Whether it be through cookies or cantaloupe, sugar can come in many forms. From fruits to milk, there’s a sugar in seemingly everything. As dietary advice has altered throughout the decades, so has the evil thing everyone should avoid. First fat and now carbs, there are many conflicting views making it harder for the truth to come out. This month, we’ll try explaining what sugar is, how our body reacts to it, and if there really is a difference between “bad” and “good” sugars.

What Is Sugar?

Sugar as we describe it is a blanket term for a subgroup of naturally occurring di- and monosaccharides, or “simple” carbohydrates. Within this subgroup, we have three monosaccharides and three disaccharides. Here they are laid out:

How Do We Digest Them?

Both Glucose and Galactose are digested through the gastrointestinal tract while Fructose is transported to the liver to be metabolized there. Because fructose is transported to the liver as opposed to going through the GI tract, it does not spike insulin nor inhibit hunger the same as the other monosaccharides. Additionally, if it’s overconsumed, blood triglycerides (fat) levels are raised.

Sucrose, lactose, and maltose all require enzymes known as sucrase, lactase, and maltase, to be broken down into the simple sugars that combine to create them. In humans, sucrase and lactase are found in the small intestine with maltase being found in plants, bacteria, and (most notably) yeast.

What’s So Bad About It?

Great question! And, perhaps unbelievably, it has a simple answer with two parts: So long as sugars as a whole aren’t overconsumed and added sugars, be it in the form of sucrose or otherwise, are limited to less than 10% of the total amount of calories consumed in a day, there isn’t anything bad about it! But wait, there’s a part two to the answer: Context is crucial. Sugar alone is nothing to be concerned about consuming if you’re an average, healthy adult. If you have your sugar in the form of a daily donut, cake, or cookie however, well then that’s where you may need to pump the brakes and rethink your dietary choices for the betterment of your health.

We should always strive to eat a nutritionally-dense diet that is low in energy-dense foods, and consuming sugar through foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients makes achieving that goal very difficult. The more we consume sugars from unnatural sources like sweetened beverages and prepackaged meals, the further we’ll have to work to maintain a healthy diet with healthy dietary choices and habits.

Having trouble meeting the recommended intake for sugars in your diet? Have any questions that didn’t get answered in this month’s article? Don’t hesitate to schedule a Nutrition Coaching consultation with me.

-Kyler
Cert. Nutrition Coach and Personal Trainer @ BHC

Sources: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 on Added Sugars(pg.54)

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