Sugar

Do you ever wonder why people who are sad or depressed are told they should eat sugar? Rumors have it that sugar is actually supposed to boost serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain. For those of you who don’t know what serotonin is, it is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for regulating mood, social behavior, appetite, digesting, memory and sexual desire and function². Dopamine is also a neurotransmitter it is known as the feel-good neurotransmitter¹. It’s very common to find sugar in the everyday foods we eat, whether those foods are natural and processed. Sugar is an essential part of cooking and baking, and people frequently use it in their coffees and teas. The chemical formula of sugar is C6H12O6.   

Unfortunately, sugar is found in almost everything we eat, even if something is “sugar-free” there could be some alternative artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols added. The benefit of alternative sugars is no calories, the slower effect on your blood sugar levels, and minimizes tooth decay or cavities⁶.

These alternatives come out to be a lot sweeter than regular sugar, but in return, you need less of it, so when you see a label that is “sugar-free” it could be using artificial sweeteners but have less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving³. Sugar that we know as the little white crystals typically come from beets and sugarcane that have been purified and crystallized⁴. You can also find sugar in plants and it can also be synthesized in labs, other minor commercial sources are sorghum and sugar maples³. There are also natural alternatives

 Figure 1. Image was taken by; Roberts, M. (2018, May 23). Are sweeteners healthier than sugar? Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-44208504

Sugar is not toxic if consumed in moderation, obviously, if you are consuming an obscene amount of it, there will be repercussions on your health such as diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, nerve damage, kidney damage, blindness, and gastrointestinal disturbance⁵. A legal dose of sugar is 30g/kg, so with someone of my weight, I’d have to eat about 1836kg of sugar to become toxic⁵. I picked sugar because I don’t know about you, but my metabolism is not what it used to be 7 years ago. So when I eat, I find myself more cautious with my sugar intake. I do enjoy the odd treat here and there, but if I can, I will do my best to avoid any additional sugar in my meals. Sugar isn’t going to ruin, consuming it in moderation is key.

¹Dopamine. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dopamine

²McIntosh, J. (2018, February 2). Serotonin: Facts, uses, SSRIs, and sources. Retrieved February 5, 2020, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232248.php

³What is the difference between no added sugar and sugar-free?: Nutrition. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2020, from https://www.sharecare.com/health/nutrition-diet/whats-no-added-sugar-free

⁴Singh, R. P., & Clarke, M. A. (2019, May 30). Crystallization. Retrieved February 9, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/science/sugar-chemical-compound/Crystallization

⁵Sucrose. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2020, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Sucrose#section=Related-Compounds-with-Annotation

⁶Posted under Health Guides. Updated 30 March 2018. Related Content. (2018, March 30). Sugar Substitutes and Artificial Sweeteners. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://youngwomenshealth.org/2013/12/12/sugar-substitutes/