Sugar

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Sugar refers to any carbohydrate molecules with a sweet taste[1] While the term sugar often refers to sucrose ("table sugar"), there are other sugars as well. Monosaccharides include fructose, glucose, and galactose. These monosaccharides can join and form disaccharides, such as sucrose (glucose and fructose joined together), maltose (two glucose molecules joined together), and lactose (glucose and galactose).

Health Impacts

In 2014, the World Health Organization was advised by scientific experts that added sugars should constitute no more than 5% of daily calories. "That would give a limit to the average man of a maximum of eight teaspoons a day and the average woman to six tea spoons a day. And that would include sugars from fruit juice and honey."[2] (One teaspoon of sugar is approximately 4g.)

According to Dr. Andrew Weil:

"Carbohydrate foods also influence the inflammatory process. In the body, chemical reactions between the sugars and protein produce pro-inflammatory compounds called AGEs (advanced glycation end products). You can moderate this process by keeping blood sugar low and stable. That means eating less bread, white potatoes, crackers, chips and other snack foods, pastries, and sweetened drinks, less refined and processed foods, and by avoiding fast foods and products made with high fructose corn syrup. Instead, eat more whole grains, beans, sweet potatoes, winter squashes and other vegetables and temperate fruits such as berries, cherries, apples, and pears instead of tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapple, mango and papaya."[3]

Articles and Resources

SourceWatch Resources

References

  1. Sugar Definition, Accessed February 19, 2014.
  2. Aseem Malhotra, "Sugar is Now Enemy Number One in the Western Diet," The Guardian, January 11, 2014, Accessed February 21, 2014.
  3. Influencing Inflammation, Accessed February 19, 2014.

External Resources

External Articles

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