Sugar - friend or foe?

That sticky subject - sugar

What do you imagine when you think of sugar? Do you envisage
a bowl with a pyramid of white granules or cubes or perhaps the little white or
brown sachets next to the stirrers in a coffee shop? If so then you are
correct, that is indeed sugar in its old-fashioned form. However, did you know
that you should also have pictured fruit, ice cream, chocolate, doughnuts,
cereal, bread, fizzy drinks, juice, jam… and those are all obvious because they
taste sweet and therefore you recognise that each of the items listed contains
sugar. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate (i.e. it is a short-chain carbohydrate
compared to the longer-chain carbohydrates that are classed as starches) that
when in its simplest form of glucose, is utilised in the body to make energy. The
cells of the brain and red blood cells rely solely on glucose in order to make
energy and function. When we eat, our body digests the various forms of
carbohydrate, fat, protein and reacts appropriately.

This is where the trouble starts.

Not all sugar is equal. We have been misled into believing that artificial
sweeteners are better for our health than conventional sugar because they
contain fewer or no calories. However, when I break down the different types of
sweetener you will be appalled and hopefully, will never be tempted to go for a
‘diet’ drink or 'low-sugar/sugar-free’ alternative again.

First of all, let us consider how the body reacts when you eat carbohydrate both as a
starch and as sugar. The body hopes to maintain a steady blood sugar level and
does this via a clever system involving 'insulin’, 'glucagon’ and 'glycagon’.
After eating a meal, our food is churned in the stomach for approximately 6 hours in
order for the proteins to be broken down and digested before entering the intestines.
Carbohydrates start to be digested in the small intestine (a small amount of
digestion occurs in the mouth) in to smaller sugars before being absorbed
across the intestinal wall into the blood stream. (Don’t forget that unless
your intestines are actually empty, this is virtually a continuous process;
what you have just eaten doesn’t go straight into your blood stream other than
substances like caffeine and alcohol.)

This causes an increase in blood sugar level. The body reacts by secreting INSULIN
from the pancreas which promotes the uptake of the small sugar GLUCOSE into
cells to be used as energy. Any excess glucose is stored in the liver and/or
muscles as GLYCOGEN (long chains of glucose) and when those stores are full,
stored as fat (and can cause 'non-alcoholic fatty liver disease’ if the body is
subjected to high blood sugar levels for a period of time). INSULIN essentially
'unlocks’ cells so that sugar can be taken up from the blood and used for
energy.

In times of fasting (e.g. overnight) the pancreas will regulate blood sugar levels
by releasing GLUCAGON which has the opposite effect to insulin i.e. it
stimulates the release of glucose from glycogen stores (“glycogenolysis”) as
well as promotes glucose synthesis (“gluconeogenesis”) in the liver and kidneys
if the body’s stores of glycogen are too low.

The above system is what happens in a healthy person. Blood sugar levels remain
pretty constant and the pancreas, liver and kidneys are not over or
underwhelmed by glucose or lack of blood sugar. The problems start when the
body is confused and this is where sugar and our modern diet wreaks havoc.

When the body is continuously subjected to sugary foods, we become insulin
resistant; the body stops absorbing glucose from the blood to be used as
energy. This starts a vicious cycle because although our blood sugar level is
high, the body believes that it is starving and so stimulates food cravings!!
AH!!

And not only that, most artificial sweeteners stimulate an insulin response in the
body. So what? Well, if there is no newly absorbed glucose to be taken in to
the cells (as there would have been from 'real’ sugar), there will be a drop in
blood sugar levels! This triggers the appetite so that a healthy blood sugar
level can be achieved. Vicious cycle again!

So which are the 'good’ and which are the 'bad’?

“High-Fructose Corn Syrup/HFCS” = BAD

A corn derivative invented by the Americans and developed by the Japanese for its
sweetness and relative cheapness to produce. Its usage has increased 4000%
since the 1970s and rivals regular sugar as the most popular sweetener (in the
USA). In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that the average
American now consumes about 20kg of HFCS every year…and when you consider that
that’s an extra 75,281 calories a year it’s no wonder over 25% of Americans are
clinically obese!

