Is Sugar Evil? Muahahaha...Read on to Learn More! Is Sugar Evil? Muahahaha...Read on to Learn More!

Is Sugar Evil? Muahahaha...Read on to Learn More!

It’s that scary time of year again when sugar takes over the holidays…

But do you have to be afraid? Not if you understand a few key ways to help minimize the impact on the brain and body.

The first step is to really understand what happens in our body when we consume sugar. There are a couple of key questions that we need to address.

Let's first dive into some terminology you will need to know:

Glycemic Index (GI)

  • A rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) levels when that food is eaten on its own.

  • A value used to measure how much specific foods increase blood sugar levels. Foods are classified as low, medium or high glycemic foods, and ranked on a scale of 0–100. The lower the GI of a specific food, the less it may affect your blood sugar levels.

High GI foods

  • Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose. Examples of foods that may have a high GI include the following, although GI can vary by variety, processing, preparation, ripeness, and serving context:
    • Sugar and sugary foods (candy)
    • Sugary soft drinks
    • White bread
    • Potatoes
    • White rice

Low and medium GI foods

  • Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time. Examples may include the following, although GI can vary by variety, processing, preparation, ripeness, and serving context:
    • Some fruits and vegetables
    • Legumes, such as beans or peas
    • Wholegrain foods, such as porridge oats

Types of Sugars in Foods

  • Glucose
  • Fructose
  • Sucrose (table sugar)

(Sucralose, which is sometimes confused with sucrose because of the similar name, is an artificial sweetener, not a sugar.)

Added sugar can appear in unexpected packaged foods, including some sauces and beverages. Amounts vary by product and serving size, so compare current Nutrition Facts labels rather than assuming that a savory food or juice is low in sugar. A high habitual intake of added sugar can be a dietary concern.

Natural Sweetener Options to Consider

Stevia leaf sweetener is a natural, plant-derived sweetener. There are a couple of versions of stevia:

  • Organic Stevia Leaf extract – A less-processed, plant-based option
  • Highly purified stevia sweeteners – A cited rat study of low-dose rebaudioside A reported changes in gut microbiota and mesolimbic dopamine-related measures. This preliminary animal finding does not establish the same effects in humans.

Certain purified steviol glycosides are high-intensity sweeteners; sweetness varies by the specific compound and formulation. Purified stevia sweeteners are also used in foods and supplements where manufacturers seek a consistent sweetness and flavor profile. In one small, acute human feeding study, stevia was associated with lower post-meal glucose and insulin responses than sucrose, but that result does not establish long-term health effects. Certain high-purity steviol glycosides have been the subject of GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) notices for specified intended uses; this does not apply to every stevia product or to whole-leaf or crude stevia. A cited study in a fructose-related rat model examined stevia’s effects on synaptic plasticity and related central-nervous-system measures. That cognition-related evidence is preliminary animal research and does not establish cognitive benefit in humans.

Monk Fruit is a plant-derived high-intensity sweetener. The sweetness and composition of monk-fruit products vary by extract and formulation. The evidence assembled for this article does not establish a guaranteed blood-glucose response or support ranking monk fruit as universally better than other sweeteners; regulatory status also depends on the specific extract and intended use.

Allulose is a type of sugar that resembles fructose, which is the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit and comes in a granulated form and resembles regular sugar. Allulose is considered a low-calorie sweetener with 70% of the sweetness of sucrose.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allulose has around 0.4 calories per gram(g), which is much lower than sugar's 4 calories per gram. Furthermore, because the body takes in allulose but does not convert it to glucose, it is almost calorie-free. Allulose, according to the FDA, has little to no effect on blood glucose or insulin levels.

Evidence varies by sweetener, formulation, dose, population, and outcome, and more research is needed. This article therefore does not rank stevia, monk fruit, allulose, or artificial sweeteners as universally better or worse.

Other Natural Sweeteners

  • Honey
  • Agave
  • Maple Syrup
  • Brown Sugar
  • Coconut Sugar
  • Raw Cane Sugar
  • Fruit

Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s healthy. These react similarly in the body with one exception...fructose:

Fructose – is a naturally occurring simple sugar. In table sugar (sucrose), fructose is bonded to glucose. Whole fruit contains fructose, but this is in the matrix of the fruit (fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals) that all pair with the fructose and adjust how it is absorbed (and offset) in the body.

For example, honey is high in fructose and agave is predominantly fructose (without the balancing factors of whole fruit). It is all-natural, but in concentrated form it behaves similarly in the body to High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – contains both glucose and fructose. Its glucose component can raise blood glucose and stimulate insulin; the size of the response depends on the amount consumed and the broader dietary context. Like other concentrated added sugars, HFCS can contribute a substantial sugar load when consumed in large amounts, especially in soda and other sweetened drinks.

Soda can pouring out a stream of sugar, illustrating the added sugar in sweetened drinks

Did You Know:

In a cross-sectional analysis of American adults in NHANES 2009–2016, about 88% did not meet the study’s criteria for optimal metabolic health.

