Q
What should we
know about sugar?
A When we think of sugar, we
might visualise ice-white cubes
dropped into cups of tea or tiny
crystals used in baking. But
that’s just one part of the story.
Sugar is a small, dissolvable
carbohydrate that takes three
forms: monosaccharides
(single sugars), disaccharides
(double sugars) and
polysaccharides (multiple
sugars). It can be helpful for
those with diabetes to know
what happens when these
types of carbs are digested.
Monosaccharides are the
simplest form and contain
a single molecule of either
glucose, fructose or galactose.
Two monosaccharides joined
together make a disaccharide.
Sucrose – common table sugar
- is a disaccharide, made up of
fructose and glucose. Lactose
(in milk) is galactose and glucose
and, finally, maltose (malt sugar)
contains two glucose molecules.
As the sugar chains become
longer they can be grouped into
other forms of carbohydrates,
like starches or polysaccharides.
This information might sound
like a science lesson, but it’s
important to learn as even starches,
such as potatoes, pasta and rice, are
simply long chains of sugars.
Once eaten, your body digests
most carbohydrates, both starches
and sugars, and breaks them down
into their simplest form: glucose.
This form of sugar is then transported
around the body via the bloodstream
as blood glucose ready to be used by
the cells, particularly by the brain.Q
Why is that important?
A In people with diabetes
blood glucose levels (BGLs) aren’t
as well-regulated, due
to insufficient insulin
production, so they must
be managed with diet,
medication and/or
injected insulin.
People with diabetes
need to be aware of their
carb intake and may
assess food via carb
exchanges (see next
page). Because carbs are
important for diabetes
management, DL doesn’t
separately list sugar in
the nutrition panels.Sugar has been much maligned by
authors, celebrities and health authorities
but should you cut it out altogether?
DL dietitian Lisa Urquhart answers
your questions about this tasty sweetener
sweet stuff
THE
Sweet
dreams100 JULY/AUGUST 2017 diabetic living