HFCS
is mostly found in fizzy drinks (which we all know are bad for us, don’t we!?)
but if you walk around the supermarket picking up some random items like salad
dressing, cereal, soup, ketchup/sauces, you will probably find it on the
ingredients list as well. So what’s the problem?

HFCS is not a natural product but chemically-altered corn syrup, a compound made of
50-90% fructose with the remainder being glucose/other sugars. It is mostly
made from genetically-modified corn which is bad enough in itself but when you
consider the effects that fructose has on the body it will make you think twice
about smothering your chips in ketchup.

Fructose is another sugar. It has the same molecular structure as glucose but unlike
glucose it does not create an insulin response from the pancreas when it is
digested and absorbed into the blood. Instead it is metabolised by the liver
into triglycerides (fat), LDL cholesterol and uric acid. The fatty acids
subsequently float around the bloodstream or are stored by the liver -
unsurprisingly fructose is a significant factor in non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease (NAFLD) as well as Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes, stroke, CHD. Uric acid
(a bi-product of fructose metabolism) has also been linked to high blood
pressure, gout, increased risk of heart attacks, obesity, type-2 Diabetes…

Aspartame = BAD (Nutrasweet)

Although aspartame contains no calories it does contain phenylalanine which blocks
serotonin production which is a brain chemical associated with appetite
control. In other words, the body will crave foods that trigger serotonin
production when it doesn’t actually get any sugar from aspartame - these foods
are starchy, sugary, high-calorie…

Did you know that when heated, aspartame actually becomes warfarin? A blood thinner
and used as rat poison?

Saccharin = BAD (Splenda)

Discovered in the 19th century by a chemist researching coal-tar derivatives. Mmmm. It was
put on the carcinogen list in 1977 by the US National Toxicology Programme but
this decision was overturned by the US Food and Drug Assocation that decided
the inconclusive evidence was not enough to remove saccharin from human food
lists.

Sucralose = BAD (Sweet'n'Low)

Synthesised by forming covalent bonds between chorine atoms and sugar and discovered by
scientists in the 1970s who were trying to make a new pesticide. No surprises
that is wreaks havoc on our gut bacteria then is it?

DON’T WORRY, WHAT COMES NEXT IS OK!

Honey = GOOD, Raw honey = BEST

Honey actually helps the body process glucose. It contains vitamins B2 and B6, Iron,
antioxidants and enzymes. One can use it in recipes in place of sugar by
halving the required amount of sugar and reducing the liquid content by 25% as
well as lowering the cooking temperature to compensate for the browning effect
honey has during baking.

Real Maple Syrup = GOOD

Maple syrup (genuine tree-sourced maple syrup) strengthens the immune system, helps
to prevent atherosclerosis, lowers cholesterol, is an antioxidant, contains
minerals, trace elements and zinc.

Blackstrap molasses = GOOD

Although strong in flavour and therefore not as versatile as honey or maple syrup,
molasses has fewer calories, contains Iron, B Vitamins, Manganese, Calcium,
Potassium and many more minerals. Use it in strong chocolate-flavoured
desserts, plum sauces and other heavy-style, sticky puds.

Stevia = GOOD

Made from the milled, brewed leaves of a native shrub to Paraguay and Brazil, Stevia
is 300 times sweeter than regular sugar and contains no calories. It was banned
by the Food and Drug Association in 1991 though because it was deemed a health
food and dietary supplement so might only be found in health food shops or the
supplement aisle!

So there we have it, a less than concise breakdown of sugar and its effects on the
body and the worrying nature of artificial sweeteners.

If you take one thing to heart from this article, please be it that if you want
something sweet - have something that is genuinely sweet. Don’t fool yourself
into having something that is low-sugar or artificially sweetened, please!!