The most abundant type of sugar is glucose. High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) means that the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood is above your target range. The body breaks down sugar into the sugar you find in your blood (glucose). How your body uses glucose is the primary energy source needed for our bodies to work, and it is the only reliable source of energy for the brain. In most people, the body responds when glucose level is low by increasing the amount of certain hormones which break down glycogen to make more glucose.
Sucrose is a disaccharide--that is, it's composed of two simple sugar units, in this case, glucose and fructose. Sucrose is the sugar that is commonly sold in our supermarkets, as it is easily extracted from sugar cane or sugar beet. Sucrose, the sugar refined from sugar cane and sugar beets, has no greater adverse effect on body function than any of the other sugars. Other forms of sucrose are beet sugar, maple sugar, and raw sugar. Other sugars such as fructose (in fruit and honey), lactose (in milk), and maltose (in grains) are natural substances with nutritional value.
Excess sugar that is not burned off, is stored as fat, which is why we gain weight from eating too much sugar. Trying to stop eating sugar is as hard as quitting smoking or drinking coffee. Believe me I know. It's important to keep an eye on how much we're eating, because sugar often goes hand in hand with high fat products such as doughnuts and bread. But it can even be in products that claim to be Low fat. Significant amounts of sugar are even spaghetti sauce and ketchup.
The nutritional leaching caused by sugar can give rise to intense food cravings and eating binges, as the body seeks to replenish the nutrients 'stolen' from it by sugar. Since sugar is 'nutritionally naked', the body must 'borrow' the missing vitamins, minerals and other synergistic nutrients required to metabolize sugar from its own tissues. To spot hidden sugar, you should get into the habit of reading the nutritional information listed on food.
Sucrose is a disaccharide--that is, it's composed of two simple sugar units, in this case, glucose and fructose. Sucrose is the sugar that is commonly sold in our supermarkets, as it is easily extracted from sugar cane or sugar beet. Sucrose, the sugar refined from sugar cane and sugar beets, has no greater adverse effect on body function than any of the other sugars. Other forms of sucrose are beet sugar, maple sugar, and raw sugar. Other sugars such as fructose (in fruit and honey), lactose (in milk), and maltose (in grains) are natural substances with nutritional value.
Excess sugar that is not burned off, is stored as fat, which is why we gain weight from eating too much sugar. Trying to stop eating sugar is as hard as quitting smoking or drinking coffee. Believe me I know. It's important to keep an eye on how much we're eating, because sugar often goes hand in hand with high fat products such as doughnuts and bread. But it can even be in products that claim to be Low fat. Significant amounts of sugar are even spaghetti sauce and ketchup.
The nutritional leaching caused by sugar can give rise to intense food cravings and eating binges, as the body seeks to replenish the nutrients 'stolen' from it by sugar. Since sugar is 'nutritionally naked', the body must 'borrow' the missing vitamins, minerals and other synergistic nutrients required to metabolize sugar from its own tissues. To spot hidden sugar, you should get into the habit of reading the nutritional information listed on food.
- Sugar is as addictive as nicotine or alcohol
- Sugar depresses the immune system, thus allowing many diseases an opportunity to take over
Comments
pragyan
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/19/2007
Great article.
Another wonderful article. Keep on writing so I can keep on reading.
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