Not all sweetness comes from the same type of sugar & bull; hello healthy

In everyday life we may not be separated from sugar consumption. In fact, nearly every food or drink you eat every day contains sugar and. Maybe you feel confused if you read the nutritional value or the basic ingredients of each food or drink that you will consume and see that there are ingredients such as fructose, glucose, galactose, maltose, sucrose, aspartame, saccharin, and so on. Does all that sweetness come from sugar? What distinguishes this content from ordinary sugar?

What are the types of sugar that are often consumed?

Not all sweeteners are the same and come from the same "sugar". Sweeteners are actually divided into two broad groups namely, natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners. Natural sweeteners are usually obtained from natural ingredients and have calorie content, while artificial sweeteners are sweeteners which are processed products and have no calories.

Types of natural sweeteners

Natural sweeteners or what we usually call sugar, are a type of simple carbohydrate that is further divided into monosaccharides, disaccharides, and oligosaccharides.

1. Glucose

Glucose is the main source of energy needed by the body for activities and is the only type of sugar that functions as energy in brain cells. Glucose will be directly used by the body for metabolic needs, but for other sweeteners, it will be digested first and converted into glucose, only then used for energy sources. Glucose is a content of sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. In one teaspoon of glucose contains as much as 16 calories. Glucose is known to have an effect on blood sugar levels.

2. Fructose

This sweetener is known as a sweetener in fruit, because the content is quite high in fruit and honey. Fructose is good for people with diabetes mellitus because it does not cause an increase in blood sugar. However, consumption of high amounts of fructose can lead to increased fat storage in the body, which can increase the risk of developing degenerative diseases. This type of sweetener will be metabolized by the liver to be converted into glucose.

3. Galactose

Galactose is often found in milk and various other dairy products, such as yogurt, cheese, and so on. Galactose also has a lower sweetness than glucose. So if you use this type of sweetener, it takes a large amount to cause a sweet taste, but this can have a bad impact on health.

4. Lactose

Lactose is known as a sweetener in milk and consists of galactose and glucose. Lactose is a disaccharide form of simple carbohydrate. Lactose has a less sweet taste and is more difficult to digest in the body, therefore lactose is rarely used as an additive in packaged food or beverage products.

5. Maltose

Maltose is a disaccharide of simple carbohydrates, which is formed from two glucose molecules. Maltose is also often referred to as malt sugar, which is usually found in cereal, pasta, potatoes, some alcoholic beverage products, and various other packaged food products.

6.Sucrose (sugar)

The sugar that we often use, for cooking or additives in tea or coffee, is a type of sucrose sweetener. Sucrose is a simple carbohydrate formed from glucose and fructose. Sucrose can be found naturally in various types of fruit and vegetables, but most sucrose is made up of 80% sugar cane and 20% sugar beet. Sucrose comes in various forms, namely in the form of sand, powder, and even rock-sugar cubes. One teaspoon of sucrose contains 17 calories and the consumption of sucrose is strictly limited for people with diabetes mellitus.

Types of artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are currently used as an alternative sugar for diabetics. In addition, because artificial sweeteners contain no calories at all or are zero-calories, they are often called healthier. However, this has yet to be proven further by doing more research. Here are the types of artificial sweeteners on the market:

1. Saccharin

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener that was first discovered and has been around for 100 years. Saccharin has a sweet taste 300 to 400 times sweeter than regular sugar and will cause a bitter taste after consumption. However, several recent studies have found that saccharin is harmful to health. Saccharin is thought to increase the risk of developing cancer because it contains carcinogens. Saccharin is still allowed to be consumed with a limit of 12 mg per 29 ml in a drink and 30 mg per food package. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should not consume foods or drinks that contain saccharin.

2. Aspartame

This type of sweetener has a sweetness level 200 times higher than sugar and has as much as 4 calories per gram. This sweetener has been allowed to be consumed since 1981 and has been widely used as a mixture of food or packaged drinks. More than 200 studies have proven that aspartame has no adverse effects on health. However, aspartame has a drawback, namely that the sweetness will disappear if exposed to high temperatures for a long time. Therefore, aspartame is more widely used for cold foods, such as ice cream, cold drinks, yogurt, and so on.

3. Asesulfame K

Just like aspartame, this artificial sweetener tastes 200 times sweeter than sugar but does not cause a bitter taste after consumption. Asesulfame K is not digested by the body because it has no calories at all. In addition, this artificial sweetener is resistant to high temperature heating so that it can withstand the cooking process. Asesulfame K is also good for diabetics because it is proven not to affect blood sugar levels. At least, in the world there are more than 1000 products that use asesulfame K.

4. Sucralose

Sucralose has a sweet taste 600 higher than sugar. This sweetener also does not go through the digestion process in the body, so it is often used as a supplementary product designed to lose weight. Sucralose can also be used during high cooking temperatures and will not lose its sweet taste. Sucralose is often used in syrups, desserts, beverages, and pastry products.

5. Neotame

Neotame is a newly discovered artificial sweetener. This artificial sweetener was allowed for consumption by the FDA in 2002. The level of sweetness possessed by Neotame is 8000 times sweeter than regular sugar and 40 times sweeter than aspartame, so that even a small amount of consumption can cause a sweet taste in food or beverages. . Neotame is allowed to be consumed as much as 2 mg per kg of body weight. This sweetener has also been shown to not cause an increase in blood sugar levels.

However, the consumption of sweet foods or drinks must be limited, even though these products use artificial sweeteners that are considered safe for consumption and have no calories. Eating too much sweet food can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension, and even osteoporosis. WHO recommends consuming sugar only 10% of the total calories needed in one day. Therefore, it is better to limit your sweet foods and do regular exercise to avoid degenerative diseases.