What’s the difference between all these types of sugar?
Sugar has a not-so-sweet reputation, and for good reason: Research links diets high in added sugar to an increased risk of many diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
But note that this refers to added sugar. Many healthy, nutrient-dense foods are sources of sugar—and that sugar gives you energy. And if you’re making an effort to avoid added sugar, it might be lurking in your diet in different forms or in different names. So, it’s important to sift through the grains and get down to the gritty truth about sugar.
Breaking it down…
All kinds of foods naturally contain sugar molecules—these might be the molecules fructose, sucrose, and glucose found in fruits and vegetables, lactose found in dairy, or maltose found in grains. Carbohydrates, including these different types of sugar molecules, are converted to glucose during the digestive process. That glucose is absorbed into your bloodstream, and then your cells absorb it from your blood to use it for energy to function.
Because these natural sugars come from whole, unprocessed foods, they’re digested alongside other nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and sometimes even fats and proteins. But when you consume added sugars—that is, a sugar product added to a food to improve its taste—you’re getting extra energy but not much else in terms of nutritional benefit.
Added sugars come in many forms, but health experts, such as those with the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins Medical Center, explain it’s a misconception that some added sugars are healthier than others. For example, common table sugar is equal parts glucose and fructose, whereas high-fructose corn syrup has slightly more fructose and glucose, and agave nectar is nearly all fructose with only a little bit of glucose. While glucose and fructose follow different metabolic pathways, health experts emphasize that in normal amounts, different added sugars have similar effects on health overall—what matters most is total added sugar intake.
Sugar by any other name (would taste as sweet)
Consider some of the common forms of added sugar. You might have heard some of them are “healthier” than others, but they all digest the same way:
- Table sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup Agave nectar
- High-fructose corn syrup
What to know about them: All forms of sugar yield about 4 calories per gram, and although some of them (such as honey and maple syrup) have trace amounts of antioxidants, these nutritional benefits are negligible. The quantity of added sugar matters far more than the form of sugar you’re consuming: The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day for men and no more than 25 grams per day for women. The World Health Organization recommends less than 10 percent of your daily calories should come from added sugar.
Tips for cutting back
If you’ve been living the sweet life for a while, you might be accustomed to having your food taste a certain way. As you cut back on added sugars, give yourself time to adjust to the new taste. Here are the best ways to reduce your sugar intake:
- Focus on whole, unprocessed foods—many packaged foods, even those marketed as healthy, can contain added sugars. Breakfast cereal, tomato sauce, yogurt, and granola bars are all common culprits.
- Drink water and unsweetened tea instead of soda and soft drinks.
- Try fruit for a boost of sweet flavor—you could add a mashed banana, unsweetened applesauce, or pureed dates to some of your favorite foods.
- Consider a sugar substitute such as stevia, aiming to use less and less of it until your taste for sweetness subsides.
