Welcome, everyone! Today, we're diving into a hot topic—weight loss! At Dr. Dekel's Office of Holistic Health & Anti-Aging™, we specialize in holistic, functional, and regenerative medicine techniques to help our patients achieve their health goals. We believe in looking at the body as a whole.
While it's true that weight gain or loss is often influenced by gut health, thyroid function, the metabolic system, and lifestyle choices, it's crucial to understand the role of carbs and sugars in the body.
What are carbs and sugars really? How does our body utilize them, and what exactly happens when we ingest them? In today's blog post we will break it all down for you, and we'll explore what you can do to manage these essential nutrients better. Thus, living a longer, healthier and happy life!
Understanding Carbohydrates & Why Knowing the Difference Matters.
The fundamental building block of a carbohydrate is a simple combination of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen (CHO). By definition, a carbohydrate is any compound that contains these three elements, typically with twice as many hydrogen atoms as carbon and oxygen atoms (CH2O). While some carbohydrates may have more carbon atoms than oxygen atoms, they all adhere to the ratio of twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms (CxH2yOy).
Carbohydrates are categorized into three main classifications: sugars (comprising monosaccharides and disaccharides), oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. The term "saccharide" comes from the Greek word for sugar, “sákkharon.” The prefixes mono-, di-, oligo-, and poly- indicate the number of sugar units present in a carbohydrate.
Understanding these classifications helps you make informed choices about your diet. By knowing the difference between simple sugars and complex carbohydrates, you can better manage your energy levels and overall health. Simple sugars, found in foods like fruits and sweets, provide quick bursts of energy but can lead to blood sugar spikes. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates, such as those in whole grains and vegetables, break down more slowly, offering sustained energy and aiding in digestion.
Knowing the types of carbohydrates and how they affect your body enables you to create a balanced diet that supports your all your wellness goals. Dr. Dekel's Office of Holistic Health & Anti-Aging™, emphasizes the importance of understanding these differences to ensure you’re not just eating, but nourishing your body in the best way possible!
Make smart, informed food choices for a healthier, happier, more vibrant you!
Sugar: What Is It Really? The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.
When you hear the word "sugar," you likely think of the white granulated version found in sugar bowls and tabletop packets. That type of sugar is called sucrose. But there's a whole world of sugars out there, each classified by its unique chemical structure. Tons of it is in almost everything most Americans eat for every meal, everyday. Lets take a closer look at these different chemical forms of sugar and see what we can learn!
Starting with Simple Sugars, here are "The Basics". Simple sugars, or Monosaccharides, are made up of single sugar molecules. The three main Monosaccharides we consume are Fructose, Galactose, and Glucose. These sugars combine in various pairs to form the Disaccharides crucial for human nutrition: Lactose, Maltose, and Sucrose. Glucose is the common thread in each of these Disaccharides:
Sucrose: Glucose + Fructose
Lactose: Glucose + Galactose
Maltose: Two Glucose Molecules
(See how they break down chemically. This means the body will treat them differently.)
Now let us move onto the Natural and Commercial Sugars. Sugars occur naturally in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods. They are also produced commercially and added to foods for various purposes. These functions include enhancing texture, adding sweetness, balancing acidity, controlling crystallization in confections, aiding yeast growth in baked goods, and preventing spoilage by binding water.
Whether natural or added, most sugars contain approximately four calories per gram. Here are some types of sugars commonly found in whole and packaged foods:
Allulose: A rare sugar found naturally in small quantities in brown sugar and maple syrup, as well as dried fruits like figs and raisins. It contains 90% fewer calories than sucrose and may also be produced from fructose or corn.
Corn Syrup: Made from corn, usually 100% glucose, but different from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Fructose: Known as "fruit sugar," fructose is found primarily in fruits, vegetables, honey, sugar beets, and sugar cane. Commercially, it’s produced from corn starch for use in foods and beverages as crystalline fructose. Unlike other sugars, fructose doesn’t raise blood glucose levels because it's metabolized in the liver without needing insulin.
Galactose: Found naturally in milk and dairy foods, galactose combines with glucose to form lactose.
Glucose: The body's main energy source, consumed as a monosaccharide or produced from metabolizing carbohydrates and sugars. Also known as dextrose, glucose is a building block of starch and makes up half the sugars in sucrose and nearly half in HFCS.
