eli5: Sugars are carbs. What is different about sugar that requires it to be listed separately on a nutritionql label?
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**ELI5**: Carbs are a family that contains sugar but also complex carbs and fiber. Sugar content is the most important carb when making decisions about what is ‘healthy’ as it is linked to many diseases which is why its singled out.
**More in-depth**: Carbohydrates can be broadly divided into three groups: simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, and fiber.
*Simple carbs* are mono- and disaccharides such as table sugar (sucrose which is glucose + fructose). These are absorbed quickly by your GI system and cause a rapid spike in your blood sugar which is accompanied by a rapid spike in your insulin levels to compensate. Regularly consuming foods high in simple carbs has been shown to lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other diseases. Having sugars listed on the labels (theoretically) allows consumers to make more informed choices on what they are putting in their bodies as sugar has been shown to have these negative effects.
*Complex carbs* are longer chain polysaccharides (literally many glucoses chained together) which take longer for your body to digest. This leads to a slow and steady increase in blood sugar and a slow and steady increase in insulin levels which can be well managed by your body. Foods high in complex carbs have actually been shown to be beneficial for people with type-2 diabetes (second link at the bottom).
*Fiber* is an insoluble form of carbohydrates that our bodies cannot process. Since it cannot be processed, it will never be absorbed or used as energy and will pass through our GI system. But it does play an important role in your GI health as it helps keep things moving and contributes to the feeling of being full.
There is a ton of misinformation about sugar including in this thread already so be vigilant about the information your read. One of my current pet peeves is defining sugars as “natural” or “added”/”refined”. The source of the sugar doesn’t make a difference in the chemical make up of it. Glucose is glucose is glucose. Orange juice that contains 100% natural sugars doesn’t make it any healthier than orange juice that contains 100% added sugars. Harvard med wrote a great article about it here: [https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/natural-and-added-sugars-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/](https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/natural-and-added-sugars-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/)
However, how the sugar is packaged is important: fruit mainly has intracellular sugar with vitamins, minerals, and fiber which limit the spike in blood sugar. Compare that to apple juice which has freely dissolved sugar (natural though!) and removed the fiber allowing for rapid absorption and spiking blood sugar.
**AHA recommendations on carbs:** [https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates](https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates)
**Harvard School of Public Health article on simple vs complex carbs:** [https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/)
**STATpearls article on carbohydrates**: [https://europepmc.org/article/NBK/nbk459280](https://europepmc.org/article/NBK/nbk459280)
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