Sugars vs. Carbs?

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Post Date: 12/5/07 5:40 am Hey guys!  I'm trying to figure out if i should be paying more attention to sugars or carbs.  For example, prior to surgery, my nutritionist told me that when it comes to protein bars, i should stay away from anything that has more than 6 grams of sugars.  So i've stuck to that religiously. I'm now 8 months post-op, and i'm starting to notice that a lot of foods that i buy that have low amounts of sugar, often have a lot of carbs.  I'm totally confused by this.  Not to mention, that i just noticed that the organic 1% milk i've been drinking has 12 grams of sugars!  What's up with that?  Can anyone shed some light on this topic?   Thanks! Evelyn

I'm going to re-post from a previous response: Here's my sugar primer "sugar" Describes molecules called monosaccharides or disaccharides.  The mono (one) -saccharides are glucose, fructose and galactose.  These molecules can bind together to form the Di (two) - saccharides sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar), or maltose (starch by-product).  Glucose is the most important of this bunch, as it is the primary fuel our bodies run on.  Put a bunch of these molecules together and you make starches.  Put even more of them together and you make fiber.  All of these substances are carbohydrates - the only variable is how complex the molecule is. That's the background - starches, sugars, fiber are all made up of the same basic molecules.  The deal with sugar is  1. it may make you dump  2. it provides a concentrated source of energy that is well absorbed and can ruin your daily goals for calories very quickly. But sugars are a basic part of some foods - most fruits have a high sugar content (fructose) and milk has a relatively high level of milk sugar (lactose).  These are foods that also deliver key nutrients such as calcium and B vitamins. I think the bottom line is, seek to keep within your carbohydrate goals for the day (Your RD should help you set these goals).  Try to choose foods that are low in 'added' sugar (added as an ingredient, not naturally occurring).  Recognize that some foods come with sugar and vitamins/minerals/fiber and these should be your choice for meeting your daily carb goals. I hope this clears it up a little!

Thanks.  Makes more sense to me now. Evelyn (c:

Danielle, can you also explain how they are broken up within our digestive system?   My doc had explained it once but I forget....i.e, now that we are re-routed (RNY) certain sugars go through faster than others which is why some cause dumping and others don't.  Which is which??  I rarely dump from regular sugar but I try to keep my sugars to lactose and frustose based.  I have dumped from sugar subs.; maltitol and maltodextrose but not sucrolose, sorbitol or isomalt.   And, what is the diff. digestively in splenda and aspartame? 

Sure - and let me know if this makes sense. Carbohydrate metabolism begins in your mouth (with a chemical called salivary amylase) where the chains of molecules start to be broken.  The speed in which the carbohydrate molecules break and get digested is dependent upon how complex the carbohydrate is, how well it is chewed, and how much liquid (spit) is in your mouth.  The fact that carb metabolism begins so early is a testament to how important this substance is to your body. Anyway, the molecules are altered more in your stomach by acid and enzymes (even in a pouch!) and then the intestines receive the food.   In a regular intestine, the next step is the duodenum where the food is mixed with more enzymes and absorption begins quickly - single molecules travel directly into the intestinal cells, are transported to the liver where they are "dealt out" to the rest of the body via the bloodstream.   In a RNY or other altered intestine, the mixing of enzymes doesn't take place (the duodenum is re-routed).  The body adapts by slowing transit through the intestine and by creating more cells which secrete carb-splitting enzymes.  Because the sugars may remain in large molecules, they may not be absorbed (malabsorption). Larger sugar molecules may also cause an alteration within the intestine causing the intestine to force more fluid into the intestine, increase transit, and push out the large molecules (this is dumping - an osmotic reaction for those of you who know about those) In essence, the complexity of the carbohydrate, how well it is broken down, and your individual system determines if you will dump.  Not everyone does. OK on to the sugar subs.   Aspartame (nutra sweet, equal) is a molecule made up of a carb and a protein - it has no calories because your body doesn't have a good mechanism for breaking the molecule (it is not absorbed).  This same molecule triggers a reaction on your taste buds that makes you think it is sweet. Splenda (sucralose) is a carbohydrate, but one of the molecules is flipped over - again, this triggers a sweet response from your tongue, but the molecule is not broken down effectively for calories.   Sugar alcohols are the ones ending in "ol".  Some of these molecules occur naturally, but most are manufactured.  Sugar and alcohol are related compounds (this is why sugar ferments into alcohol).  The sugar alcohols are broken down poorly and often cause dumping because the big molecules trigger the osmotic response I described earlier.  Most people do ok with these substances in small amounts. Then there are the manufactured sugars/starches like isomalt and maltodextrose - these are carbohydrates with a potential to provide calories, but maltose is a "rare" sugar in the real world and our bodies aren't well adapted to dealing with it.  Most people don't have problems with them, but some people do.  These are the sugars that say "not a non-caloric food" or "not a low calorie food" on the label because some people can actually digest them. Without getting too "chemical" - does that make sense?

Thanks!   That was very helpful.   Now I'm going to go "digest" what you wrote.   I'll probably be back with more questions....