Sugar is one of many reasons of diseases and sicknesses in our body like many other foods that when you consume it too much it cause bad effect in our body, one of well-known disease from too much sugar in the body is diabetes.
What is a sugar?
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
When we heard the words sugar it describe a wide range of compounds that vary in sweetness, so sweet like a two people in love, we thought also the ant, their favorite food is sugar, when you left a little amount of sugar in your table in just a minutes when you came back its feasted by ants.
Sugar provide sweet flavor when added to food. Maintain freshness and food quality. Act as a preservative in jams and jellies. Enhance flavor in processed meats. Provide fermentation for breads and pickles. Add bulk to ice cream and body to carbonated sodas. So, sugar has many functions.
There are Foods containing natural sugars such as fruit, also include vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Many foods with added sugars often add calories without nutrients. These foods and drinks are often called "empty" calories like Vitamin-type waters, sports drinks, coffee drinks, and energy drinks also contain a lot of added sugar.
What is the Common type of sugar? Its includes
Glucose Fructose Galactose Sucrose (common table sugar) Lactose (milk sugar) Maltose (product of starch digestion)
Glucose - Glucose is one of the simplest types of sugar and the main source of energy your body uses. With the help of the hormone insulin, cells are able to pull in glucose from your bloodstream to use as fuel. Nearly all carbohydrate-containing foods, from fruits to breads, have some level of glucose, although fruits are usually the highest sources. Since glucose can elevate your blood sugar quickly, if you are diabetic, you may want to avoid regularly consuming foods high in glucose.
Fructose - Many foods containing fructose are otherwise healthy and nutritious, such as fruits and some vegetables. High-fructose foods include banana, blackberry, cherry, fig, kiwi, mandarin, mango, star fruit, rock melon, grapefruit, pineapple and raspberries. Very high fructose foods include blueberries, lychee, tomato concentrate, dried fruits, tinned berries in syrup, grape, persimmon, pickled onion, pomegranate, tinned dark plum, apple, pear and quince.
Galactose - Galactose is primarily part of a larger sugar called lactose, which is found in all dairy products and many baby formulas.
Galactose -1-phosphate uridylyltransferase is responsible for one step in a chemical process that breaks down galactose into other molecules that can be used by the body. Specifically, this enzyme converts a modified form of galactose (galactose-1-phosphate) to glucose, which is another simple sugar. Glucose is the main energy source for most cells. This chemical reaction also produces another form of galactose (UDP-galactose) that is used to build galactose-containing proteins and fats. These modified proteins and fats play critical roles in chemical signalling, building cellular structures, transporting molecules, and producing energy.
Sucrose - Sucrose occurs naturally in all fruits and vegetables. Sugar cane and sugar beets have the highest concentrations of sucrose and are the most common sources of white table sugar. Canned fruits, some dried fruits, jams and jellies all contain sucrose.
Maltose - Maltose also known as maltobiose or malt sugar is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with and α (1→4) bond, formed from a condensation reaction. The isomer isomaltose has two glucose molecules linked through and α (1→6) bond. Maltose is the second member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains. Maltose is the disaccharide produced when amylase breaks down starch. It is found in germinating seeds such as barley as they break down their starch stores to use for food. It is also produced when glucose is caramelized.
Lactose - Lactose is a sugar found in milk and milk products. The small intestine the organ where most food digestion and nutrient absorption take place produces an enzyme called lactase. Lactase breaks down lactose into two simpler forms of sugar: glucose and galactose. The body then absorbs these simpler sugars into the bloodstream.
Sugar alcohols - Sugar alcohols include mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. These sweeteners are used as an ingredient in many food products that are labeled "sugar-free", "diabetic", or "low carb". These sweeteners are absorbed by the body at a much slower rate than sugar. They also have about half the calories of sugar. They should not be confused with sugar substitutes that are calorie free. Sugar alcohol cause stomach cramps and diarrhea in some people. Erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol found in fruit and fermented foods. It is 60 to 70% as sweet as table sugar, but has fewer calories. Also, it does not result in as much of a rise in blood sugar after meals or cause tooth decay. Unlike other sugar alcohols, it does not cause stomach upset.
Side Effects of sugar in our body.
- Sugar provides calories and no other nutrients.
- Sugar triggers the release of chemicals that set off the brain's pleasure center, they become addicted on sugar.
- High in fructose could lead to globules of fat building up around your liver.
- Highest levels of added sugars experienced the biggest spike in bad cholesterol levels and dangerous triglyceride blood fats, and the lowest good (HDL) cholesterol levels.
- High levels of added sugars cause excess insulin in the bloodstream, which takes its toll on your body's circulatory highway system, your arteries. Chronic high insulin levels cause the smooth muscle cells around each blood vessel to grow faster than normal,
- Large amounts of sugar containing foods lead to obesity in children and adults. Obese people are at much higher risk for type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and high blood pressure.
- Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol and fructose may cause stomach cramps and diarrhea when eaten in large amounts.
- Sucrose, if allowed to remain on your teeth, provides an environment for bacteria to grow. As the bacteria feed on the sugar, acid is produced as a waste. This acid can eventually eat away at tooth enamel, leading to decay and tooth loss.
- Too much glucose in the system can lead to negative effects associated with overabundance of cellular energy molecules.
There are a lot of good things as well bad things in sugar but awareness isn’t enough, especially when so many of our food options contain sugar. Here some tips.
- Sugar is contains 16 calories per teaspoon used it in moderation.
- Limit the amount of added sugars in your diet.
- For Women get no more than 100 calories per day from sugar (about 6 teaspoons of sugar).
- For Men get no more than 150 calories per day from sugar (about 9 teaspoons of sugar).
- Drink water instead of regular soda, "vitamin-type" water, sports drinks, coffee drinks, and energy drinks.
- Eat less candy and sweet desserts such as ice cream, cookies, and cakes.
- For a sweet treat, use up to a teaspoon of honey no more than once a day.
Consult to your doctor before taking any action about your health, some article are for information only and not a substitute or cure to any sicknesses.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar
