@You who are afraid of sugar: Is there any kind of sugar that is good for the body? What kind of sugar is this?

Sugar is an essential nutrient in our lives, but in recent years, due to the high incidence of diseases such as high blood sugar, diabetes, and high blood lipids, many people are afraid of sugar! In fact, sugar is good for our bodies in many cases. In daily life, we must distinguish which sugars are edible and eat sugar scientifically!

0 1What are the consequences of consuming too much sugar?

Leading to obesity. After sugar enters the human body, part of it is broken down under the action of insulin to supply the energy needed by the human body, and the other part is synthesized into glycogen and stored under the action of insulin for emergency use. However, there is an upper limit to the synthesis of glycogen by the human body. Any more sugar will be converted into fat and stored in the body, causing obesity over time.

Wrinkles appear. Sugar will combine with collagen in the skin, weakening the collagen's repair and regeneration function on the skin, causing premature wrinkles and sagging of the skin. Studies have shown that if people aged 50 to 70 have high blood sugar levels, they will look 5 to 7 months older.

Increase the risk of tooth decay. Eating sugar frequently provides a good breeding environment for bacteria in the mouth. When these bacteria come into contact with sugar, it is easy to increase the acid components in the teeth, between teeth, and in the mouth. When teeth are often attacked by acidic substances, it will cause tooth decay and oral diseases, such as tooth decay.

0 2Which sugars should we pay attention to?

Try not to eat sugar: This part of sugar mainly refers to added sugar, such as white sugar, rock sugar, brown sugar, black sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose syrup, corn syrup, high fructose syrup, honey, etc.

These sugars not only increase the risk of tooth decay, but also increase the risk of being overweight and obese, and promote skin aging. Therefore, it is recommended not to eat this type of sugar as much as possible. If you want to eat it, you must control the amount, preferably not more than 25 grams per day.

Sugar that can be consumed in limited amounts: For those who particularly like to eat sweets, sugar alcohols or sugar substitutes can be used to replace added sugars. Compared with added sugars, sugar alcohols have the characteristics of low calories, almost no stimulation of insulin secretion, no large fluctuations in blood sugar, and no tooth decay. For example, xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, etc. can all be consumed in limited amounts.

Sugar that you can eat with confidence: There is a type of sugar that is neither added sugar nor sugar substitute, but is "good sugar" that is beneficial to intestinal health. This type of sugar includes oligosaccharides such as fructose, raffinose, and stachyose; non-starch polysaccharides such as pectin and cellulose, the former of which is a prebiotic and the latter of which is a dietary fiber.

0 3What are the benefits of oligofructose?

Oligofructose is highly water-soluble and is one of the most famous "prebiotics (food for probiotics)". It can promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria, and may regulate immune function by adjusting the coliform flora, which is beneficial for preventing various diseases.

Relieve constipation. Through continuous fermentation in the intestine, oligofructose will produce metabolites such as acetic acid and lactic acid, and generate substances such as ammonia, indole, and ammonia, which can increase intestinal peristalsis and help defecation.

Control blood sugar. Fructo-oligosaccharides are functional oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization of 2 to 9. They are not absorbed by the human digestive system and will not be broken down into small molecular monosaccharides such as glucose in the body after taking them. Therefore, they generally do not cause blood sugar fluctuations and are friendly to diabetics.

Improve blood lipid health. We often say that eating more foods rich in dietary fiber is good for controlling blood lipids. Oligofructose is also a kind of dietary fiber, which is a water-soluble dietary fiber, and naturally helps control blood lipids.

Reference sources: Science Popularization China, Xinhuanet, CCTV Life Circle