicvalueofhoneycanrangefrom31-70,dependingonthevariety.
Soshouldyoueathoney?
Ifyou'rehealthy,activeanddon'tneedtoloseweight,honeycanbeabetteroptionforyou
thaneitheragaveorsugar(sucrose).Diabetics,thosewhoareoverweightorthosewho
strugglewitheatingtoomuchfructoseshouldlimittheirintake.
AgaveSyrup
Agave syrup is made from the Agave plant, the same plant
used to make tequila. It has the consistency and colour of
honeyandcanbeusedinbakingwithoutlosingitssweetness.
Unfortunately Agave syrup (or nectar) is highly processed.
Manufacturersusegeneticallymodifiedenzymestochemically
transform the starchy root into a high fructose liquid. When
comparedtoHighFructoseCornSyrup,(HFCS)Agavetakesthe
crown (containing almost 80% fructose compared to 55%
foundinHFCS).
Sowhat'stheproblemwithtoomuchfructose?
An article published by theAmerican Journal of Clinical
Nutritionexplains how high fructose intake can contribute to
cardiovascular disease, weight gain and an increased risk of
metabolic syndrome. Otherstudieshave also linked it to
insulinresistanceandhypertension.
“Ahighintakeof
Fructosecan
contributeto
weightgain,
cardiovascular
diseaseandhigh
bloodpressure…”
Whataresomeofthealternativestosugar?
Whetheryou’retryingtosimplycutthecaloriesorhelptobettercontrolyourblood
sugarlevels,thebelowsugaralternativesmaybeworthatry.Rememberthatusingany
ofthesesubstitutesinplaceofsugarinabakedrecipemayproducedifferentresults.
Xylitol
Xylitolisanaturallyoccurringalcoholfoundinmost
plants.
Ithas40%fewercaloriesand75%lesscarbohydrate
thansugarandhasaverylowglycemicIndexof7.
Xylitolisusedinmanysugarfreeproductsandbaking
recipesasittendstobeheatstable.
Althoughthegeneralconsensusisthatxylitolisgood
fordentalhealth,itdoeshavemildlaxativeeffects
Stevia
Steviacomesfromthesteviaplant(Steviarebaudiana
Bertoni),whichgrowsnaturallyinParaguayandBraziland
issoldineitherliquidorpowderform.
Steviaglycosidessweetenersare250-300timessweeter
thansucrose,havenocaloriesandhavenoeffectonthe
glycemicindex.
Dowatchoutforproductsthatcontainsteviaasmoststill
containsomesugarbecauseoftheflavor.Steviaisslightly
bitterandextremelysweet.
Mostpeopledowellwithstevia,butlistentoyourbody
becausesteviaisanherbandeveryonemayreact
differentlytoit.
Coconutnectar
Producedfromthesapofcoconuttreeblossoms,
coconutnectarhastheconsistencyofhoney.
Itisanabundantsourceofminerals,BandC
vitaminsandAminoacidsandhasaneutralpH.
Coconutnectarhasalowglycemicindex(35)
whichismuchlowerthantablesugar.Itcanbe
substitutedforanyliquidsweetener(egHoneyor
agavesyrup)ata1:1ration.
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Conclusion
ArecentreportpublishedbytheBBCfoundthattheaverageadultinBritaineatsroughly1kg
(2,2lbs)ofsugareveryfortnight!That’saLOTofsugar!
Eatingaddedsugarisundoubtedlybadforourhealth.Fromreportsaboutitbeingasaddictive
asheroin,tohighbloodsugarlevelsbeinglinkedtomemorylossanddementia–thebitter
truthisthatalotofusareatseriousriskofdamagingourhealth.
WiththeUKgovernmentimplementinga“Sugartax”toallsoftdrinkswithinthenext2years,
officialsarestartingtorealizejusthowseriousacaseitis.
Andalthoughitisapositivestart,manycarbonateddrinks(includingsugarfreeones)containa
lotofcaffeineandotherstimulantsubstancessuchasguaranaorginseng,thatalsohavean
effectonthewaistline.Thesechemicalsstimulatetheadrenalglandstoreleasecortisol,the
“fightorflight”hormone.Cortisolprovidesthemuscleswithglucose,speedsuptheheartrate
andslowsdigestion.Ifwe’renotusingthisaddedrushofenergytoeither“runorfight”,the
excessglucoseisstoredasfat.
Weightgainisn'tonlyaboutdrinkingsugarybeverages,butencompassesawholerangeofbad
foodandlifestylechoices.
Taxing food, such as the Danish tax on Saturated fats and the Hungarian taxes on packaged
foods high in salt, fat or sugar have shown to disproportionately affect the poor - because
healthierfoodoptionsarenormallymoreexpensive.
IftheGovernmentisseriousabouthelpingpeopletolooseweight,thenbetter(morehonest)
education,easieraccesstohealthyfoodsandbetterlabelinglawsareneeded.
References
BBCnews,Howthesugartaxworks;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35824071
Bray,G;(2007);HowbadisFructose?;AmericanJournalofClinicalNutrition;
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/4/895.full
EDInformatics,(2011);Sucrose,Accessvialinkbelow:
http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/science_of_cooking/sucrose.htm
Flavin,D;(2008);MetabolicDangersofHighFructoseCornSyruphttp://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/dec2008_Metabolic-Dangers-of-High-Fructose-CornSyrup_01.htm
Geertsen,L;(2013);WhyIquitStevia-EmpoweredSustenance–
http://empoweredsustenance.com/is-stevia-bad-for-you/
JLewin,2015;Sucroseexplained,Accessedvialinkbelow:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/sugar-explained
Triggle,N,2015;Sugar:canwetrusttheindustry?PublishedbytheBBC,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33675441
TheFruitSugars,2015:http://www.thefruitpages.com/contents.shtml
USDASugarGuidelines:http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/foodnutrition/facts/usda-sugar-guidelines-ga.htm
McCooey,A;2011;SugarSubstitutes;,Availableat:http://www.sugar-and-sweetenerguide.com/sugar-substitutes.html
Schneider,S;RegisterednutritionistatNicheNutrition.co.uk
www.nichenutrition.co.uk
Formoreinformationvisit
www.nichenutrition.co.uk
oremail:[email protected]
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