What is Sucrose?
Sucrose (C12H22O11), the technical name for table sugar, cane sugar, or white sugar, is made of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule bound together. Comes in powdered and granulated forms, sugar is made from highly processed form of sugar beet or sugar cane plant extracts.
The name "sucrose" was coined in 1857 by William Miller, an English chemist, from the French sucre ("sugar") and the generic chemical suffix for sugars "ose" (Wikipedia).
Sugar can hide behind many names on food labels. "Brown sugar" is simply white sugar with some colouring added either in the form of burnt sugar or molasses in amount that is not enough to make it any more nutritious than white sugar. So if you stir brown sugar into your tea or coffee, you are actually not getting any added benefit compared to using white sugar.
Similarly, "raw sugar", which appears in larger crystals than the refined granules of table sugar, is also a marketing gimmick. "Raw" suggests "a more natural and healthier sugar", but raw sugar is nothing more than crystallized, refined white sugar with a touch of molasses.
How Good is Sucrose?
Table sugar is often called "empty calories" as it is high in calories but has zero nutritional values, that is, it supplies energy, but virtually nothing else that builds or rebuilds the body.
Excessive sugar and insulin can directly affect the strength of our immune and cardiovascular system, and lead to many health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. Beware, a 12-ounce can of cola contains about ten teaspoons of sugar. When children fill themselves with these junk sugars, they tend to eat less of more nutritious foods like milk. And this explains why obese people tend to also suffer from malnutrition.
Other Related Pages
1. We might know the names of various sugar substitutes such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin, but do you know what they are made of and how they are made? all in: 7 Sugar Substitutes [What's Behind Each Name?]
2. Buying sugarfree candies and gums again? Think twice, they may not as desirable as you think.
3. You must try my six most favourite Sugar Busters to combat binges for sweet junkies.
4. Would it really make a difference if you add brown sugar instead of white sugar into your tea and coffee? Read Is Brown Sugar Really Healthier?.
5. Sugar alcohol is neither a sugar nor an alcohol. What is it? Is it healthy to eat? More in: Are You Eating Sugar Alcohol?.
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