The topic of sugar is a bit of a hot one. You’ve probably heard things like eating too much sugar isn’t good for your health, but that the sugars naturally occurring in fruits aren’t as bad. It gets confusing!
In this article, we’ll explain the difference between sucrose, glucose, and fructose, which are some of the most basic sugar molecules that are naturally occurring in some foods and present in sweeteners.
Sucrose, glucose, and fructose – what are the differences?
Chemical names ending in “-ose” generally mean it’s a sugar (or sugar alcohol). Sugar molecules are considered monosaccharides or disaccharides.
Monosaccharides are made up of a single sugar molecule (mono means one). Disaccharides (di means two, twice, or double) are made of two monosaccharides linked together – so two single-sugars (monosaccharides) are connected.
Sucrose is the type of sugar in cane sugar – also known as white sugar, table sugar, and “regular” sugar. The sucrose molecule is a disaccharide made up of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule.
That means that glucose is a monosaccharide, and fructose is also a monosaccharide. Monosaccharides only contain one type of sugar and aren’t linked with another sugar unless it’s in the form of a disaccharide like sucrose.
Sweetness
Fructose is considered the sweetest of all three sugars, with sucrose being the second sweetest and glucose being the least sweet.
Glycemic index
The glycemic index is a rating of how quickly different foods (like different sugars) raise your blood sugar levels. The scale uses pure glucose (the same type of sugar in your bloodstream) as the score for 100, the maximum score on the scale.
The scale for the glycemic index is as follows:
- Low GI: 1 to 55.
- Medium GI: 56 to 69
- High GI: 70+ (maximum of 100)
That means that low-GI foods raise your blood sugar the least compared to high-GI foods, which spike blood sugar levels the most.
So what are the glycemic indexes for sucrose, glucose, and fructose?
Sucrose: 65
Glucose: 100
Fructose: 25
Uses & sources
Sucrose
Sucrose is the type of sugar molecule found in sugar beets and cane sugar, which are both used to make “white sugar”. These types of sugars are used to make sweetened processed foods like desserts, sugar-sweetened cereals, and much more.
Foods and drinks sweetened with sucrose might specify that they are made with “real sugar” as opposed to corn syrups – which we’ll go over soon!
Glucose
Glucose is the same type of sugar found in your bloodstream. Your body needs glucose to feed your cells to carry out basic bodily functions like breathing, moving, and supplying your brain with energy to function.
The sugar dextrose is almost identical to glucose and is used in things like IV solutions to supply sugar intravenously to medical patients, but it can also be used to sweeten foods just like sucrose.
Glucose is also the most prevalent type of sugar in corn syrup, which can be turned into the popular sweetener high-fructose corn syrup.
Another fun fact – glucose is one of the prevalent sugars in honey, along with fructose!
Fructose
Fructose is also known as fruit sugar because it’s naturally found in many fruits. Some of the fruits highest in fructose include apples, grapes, and watermelon.
High-fructose corn syrup is a common sweetener used to sweeten foods and drinks, especially sugar-sweetened beverages like soda.
High-fructose corn syrup is made by converting some of the glucose molecules in regular corn syrup to fructose, which tastes sweeter than glucose.
The benefit to food manufacturers of using high-fructose corn syrup in processed foods is they can use less of it than regular corn syrup or regular sugar because it’s sweeter, and it’s less expensive because it’s made from corn, a subsidized crop in the United States.
| Relative sweetness | Glycemic index | Mono- or disaccharide? | Common sources/uses | |
| Sucrose | Medium sweet | 65 | Disaccharide | -Type of sugar in cane sugar/beet sugar (“regular” sugar) |
| Glucose | Least sweet | 100 | Monosaccharide | -Same sugar as in your bloodstream-Primary sugar in corn syrup |
| Fructose | Most sweet | 25 | Monosaccharide | -”Fruit sugar”-Found in high-fructose corn syrup along with glucose |
FAQs:
Sucrose, glucose, and fructose are all forms of sugar, which can be detrimental to your health if you regularly consume any of them in large amounts. Of the three, fructose (in its natural form) raises your blood sugar the least because it has the lowest glycemic index. For a healthier option, aim to consume fructose naturally in the form of fruit instead of high-fructose corn syrup and other added sweeteners.
Any form of sugar isn’t necessarily considered “healthy”. More natural, unrefined sugars can be considered “healthier” than refined sugars, but even those should be limited. Examples of less-refined sweeteners include raw cane sugar, honey, and maple syrup, to name a few.
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