Is Sugar Really Bad?

What most people don’t know is that the term “sugar” is more than table sugar and various syrups.

Sugar is actually a biochemical term, derived from a more complex term, saccharide, that is a synonym for carbohydrates.

When you read sugar on a label, it generally refers to a sweet flavored food additive that is a simple carbohydrate such as sucrose (which primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet).

Other simple carbohydrates are used in industrial food preparation, but are usually known by more specific names—glucose, fructose or fruit sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

Where the the confusion starts is: when experts utter the term “sugar” they, for the most part, are talking about all carbohydrates (saccharides) - not just the foods that are particularly rich in starch (such as cereals, bread and pasta) and/or sugar (such as soft drinks, candy, jams and desserts).

Sugar Is NOT Always Bad

For dietary purposes, carbohydrates can be classified as complex or simple.

Examples of simple carbohydrates are:  table sugar, syrups, candy and sugary drinks; starches such as processed grains, flour and convenience, packaged grain products and vegetables that grow underground.

Simple carbohydrate provide 4 kilocalories of energy per gram, but because they are absorbed quickly, contribute to spikes in blood sugar, that, if not used for energy production, is removed, usually within 2 hours, from the blood stream and subsequently converted into fat - a phenomenon often referred to a "sugar crash"*.

Simple carbohydrates are not essential nutrients in humans because the body can obtain all its energy from protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.

The term complex carbohydrate denoted fruit, vegetables (that grow above ground) and whole-grains.

Complex carbohydrates also contain 4 kilocalorie of energy per gram, but because they require digestion to release their energy, provide a more regulated source of blood sugar for energy.  NOTE:  Protein contains 4 kilograms and fat at offers 9 kilocalories per gram and should be part of a balanced diet. *

Complex carbohydrates, which are absorbed more slowly, perform numerous roles in living things including:

• storage of energy
• structural components
• coenzymes to support other bodily functions
• and as a component of DNA

The Saccharides, contained in complex carbohydrates, and their derivatives include many other key roles in the:

• immune system
• fertility
• cellular protection
• cellular repair and regeneration
• blood clottingand growth and development

The Institute of Medicine recommends that American and Canadian adults get between 45–65% of dietary energy from complex carbohydrates, based on the risk attributable to the consumption of simple carbohydrates such as:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular issues
• and others

The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization jointly recommend that national dietary guidelines set a goal of 55–75% of total energy from carbohydrates, but only 10% directly from sugars (their term for simple carbohydrates).

The long and short of the issue of sugar (carbohydrates) is:
glucose is glucose. Too much, delivered too fast is not good.

Choosing diverse dietary sources of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, all of which require digestive action, will support the energy requirements of your body in more healthy way.

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*The glycemic index and glycemic load concepts have been developed to characterize food behavior during human digestion. They rank carbohydrate-rich foods based on the rapidity of their effect on blood glucose levels. Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly food glucose is absorbed, while glycemic load is a measure of the total absorbable glucose in foods.

The insulin index is a similar, more recent classification method that ranks foods based on their effects on blood insulin levels, which are caused by glucose (or starch) and some amino acids in food.

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