Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

232 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
this is an ongoing area of research and controversy. One possible explanation is that a diet
high in added sugar means the pancreas has to work hard to make enough insulin, and
over time, it can begin to fail and the body’s cells start to become insulin resistant. The liver
also has to work hard to metabolize fructose, and too much fructose increases fat synthesis,
which can raise blood lipid and cholesterol levels, increasing risk of heart disease.
Both dietary sucrose and starch are associated with tooth decay. Bacteria living in the
mouth can utilize the carbohydrates passing through the oral cavity for their own benefit.
Those bacteria happily metabolize carbohydrates, especially sucrose, but also starchy foods,
which stick to teeth and linger there. Acid is formed in the process, and this can dissolve
your tooth enamel, eventually causing cavities, also known as dental caries. Reducing sugar
intake, limiting between-meal snacks, and brushing after meals to remove lingering
carbohydrates can help reduce the risk of dental caries. The use of fluoride and regular
dental care also help.
Fig. 4.36. Dental caries are formed because of a combination of factors: the presence of oral
bacteria; a supply of sugar and/or starch for them to eat; tooth surface where they can form
colonies, or plaque; and time.
ARE SOME ADDED SUGARS BETTER THAN OTHERS?
Students often ask which sugar is healthiest: high fructose corn syrup, honey, agave syrup, or
sugar? In general, as far as the body is concerned, sugar is sugar. These are all concentrated
sweeteners that contain calories with very few/no other nutrients, so all should be used only
in moderation.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has gotten a lot of attention in the last several decades
and has been blamed for the obesity epidemic and many other poor health outcomes. This
is in part because it’s widely used to sweeten soda and so has become a large part of the
American diet. It’s true that fructose is more work for the body to process, because it has to
be converted to glucose. Here’s what the website Sugar Science, written by researchers and
scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, has to say about the difference
between table sugar and high fructose corn syrup:
“Table sugar (sucrose), derived from sugar cane and beets, is made up of equal portions of
two types of sugars. It’s half (50%) glucose and half (50%) fructose. High-fructose corn syrup
(HFCS) is derived from corn syrups that have undergone enzymatic processing to convert
some of their glucose into fructose to produce a desired sweetness. HFCS comes in different