For example, most fruits have around 10-20g of sugar per cup of fruit. How is this sugar any different than if I were to eat a granola bar with 10g of added sugar? Or have a drink with added sugar? The USDA says to limit added sugar consumption, but says nothing about limiting regular sugar consumption. Is added sugar chemically any different from sugar found in natural foods?
In: Chemistry
I want to comment from a dental point of view.
Added sugars are usually simple sugars that are broken down easily by naturally existing oral bacterial flora. That influx of simple sugars drives more activity of these bacteria and increases the byproducts of this reaction (acidic byproducts). These byproducts cause damage to tooth surfaces and accelerates decay. It can also affect the bacterial balances in the oral cavity shifting it towards less healthy bacteria, making the whole situation worse.
I would assume a similar effect exists for gut flora.
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