Is Sucrose the Same as Sugar, and What Does It Do to Your Body?

Sucrose is the chemical name for the table sugar you use in your kitchen. Sucrose is a type of sugar made up of two monosaccharides (glucose and fructose)and it is classified as a disaccharide.

Sucrose is the chemical name for the table sugar you use in your kitchen. Sugar is a general name for simple carbohydrates. Glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, sucrose, lactose, and several other carbohydrates are all classified as sugars. 

Your body breaks down larger sugars into glucose, galactose, or fructose for absorption. These small molecules are called monosaccharides. Sucrose, made up of two monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), is classified as a disaccharide.

Current dietary guidelines recommend limiting sugar consumption, though sugars have essential roles in your body's metabolism and functioning. Like several other nutrients, sugar is needed by your body but is harmful when you consume too much of it.

Most often, the word sugar is used for sucrose. Sugar in your food and drink may not always be sucrose, though. Many of the other simple carbohydrates are found in the food you consume and have similar effects and potential harms.

Carbohydrates come in three types — sugars, starches, and fiber. Sugars are simple molecules that are rapidly broken down and absorbed. Some, like glucose, are easily absorbed. When the blood level of glucose rises quickly based on what you're eating, that food is said to have a high glycemic index. 

Starches are made up of hundreds of molecules of simple sugars. The body takes time to break them down, so your blood sugar levels will rise more slowly when you consume starch. Fiber is also a complex carbohydrate, and these molecules cannot be broken down in human intestines at all.

Your intestines similarly can't absorb the sucrose you eat or drink. This disaccharide must first be broken down into smaller molecules. An enzyme, sucrase, breaks sucrose into glucose and fructose. Similarly, lactose in milk is broken into galactose and glucose. These monosaccharides can then be absorbed by the intestines and transmitted to the bloodstream. 

Your body needs sugar for energy. Your brain, for example, is almost entirely dependent on glucose for its activity, but eating a lot of glucose isn't healthy, because it will raise your blood glucose level rapidly. Whole grains have carbohydrates as starches, which are slowly broken down and release glucose in a more controlled manner.

A gram of sucrose (or any simple carbohydrate) is metabolized to release about 4 calories of energy. Sugar by itself doesn't cause obesity, but excess consumption leads to calorie intakes higher than the body needs. Too much energy consumption, whatever the source, causes weight gain in adults and children. Unfortunately, many sugary snacks and drinks are poor in fiber and nutrients, and overconsumption is also easy. 

Excess sugar consumption is associated with diabetes, tooth decay, and heart disease.

Sugar is one of the most important causes of tooth decay. The frequency of sugar consumption and the amount consumed are important predictors of tooth decay. You can avoid dental disease, therefore, by cutting down on sugar-containing foods and eating them only at mealtimes and in moderate amounts.

Fruits and fruit juices often contain a lot of sugar, which can damage your teeth. Water, milk, and unsweetened tea or coffee are the safest choices for drinks between meals.

Added sugars are a potent cause of weight gain and obesity. Also known as free sugars, they're the sugar added to food and drink in your kitchen by a manufacturer or by a chef. Added sugars are most often sucrose, glucose, or fructose. Biscuits, chocolate, breakfast cereals, flavored yogurt, and most desserts contain added sugars.

Added sugars should make up less than 10% of your total daily calories. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, you should have no more than 200 calories from added sugar. Don't give any added sugars to children under 2 years.

Fruit juices should have no added flavoring or other nutrients. Fruit products with added sugar are labeled fruit drinks. The sugars in honey, syrups, unsweetened fruit juices, smoothies, and other food are naturally-occurring, but they have the same calories and potential for weight gain. You should pay attention to the labels and make sure you're not consuming too much of these sugars. 

Sugars in your milk, fruit, and vegetables don't usually count as added sugars.

If you eat or drink too much sugar, weight gain is likely. A 12-ounce (350 milliliters) can of soda contains as much as 10 teaspoons (40 to 50 grams) of sugar. These drinks (and snacks and desserts high in sugar) provide calories only and little else. 

Being overweight increases your chances of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. For good health, you should choose a diet that gives you most of your calories from grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein food. Eat foods with added sugar very rarely or not at all.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disorder of insulin resistance. The cells of the body become resistant to insulin and can't process glucose in the blood. The blood levels of glucose remain high, but the cells are unable to use it to generate energy.

Drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is associated with the development of obesity. The resulting obesity increases the risk of T2DM and heart disease.

Sugar consumption by itself (without becoming overweight) also increases your risk of developing diabetes. People with a healthy body mass index (BMI) but high sugar consumption may also develop diabetes. The risk increases with increased sugar consumption.

Consuming large amounts of added sugars leads to a rapid rise in blood sugar and increased secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Such rapid rises in glucose and insulin levels could reduce insulin sensitivity. Diets with high glycemic loads (increasing blood sugar levels rapidly) are known to increase the risk for diabetes.

Drinking large amounts of SSBs is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Consumption of fructose leads to lipogenesis (fat generation) in the liver. Fats are deposited in the organs and arteries. Increased fat generation causes dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of cholesterol and lipoproteins in the blood) and can cause heart disease.

Sugar consumption is also linked to increases in blood pressure and uric acid levels. These factors increase the risk of heart diseases. 

Sugars are not always labeled as sugar. Watch out for these names on the labels of any food you're buying: 

• Maltose
• Fructose
• Glucose
• Dextrose
• Sucrose
• Corn syrup
• Molasses
• Invert sugar
• Cane sugar
• Brown sugar
• Honey

Look for these sugars or similar ingredients on the labels, and consider the total carbohydrate and energy content to guide your purchasing decisions.

Some of the chief sources of added sugars in the U.S. diet are:

• Cookies
• Brownies and cakes
• Pies
• Ice cream and frozen dairy dessert
• Doughnuts, sweet rolls, and pastries
• Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) (sodas, energy drinks, fruit drinks, and others).

Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute 50% to 60% of the added sugars in the diets of adolescents and adults. Almost 70% of sugar consumed comes from sweetened beverages, breakfast cereals and bars, sweet snacks and desserts, coffee and tea (with sugary additions), and candy.

Adults in America consume, on average, about 17 teaspoons of sugar a day. A teaspoon of sugar is about 5 grams. Men consume more sugar (19 teaspoons, or 95 grams) than women (15 teaspoons, or 75 grams). 

On average, Americans consume about 350 calories a day as sugar. That's about twice as much as doctors recommend for a healthy diet.

Sugar consumption is harmful, and you should take steps to control your intake:

The recommended limit for adults is 30 grams a day (about 6 teaspoons).

Children younger than 4 years should preferably have no sugar-sweetened drinks or food. 

Children aged 4 to 6 years should have 19 grams (4 teaspoons) or less of added sugars a day.

Children aged 7 to 10 years shouldn't have more than 24 grams (5 teaspoons) of added sugar a day.

Sugar naturally present in food comes with water, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Fresh fruit and sweet corn are healthy examples. Eating such foods is beneficial for health.  

To eat a healthy diet, eat nutrient-dense foods and limit foods and beverages with added sugar content. Also, avoid saturated fat, salt (sodium), and alcohol.

• Be careful about hidden added sugars. A can of soda contains as much as 35 to 40 grams of sugar. 
• Fruit juices and unsweetened smoothies also have natural sugar in them. You should limit yourself to 150 milliliters a day.
• You may be used to sugar with your coffee or cereal. Reduce the amount, though, and try to gradually stop using sugar. If unsweetened food is unpalatable, you can use a low-calorie sweetener instead.
• Jams, syrups, marmalades, honey, and chocolate spreads have a lot of sugar. Try using a low-fat spread, reduced-sugar jam, or low-fat cheese instead. 
• Reduce the sugar you add when following recipes. This works for most food. 
• Instead of sweetened cereal, have unsweetened cereal with fruit. 

Sugar is an invisible danger. Too much sugar causes obesity, heart disease, tooth decay, and diabetes. Even when you know the risks, you may continue consuming it unknowingly because sugar is so widespread in food and drink. Current guidelines recommend that no more than 10% of daily calories should come from sugar, and the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee had suggested an even lower consumption — 6% of the total daily energy consumption, ideally. Reducing sugar to this level is more likely to result in a nutritionally adequate, healthy diet. 

You should make a determined effort to identify food and drink that contain sugar. Read package labels carefully and reduce your purchases of sugar-rich beverages and food to avoid the dangers of sugar overconsumption.