Most of us love sweet foods and drinks. But after that short burst of sweetness, you may worry about how sweets affect your waistline and your overall health. Is sugar truly bad for us? How about artificial or low-calorie sweeteners? What have scientists learned about the sweet things that most of us eat and drink every day?
Our bodies need one type of sugar, called glucose, to survive. “Glucose is the number one food for the brain, and it’s an extremely important source of fuel throughout the body,” says Dr. Kristina Rother, an NIH pediatrician and expert on sweeteners.
But there’s no need to add extra glucose to your diet. Your body can extract glucose from the sugars and other carbohydrates in your food. It can also produce new glucose, mostly in the liver. That’s why you can survive for a long time without eating….