Is artificial white sugar a scourge to mankind? The real harm of white sugar is only these two

Real points:

"Artificial white sugar" is essentially sucrose. It does not have the "harms" of being "easier to be used by bacteria and cancer cells" due to its "smaller molecules". What we really need to worry about is the risk of tooth decay and obesity caused by excessive intake of added sugar.

Verified by: Ruan Guangfeng | Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center

Candies, cakes and other sweets always make people unable to stop eating. In recent years, many articles and film and television works have said that eating too much sugar is harmful to health. Many experts have also suggested that we eat less sugar. The country has even launched a "three reductions" campaign to call on people to reduce sugar. Recently, netizens have dug up a long-circulated "strange article" - "Teacher Ni Haixia - The Harm of Artificial White Sugar", which lists the various harms of sugar. Its theoretical basis is that "refined white sugar molecules are small and are more easily used by bacteria and cancer cells, which will increase the risk of periodontal disease, cancer, etc..."

Reducing sugar is indeed what we advocate, but are these claims true?

1. Refined white sugar molecules are small and are more easily used by bacteria?

The article says: Refined white sugar molecules are small and can be swallowed by bacteria, so these white sugars will be eaten by bacteria in the mouth, and the acid produced will corrode the teeth and cause periodontal disease.

The truth: White sugar is made from molasses squeezed from sugar cane and beets, and its main component is usually sucrose. From the perspective of molecular structure, sucrose is actually a "disaccharide". Disaccharide molecules are not small and cannot even be directly absorbed and utilized by the human body and most organisms. They need to be digested and broken down into "monosaccharides" with smaller molecules before they can be absorbed and utilized, usually "glucose".

In fact, "glucose" is the most basic and main form of energy used by our human body and most organisms. All sugars, whether disaccharides such as sucrose, maltose, lactose, or "polysaccharides" such as starch, must be further broken down into relatively smaller "glucose" before they can be absorbed and utilized. Moreover, refining only removes impurities and improves purity, but does not make the molecules of white sugar smaller. It is still sucrose.

If you eat too much sugar and don't pay attention to oral hygiene, the residual sugar is indeed easily used by bacteria to produce acidic substances, increasing the risk of tooth decay. However, this is not because the molecules of white sugar are small, but because the oral hygiene is not carried out in time.

2. Does refining make sugar more easily used by cancer cells?

The article says: Refined white sugar, like various artificial vitamins, has also undergone a refining process, and the natural molecules have become very small, making them easily absorbed by cancer cells, which is equivalent to feeding cancer cells. This is the real reason why the more vitamins you eat, the more likely you are to get cancer.

The truth: First of all, the statement that "the more vitamins you take, the more likely you are to get cancer" is completely nonsense and cannot be used as a basis. Secondly, refining is just a process of purifying substances, mainly to remove some impurities such as pigments and pomace, and finally form pure sucrose. If the impurities are not removed enough, only different products will be obtained, the most common of which is brown sugar. It does not make the "molecules smaller", let alone make it easier for cancer cells to use.

3. Does white sugar increase the risk of cancer?

The article also said: Eating white sugar products for a long time will cause fatal cancers such as esophageal cancer and gastric cancer, and sucrose is a "large alkaline molecule", so you should eat sucrose instead of refined white sugar.

The truth: Eating too much sugar is indeed bad for your health, but saying it causes cancer is a bit like "finding a pretext to accuse someone of a crime."

After evaluating the relationship between sugar intake and health, the World Health Organization believes that excessive intake of added sugar increases the risk of dental caries and obesity. Of course, obesity also increases the risk of various chronic diseases and cancers, but this is not directly related to sugar, and it is not just sugar's fault.

The latest WHO sugar intake guidelines recommend that we should not eat more than 50 grams of sugar per day, and if possible, it is best to control it within 25 grams. It should be pointed out that the sugar here refers to added sugar, not the sugar naturally present in food. Added sugar refers to sugar that is added to food, including sugar in honey and fruit juice. The sucrose mentioned in the article is generally used as added sugar. It is not an "alkaline macromolecule" and also needs to be limited. The fructose in fresh fruits, the lactose in milk, and the starch in grains and potatoes are all sugars that exist in natural foods.

Finally, I would like to say something about the author of this article. Ni Haixia passed away in 2012. From the personal introduction on the official website he founded, we can see that he was not a professional in food nutrition research, but claimed to be "proficient in classical medicine, numerology, divination, and feng shui."

4. What can we do to reduce sugar intake?

In short, "artificial white sugar" is essentially sucrose, and it does not have the "harms" mentioned above. What we really need to worry about is the increased risk of dental caries and obesity caused by excessive intake of added sugar. If you pay attention to the amount and ensure the balance of total energy income and expenditure, sugar can still be eaten. The main reason why sugar is now said to be unhealthy is that we eat too much.

Therefore, if you want to reduce sugar, it is recommended to start from the following aspects:

1. Try not to drink sweet drinks on a daily basis. If you want to drink, try to choose sugar-free drinks.

2. Even if it is pure fruit juice, drink less and try to eat the fruit directly.

3. Try to control the amount of baked goods. If you want to eat them, choose sugar-free ones.

4. When you eat or cook food, you should develop the habit of not adding sugar as much as possible.

5. When buying packaged foods, pay attention to the nutrition labels, especially those that claim to be "zero fat," "low sugar," or "sugar-free." Be sure to look at its ingredients and nutrient content. In addition, there are many things on food labels that are actually sugar, such as corn syrup, maltodextrin, etc. If these things are present, be careful to eat less.

Editor of this article: zoey