Sucrose, Glucose, & Metabolism: A new study indicates that not all sugars are created equal.

by Matthew Kadey, MS, RD for the IDEA Health & Fitness E-zine 

The sweetness in our diets comes in many different forms, and how we get our sugar fix matters. The type of sweet stuff we choose may influence how hungry we feel and, in turn, affect our risk for metabolic conditions and weight gain. A recent study shed light on the differences in the effects of sucrose and glucose on our metabolism.

Study participants produced lower amounts of hunger-suppressing hormones (hormones that turn off your appetite), such as peptide YY, after sipping drinks sweetened with sucrose (table sugar) than they did after drinking liquids spiked with glucose only (naturally occurring sweetness), according to a report in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The findings, based on data that included both men and women, also revealed that participants with obesity and less insulin sensitivity had an even lower increase in hunger-suppressing hormones after consuming a sweet beverage than individuals of normal weight/normal sensitivity. That may be another reason why it’s so hard for people with excess weight to lose it and keep it off.

Sucrose is made up of equal parts glucose and fructose and is often pumped into processed foods like soda, candy, cookies, cakes, pastries, and cereals. Glucose occurs naturally in carbohydrate-containing foods like honey and fresh and dried fruits.

Fructose & Glucose Health Hazards
by Matthew Kadey, MS, RD for the IDEA Health & Fitness E-zine

Consuming the high-fructose corn syrup that has become ubiquitous in our food supply appears to be hazardous to our health, mainly because the sweet substance contains both fructose and glucose (as opposed to just one of those sugars alone).

In a study conducted at the University of California, Davis, 145 participants consumed beverages containing fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, or an aspartame control for 2 weeks on 4 separate occasions. After each intervention, they had their blood analyzed for known risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. While triglyceride levels shot up the most with the fructose-only treatment, a duo of risk factors—LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B—increased most sharply when subjects consumed the high-fructose corn syrup, suggesting a unique interaction between fructose and glucose. Many cardiovascular experts believe those risk factors are predictive for heart disease.

Evidence continues to mount that good nutrition involves more than looking at individual food components. Diets should be studied as a whole to determine how items like sugars and vitamins may interact with each other for better or worse.