High Fructose Corn Syrup: A mixture of glucose and fructose from corn. The most common form consists of 55% fructose and 45% glucose.
Lactose: The sugar in milk, composed of one galactose and one glucose molecule. Often called "milk sugar."
Maltose: Found in molasses and used in fermentation, maltose is a disaccharide of two glucose molecules.
Sucrose: Composed of glucose and fructose, sucrose is table sugar. It's found naturally in plants like fruits, vegetables, and nuts and commercially produced from sugar cane and sugar beets.
Different Sugars, Different Hidden Dangers! ☠️
When it comes to sugars, not all are created equal. While they can add sweetness to our lives, the impact on our health varies widely depending on the type. Here are a few examples that are good to know about.
Fructose: The Sweet Saboteur
Often dubbed "Fruit Sugar," Fructose is found naturally in fruits and vegetables. However, when consumed in large quantities from processed foods and beverages, it can lead to some serious health issues. High Fructose intake has been linked to many chronic conditions like insulin resistance, obesity, and increased fat accumulation in the liver, which can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Unlike Glucose, which is used by every cell in the body, Fructose is primarily metabolized in the liver, leading to a higher risk of metabolic problems.
Glucose: The Double-Edged Sword
As the body's primary energy source, Glucose is essential for life. But excessive consumption, especially from refined sugars and processed foods, can spike blood sugar levels, leading to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. High Glucose levels can also contribute to chronic inflammation, heart disease, and other metabolic disorders. Balancing Glucose intake with whole, unprocessed foods is key to maintaining stable energy levels and optimal health.
The Truth About Sugar Alcohols
Sugar alcohols are not what they seem. Despite their name, they neither fit into the sugar nor alcohol categories but are classified as carbohydrates. With a chemical structure that partially resembles both sugar and alcohol, these water-soluble compounds are naturally produced in various plants through photosynthesis and can also be commercially manufactured.
Fewer Calories, Less Impact
Sugar alcohols are caloric sweeteners that the body incompletely absorbs and metabolizes. This incomplete absorption means they provide fewer calories than regular sugars and have a smaller impact on blood glucose levels. Examples include erythritol, glycerin, Maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. Their caloric content ranges from just 0.02 to three calories per gram, compared to four calories per gram for traditional sugars. Consequently, products sweetened with sugar alcohols often contain fewer calories than those sweetened with sugars. Most sugar alcohols, such as Maltitol and xylitol, are about as sweet as sucrose.
Safety and Side Effects
The safety of sugar alcohols is well-documented. However, consuming them in excessive amounts can cause gastrointestinal discomfort like gas, bloating, and diarrhea, especially with mannitol and sorbitol. While not everyone will experience these effects, foods containing significant amounts of mannitol or sorbitol must include a label warning about potential laxative effects if they contribute to daily consumption of 20 grams (mannitol) or 50 grams (sorbitol).
Sugar Alcohols and Special Diets
Also known as polyols, sugar alcohols are essential to monitor for those following a low-FODMAP diet (low-fermentable-oligosaccharides-disaccharides-monosaccharides-and-polyols). These individuals should carefully track their intake of foods containing sugar alcohols.
Carbohydrate & Sugars: Consumption Recommendations
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) set the standard for carbohydrate intake in 2002 with the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) report. This influential report established the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for carbohydrates at 45–65% of daily calorie intake. It also recommended a minimum of 130 grams of carbohydrates per day to meet the brain's glucose needs.
These guidelines are echoed in the renowned Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The 2010 DGA advised limiting solid fats and added sugars to just 5–15% of total calories, while the average American was consuming about 35% from these sources. Fast forward to the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report, and we've seen some progress—current intake of solid fats and added sugars has decreased to about 25% of total calories.
However, there's still work to be done. The latest 2020–2025 DGA and DGAC reports recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total daily calories. Despite this guidance, Americans currently consume about 13% of their calories from added sugars.
In Conclusion
Carbs and sugars are important, but so is paying attention to the kinds/amounts we ingest. I hope you got something from today's article. We strive to educate our patient's, as well as the general public. The better healthcare information one has, the more informed choices we can make moving forward! Thanks for stopping bye, and as always remember, "Attitudes Are Contagious, Is Yours Worth Catching?". - With Love to All, Brandon Roberts.
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