Eli5: Whats the difference between “processed sugar” and sugar found in fruit, bread and milk etc? arent processed sugar the same sugar molecules as those?

Question

And more specifically, what is it that makes processed sugar worse than consuming sugar from those products, is it blood sugar spike or something?

In: 311

Answer 1

Molecularly they are the same, yes. There’s zero difference between added sugars whether they’re “natural” or “processed”, the big issue is that they’re *added*. Fortifying anything with sugar just adds empty calories and increases insulin response. Doesn’t matter if what you add is white sugar out of a bag or honey or agave syrup, *added* sugars are generally just bad for you.

Different sugars are processed differently by the body, sure. But that’s really beside the point. If a food item has a ton of added sugar it’s generally less healthy than one that doesn’t. Doesn’t matter if that sugar is added in the form of straight isolated sucrose or whatever your favorite hippy dippy sugar syrup is.