Sugars are the fundamental units of energy that are used by the body. (See Carbohydrates). There are six different sugars, or simple carbohydrates, commonly found in foods: glucose, fructose and galactose, which are all mono-saccharides or single sugars, and sucrose, lactose and maltose, which are known as disaccharides. There are also polysaccharides, or complex carbohydrates, which consist of long chains of the simple sugars.

All sugars have at least one thing in common; before the body can use them for energy, they must be broken down into glucose, or blood sugar.

What Causes The ‘Sugar Blues’?

Normal metabolism can be interrupted by the consumption of highly-sweetened foods. If a concentrated sugary snack is consumed, the body receives a dose of simple sugars already in a form in which they can be used immediately.

This raises the level of glucose in the blood too quickly causing the pancreas to respond by releasing a large burst of insulin. This excess insulin causes all of the glucose to be withdrawn from the blood at once leaving the body feeling more deficient in energy than before. This feeling of a ‘lack of energy’ encourages us to want to consume another sugary snack straight away and the whole cycle is repeated.