Sugar and the Body

The original article used a hibernating bear as an analogy for energy storage: the bear eats before hibernation and later lives off stored energy. In people, carbohydrates can contribute to stored body fat when overall energy intake exceeds needs, but the result depends on the amount consumed, activity, metabolic health, and the broader dietary pattern. Visceral fat is fat stored around internal organs.

Some of the signals involved are cytokines.

Visceral fat is metabolically active and can release signaling molecules, including cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). Researchers have studied associations among visceral fat, inflammatory signaling, metabolic conditions, and cognitive health; these associations do not mean that one food, nutrient, or cytokine directly causes a specific disease.

Insulin helps regulate how glucose is used and stored. A high habitual intake of added sugar can contribute to excess energy intake and is associated with metabolic risk, but the evidence assembled for this article does not establish that sugar universally suppresses fat burning, slows metabolism, or directly “creates inflammation.” Researchers continue to study relationships among insulin resistance, metabolic health, hippocampal changes, dementia, and Alzheimer’s; these associations do not establish a simple causal chain, and “Type 3 diabetes” is an informal research term rather than a formal diagnosis.

The body can still have a response to sugar, or a sugar-like substance, even if it does not ingest it. Think Pavlov’s dogs. Pavlov’s dogs started to salivate every time they heard a bell ring, just like the human body reacts to sugar-like substances.

For example: Some researchers suggest that zero-calorie sweetened drinks like Coke Zero may trigger the body to anticipate incoming sugar, prompting an insulin response. When insulin (an inflammatory substance) is released and cannot find the sugar to target, insulin resistance may build up in the body over time.

If eating sugars, try to pair with fiber.

Fibers like Konjac Fiber Root are thought to slow the absorption of sugar and cholesterol in the gut, not only helping control spikes in blood sugar, but also helping reduce cholesterol.

Konjac Fiber Root

Sugar and the Brain

Let’s look at glucose. Hypometabolism is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s brain has a reduced ability to generate ATP (the energetic currency of cells)—diminished by roughly 50% when using glucose as a fuel source. But the brain’s ability to use ketones appears unperturbed, which is why the ketogenic diet is being studied as a potential therapeutic option in Alzheimer’s disease. Limiting carbohydrates (or the effect of sugars in the body) is one reason researchers continue to study the ketogenic diet’s effects on the brain. We’ve also learned that glucose is difficult to process in the Alzheimer’s-affected brain.

Can the brain process glucose?

The brain consumes about 20% of the body’s glucose, but can also run efficiently on ketones from fat. Neurons have the highest demand, requiring continuous delivery of glucose from the blood. Though the brain makes up only about 2% of the body’s weight, it consumes 20% of the energy! Glucose metabolism fuels physiological brain function (using ATP).

Glucose is essential metabolic fuel for the brain,
but is not always good for the brain.

“The brain on sugar is essentially a depressed, demented, and hyperactive brain.”—Dr. Mark Hyman
(Think kids at a birthday party after sugar, cake, and tantrums.)

Drivers for sugar are mediated through multiple pathways, many of which have to do with insulin, insulin resistance, and its effect on cognitive function over time. Research links chronically high sugar intake and insulin resistance to amyloid plaque formation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s and dementia. (Some researchers have gone so far as to call Alzheimer’s “Type 3 Diabetes.”)

Sugar and brain health is also thought to be linked to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), depression, misregulation of hormones, and creating dysbiosis in the microbiome.

Artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame) have been studied for possible adverse neurological effects on the brain. But, does natural sugar (stevia, monk fruit) have the same addictive properties as the artificial sugars on the brain?

Artificial versus Natural Sweeteners – What’s the difference in brain health?

“Sugar, is sugar, is sugar.”—Dr. Mark Hyman

Healthy fats on the other hand are a requirement for the brain to function. The brain can feed off ketones, produced by fat, rather than glucose. Liver health is also required for optimal brain function.

Four Things You Need to Know

    1. Consider limiting added sugars as part of an overall healthy eating pattern. If you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, fiber-containing foods may slow glucose absorption, but pairing does not cancel the sugar or carbohydrate consumed.

    2. Reducing a high added-sugar intake may support metabolic health. Dietary fats are part of normal nutrition and some fatty acids are essential for the brain, but the evidence cited here does not show that reducing sugar or increasing fat guarantees lower inflammation or better cognitive function.

    3. Consider limiting large amounts of HFCS and other concentrated added sugars, especially in sweetened drinks. The sources cited here do not establish HFCS as a single cause of inflammation, visceral fat, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), or impaired brain function.

    4. Choose dietary fats thoughtfully as part of a balanced diet; no specific fat pattern is established here as a way to improve brain function.

    Want to dive-in even deeper into understanding how sugar affects your body and brain? If you do, join Scott Jessen, Director of Product Development, for about a 20 minute dive into sugar in the video below.

    Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Nutrition needs and blood-glucose responses vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional for guidance, especially if you have diabetes, prediabetes, recurrent hypoglycemia, are pregnant, or take medicines that affect blood glucose.

    References

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