Sugar - The Facts

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What is sugar?

Sugar is the naturally-occurring nutrient that makes food taste sweet. It is a carbohydrate along with starch. Carbohydrates are our main source of energy. Starch-rich foods include bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes, whereas sugars are found in fruit and vegetables, honey, jam and many soft drinks.

There are a number of different sugars:

Glucose and fructose are found in fruit and vegetables
Milk sugar is known as lactose
Maltose (malt sugar) is found in malted drinks and beer
Sucrose comes from sugar cane or beet and is often referred to as 'table' or 'added' sugar. It also occurs naturally in some fruit and vegetables

All these different types of sugar have the same nutritional value.

banana milkshake

Starches and sugars provide about four Calories per gram. A level teaspoon of sugar (4g) provides 16 Calories.

Nutrition experts worldwide recommend that adults and children above the age of two obtain at least 55% of their daily calories from a variety of carbohydrate sources. Eating sugar is a useful way of increasing carbohydrate intake especially in those with high energy requirements, such as athletes and people employed in physically demanding jobs. Most people eat starchy foods in combination with fat eg butter with bread, creamy sauce with pasta, potatoes fried in oil. However, sugar itself is fat-free. Many sugary foods eg sweet breakfast cereals, fig rolls, low-fat fruit yoghurts, and jaffa cakes are low in fat and thus can help to increase our carbohydrate intake without adversely increasing fat intake.

The history of sugar

Over 2000 years ago in the Pacific Islands, the stalks of a plant were found to contain a sweet liquid. This plant is now known as sugar cane.

In the 17th century, another plant was found to contain sugar: sugar beet. In fact, all plants use energy from sunlight to make sugars through photosynthesis. However, only sugar beet and sugar cane make enough sugar to make it worthwhile extracting.

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Where does sugar come from?

Half of the sugar we use in the UK comes from sugar beet that is mostly grown in the Eastern counties of England and the West Midlands. The other half comes from sugar cane grown in countries such as Jamaica, Barbados, Mauritius and Fiji.

The juice is extracted from either sugar beet or cane and impurities are removed. It is then crystallised into white sugar, which is 99.95% sucrose. Sugar is identical whether it comes from beet or cane.

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Sugar is natural

Sugars are a type of carbohydrate made by plants. Plants contain varying amounts of different sugars eg glucose, fructose, sucrose. Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose. It is the most abundant sugar in plants. Sugar beet (a vegetable) and sugar cane (a grass) naturally contain particularly large amounts of sucrose.

The sugar that we add to tea and coffee and use in baking is almost pure sucrose. Sucrose is sometimes called 'table sugar' or simply 'sugar'. Table sugar contains no artificial preservatives, colourings or any other additives. The sucrose that we add to tea and coffee is exactly the same as the sucrose found in fruit and vegetables, and is used by the body in exactly the same ways.

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Different types of sugar

The most obvious difference between types of sugars used in the home is colour. When sugar has been extracted from the juice of the beet or cane plant, a strong tasting black syrup (known as molasses) remains. When white sugar is made, the molasses are entirely removed, whereas brown sugars retain varying amounts of this natural syrup. The more molasses in brown sugar, the stickier the crystals, the darker the colour and the stronger the flavour. However, the presence of molasses does not change sugar's nutritional value.

As well as differences in colour and flavour, sugars vary in the size of their crystals.

Granulated: all-purpose sugar for general use ('table' sugar)
Caster: small grains ensure smooth blending to give even textures in cakes and other baked foods
Icing: dissolves very quickly because of its very fine texture - useful for decorating cakes

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Uses of sugar

As a sweetener: sugar is added to foods or drinks to make them taste more pleasant. For example, it balances the bitterness of coffee or reduces the tartness of sour fruit.

As a preservative: sugar is a natural preservative that binds water to prevent the growth of micro-organisms, thereby reducing food spoilage, as in jams and preserves.

As a bulking agent: sugars give texture to a variety of foods from jams to frozen products.

Sugar makes food taste good

We are born with a liking for sweetness, and most people continue to enjoy sweet foods throughout their lifetime. It would be a pity to forget that eating is also about pleasure!

Sugar improves the flavour of foods, and so widens the range of foods that people will eat. Without sugar, for example, many high-fibre breakfast cereals providing important nutrients would be inedible. Sour and bitter fruit also taste much better when sugar is added.

An expert committee report (FAO, 1998) commented: "Moderate intake of sugar-rich foods can also provide for a palatable and nutritious diet".

Active people need sugar

Like all carbohydrates, sugar provides energy. Carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for working muscles. Not eating enough carbohydrate makes it difficult to be physically active and can make us feel sluggish.

People who are very active (eg athletes, football players) have particularly high carbohydrate requirements. It is difficult for very active people to meet their carbohydrate needs without eating sugar. Starchy foods such as bread and potatoes are too bulky to be eaten in very large quantities, especially prior to exercising. Including sugary snacks and drinks in the diet helps active people to maximise their carbohydrate intake.

Carbohydrate is stored in muscles in the form of glycogen. The more glycogen people have stored in their muscles, the longer they can exercise before feeling tired. Many athletes consume a carbohydrate snack or drink during heavy exercise to delay fatigue. It is important to replenish carbohydrate stores soon after exercise. Most people can't manage a heavy starchy meal immediately after exercise, but having a soft drink or eating a sugary snack, can start to refill carbohydrate stores straight away.

Sugar may help people stick to slimming diets

Despite the array of dietary regimes available, success in losing weight and maintaining weight loss is rarely achieved.

Nutrition experts currently recommend being physically active, cutting back on fat and eating more carbohydrates as the best strategy for weight loss. One of the first items some dieters remove from their diet is sugar. Research, however, shows that people can continue to enjoy some sugary foods and still lose weight. In fact, eating sugar may increase their chances of success.

By including some low-fat sugary foods such as arctic roll, jaffa cakes, sorbets, fruit yoghurt, rice pudding, jelly beans and currant buns in their diet, slimmers can easily top up their carbohydrate intake, without adding too many calories. They will also find it easier to cut back on high-calorie fatty foods.

People are more likely to stick to a diet if they enjoy the foods that they eat. Including a little of what they fancy in the form of sugary foods reduces feelings of deprivation and may improve slimmers’ quality of life. As a result, they are more likely to comply with weight loss advice.

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Sugar - The Facts

What is sugar?

There are a number of different sugars:

Starches and sugars provide about four Calories per gram. A level teaspoon of sugar (4g) provides 16 Calories.

Further Reading

The history of sugar

Where does sugar come from?

Sugar is natural

Different types of sugar

Uses of sugar

Sugar makes food taste good

Active people need sugar

Further Reading

Sugar may help people stick to slimming diets

Further Reading

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

FOR SCHOOLS

SCIENCE CENTRE