During Tet, replace granulated sugar with rock sugar, is it cooler?

Associate Professor - Doctor - Doctor Lam Vinh Nien, Head of the Department of Nutrition - Dietetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, answered: The chemical nature of rock sugar is sucrose (sucrose), completely similar to white sugar. Rock sugar is made from a solution of sugar and water, so it is thinner than white sugar, creating a "cooler" feeling. However, if you eat a lot of rock sugar, the total amount of sugar taken into the body can still be high.

There is no scientific evidence that rock sugar is healthier than white sugar.

Rock sugar only provides sucrose without any significant vitamins or minerals. The daily sugar intake of rock sugar is similar to that of white sugar.

The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 100 kcal of added sugar per day (equivalent to 25 g of sugar per day), and for men no more than 150 kcal (38 g of sugar).

Mistakes when using sugar and candy

Candy is often sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Many people think that fructose does not raise blood sugar as much as white sugar. However, fructose is still converted to glucose in the body, so it still affects blood sugar and total energy intake for the day.

Eating a lot of sugar and candy will cause health risks such as:

• Increased risk of overweight and obesity due to increased energy intake.
• Increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease.
• Adverse effects on oral health.

Additionally, fructose is metabolized in the liver, and studies show that high fructose intake leads to an increased risk of fatty liver.