I am NOT saying these sweetners are acceptable alternatives to sugar...I'm posting for the information on the metabolism of sugars.
Sugar is a word that triggers mixed emotions in most of us--cravings for the immediate satisfaction it brings, countered by an overshadowing of guilt and the nagging belief that we really ought to omit it from our diets. We've all heard statistics on how much sugar we consume--currently around 100 pounds per person per year in North America, with approximately 70% of that supplied as an additive to prepared foods. Since the most familiar type of sugar is sucrose, or table sugar, manufacturers have in recent years begun moving towards the use of various alternative sweeteners, trying to side--step the emotional connotations attached to sucrose. More and more labels include honey, concentrated fruit juices, and malted grain instead sugar. But are these sweeteners really any different? To help decipher the answer to this question, a bit of nutritional background is needed.
What are Sugars?
Sugars are the fundamental unit of energy which we use. There are six different sugars commonly found in foods: glucose, fructose and galactose, which are all monosaccharides or single sugars, and sucrose, lactose, and maltose, the disaccharides. All are simple carbohydrates. There are also polysaccharides, or complex carbohydrates, which consist of long chains of the simple sugars. Although each of these sugars is somewhat different, they all have at least one thing in common—before we can use them for energy, all must be broken down into the body's common denominator—glucose, or blood sugar.
The Sugar Blues
Feelings of hunger and then satisfaction are normal reactions to the level of glucose present in the blood. As the level drops, hunger is experienced. A balanced meal will satiate this hunger as the blood steadily receives glucose from the breakdown of carbohydrates. The more complex the carbohydrate, i.e. the longer the sugar chains found in the carbohydrate, the longer it will take for all of the sugar to be broken down and absorbed. Protein and fat intake also work to slow down the absorption of sugars, ensuring that the body receives a gradual dosage over time.
As the food is digested and blood sugar begins to climb, the pancreas reacts by releasing the hormone insulin, alerting the body to the presence of blood sugar. The body uses the available sugar in several ways: many cells will pull the glucose from the blood and use it for their immediate energy needs. Fat cells can break it apart and convert it to more fat cells. Only muscle and liver cells can store it, however, by synthesizing the glucose molecules into long chains, or glycogen. The muscle cells retain this for their own energy needs. The liver can either store glycogen temporarily, or if too much glucose is received, the excess can be converted to fat and sent out through the bloodstream to be collected by other fat cells in the body.
As time goes by and the blood sugar drops, the pancreas again reacts, this time with an opposing hormone called glucagon. Glucagon stimulates the liver to break down the stored glycogen into its component glucose for release back into the bloodstream, once again making glucose available to the body for immediate energy needs.
Normal metabolism can be interrupted by excess sweets, however. If a concentrated, sugary snack is consumed, the body receives an immediate dose of simple sugars already in a form that can be readily used. This elevates the level of glucose in the blood too quickly, and the pancreas responds with a large burst of insulin. The excess insulin causes all of the glucose to be drawn from the blood at once, leaving the body more deficient in energy than before, and encouraging one to repeat the cycle.
How Sweet Is It?
In light of all of this, it would seem that the more reduced, refined and concentrated the sweetener, the more erratic its effect on the level of blood sugar. This remains a point of contention among nutritionists and chemists. One school holds that the body perceives little, if any difference between sources of sugar. Others hold that individuals react with varying degrees of sensitivity, and that a higher quality sweetener will produce a smoother response in blood sugar. If this the case, then it is best to avoid the most reduced, refined, and concentrated sweeteners. White table sugar, which is stripped of all vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids and trace elements during the refining process, is the best example of this. At 99.5 to 99.9% pure sucrose, it is one of the purest chemicals manufactured. Powdered sugar is only pulverized table sugar. Following closely behind is brown sugar, which is crystallized sugar with molasses added back to it for color and flavor. Other highly refined sugars to be avoided include turbinado sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup, which contains a high percentage of glucose in addition to the fructose. As all of these are composed of at least 90% basic simple sugars, the body eventually handles them all the same way.
Another factor affecting quality is whether the component sugars are simple sugars (monosaccharides) or complex carbohydrates and polysaccharides containing a range of fast, medium and slow absorbing nutrients. A couple of sweeteners stand out in this aspect. Brown rice syrup and barley malt are both derived from grains, and still maintain a percentage of complex carbohydrates. Because of this, absorption proceeds over a longer period of time, and the roller coaster effect of high then low energy is minimized.
Commom Natural Sweeteners
Concentrated fruit juice is a relatively new sweetener, and one that is rapidly gaining popularity among manufacturers. It is highly refined, and at 68% soluble sugar, is relatively concentrated. The percentage of fructose to glucose or sucrose will vary according to the fruit from which it is derived. Through reduction, filtration and evaporation, the color, acidity, and most of the flavor are removed, leaving an end product with little similarity to the original juice. It's preference to white sugar is debatable. Concentrated fruit juice can still cause erratic blood sugar if consumed in large doses.
Fructose, also called levulose or fruit sugar, is found in most plants and fruits, but is generally refined from corn starch. It is claimed to be anywhere from 15 to 80%; sweeter than sucrose, and tastes particularly sweet when cold or in solution. It is believed to be absorbed into the gastro-intestinal tract more slowly than glucose, and does not require insulin for entry into the liver. These features make it appealing to diabetics, but the advantages are somewhat offset by its higher tendency to be converted to fat rather than glycogen, thereby elevating blood triglyceride levels.
Honey is a perennial favorite, and although it too is highly concentrated, it is estimated to be approximately 25% sweeter than table sugar, so less can be used. The taste differs according to the source of pollen, and blending for optimum flavor regularly occurs. The highest quality honeys are minimally filtered to remove beeswax and bee parts, and heated just enough to facilitate packing. If the honey later recrystalizes, simply heat the jar in a pan of hot water. Honey that does not recrystalize has been overly heated and filtered.
Babies less than one year old should not be given honey due to the rare but possible chance of contracting infant botulism.
Maple syrup, concentrated from the sap of maple trees, is a uniquely American product. It takes from 30 to 40 gallons of sap (3% sucrose) to produce one gallon of syrup (65% sucrose), and is only produced for 4 to 6 weeks in the spring when the sap first begins to flow. Unless labeled "pure maple syrup", a product is likely to be mixed with corn syrup to cut expense.
Brown rice syru is an extremely versatile and relatively healthy sweetener which is derived by culturing rice with enzymes to break down the starches, then straining off the liquid and cooking it until the desired consistency is reached. The final product is roughly 50% soluble complex carbohydrates, 45% maltose, and 3% glucose. The glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream immediately, the maltose takes up to one and a half hours to be digested, and the complex carbohydrates take from two to three hours, providing a steady supply of energy. Rice syrup has a shelf life of about a year, and once opened, should be stored in a cool, dry place.
Barley malt is similar to rice syrup in that it is processed from grain, and retains about 40% of its complex carbohydrates. The remaining sugar composition is 42% maltose, 6% glucose, and about 1% fructose. It is used mainly in candies and soy milks and imparts a rich, distinct flavor. Avoid products that have been mixed with corn syrup, which will speed up the absorption of the sugars.
Molasses, if manufactured as an end product and not as a byproduct of commercial sugar production, can be a good choice of sweeteners. The byproduct can contain sulfur residues, so look for molasses that is labeled "unsulfured". It can contain anywhere from 50 to 70% sucrose, but also retains a percentage of minerals.
Posted by: sawheet
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