Sugar

Description and function

Sugar means in a narrow sense the disaccharide sucrose, and, in a broader sense, all sweet-tasting one-and two sugars. It belongs to the large class of carbs. Nutritionally sugar is important as a quick source of energy. Especially for muscle and brain, the energy in the form of glucose is very important.

Important sugars

Dextrose (glucose ) is a simple sugar which is of great importance as a basic building block of many complex sugars. Glucose is used for energy supply of muscle and nerve cells.

Fruit sugar ( fructose) is a simple sugar such as glucose and is used both in pure form and as a basic building block of various polysaccharides in foods, especially in fruits and honey. Fructose is metabolized differently than glucose and does not increase the blood sugar such as glucose. Therefore it is more suitable for diabetics.

Sucrose, the commercial sugar, is composed of glucose and fructose

Milk sugar (lactose) is a disaccharide and is found in milk and dairy products.

Sugar in your diet

Maximum 10 % of daily energy intake should consist of sugar. Sugar is found in many foods. Even in those where it's hard to expect at first glance, such as in pickles, sauces and ready meals, where sugar is often used as a flavor enhancer and preservative. Even sweet drinks let the sugar consumption rise rapidly. An excessive consumption of sugary foods can promote tooth decay and lead to obesity and diabetes.

Labeling: Contains a lot of sugar

Fddb shows for some products the label " Contains a lot of sugar ". These products contain more than 12.5 g of sugars per 100 g (food) or more than 6.3 g of sugars per 100 ml (drinks). This corresponds to the requirements of the food traffic light a red marking.