Glucose plus what makes sucrose

Glucose is a simple sugar or monosaccharide. Monosaccharides are made up of one single unit of sugar and thus cannot be broken down into simpler compounds.

In foods, glucose is most commonly bound to another simple sugar to form either polysaccharide starches or disaccharides, such as sucrose and lactose 1. Glucose is less sweet than fructose and sucrose 2. Fructose is sourced from sugar cane, sugar beets and corn. High-fructose corn syrup is made from cornstarch and contains more fructose than glucose, compared to regular corn syrup 3. Of the three sugars, fructose has the sweetest taste but least impact on your blood sugar 2.

Sucrose is made up of the simple sugars glucose and fructose. Sucrose, glucose and fructose are found naturally in many foods but also added to processed products. On the other hand, disaccharides like sucrose must be broken down into simple sugars before they can be absorbed. Glucose is absorbed directly across the lining of the small intestine into your bloodstream, which delivers it to your cells 4 , 5.

It raises blood sugar more quickly than other sugars, which stimulates the release of insulin 6. Insulin is needed for glucose to enter your cells 7. Once inside your cells, glucose is either used immediately to create energy or turned into glycogen to be stored in your muscles or liver for future use 8 , 9.

Your body tightly controls your blood sugar levels. When they get too low, glycogen is broken down into glucose and released into your blood to be used for energy 9. If glucose is unavailable, your liver can make this type of sugar from other fuel sources 9.

Like glucose, fructose is absorbed directly into your bloodstream from the small intestine 4 , 5. It raises blood sugar levels more gradually than glucose and does not appear to immediately impact insulin levels 6 , Eating large amounts of fructose on a high-calorie diet can raise blood triglyceride levels Excessive fructose intake may also raise the risk of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Enzymes in your mouth partially break down sucrose into glucose and fructose.

However, the majority of sugar digestion happens in the small intestine 4. The enzyme sucrase, which is made by the lining of your small intestine, splits sucrose into glucose and fructose. They are then absorbed into your bloodstream as described above 4. The presence of glucose increases the amount of fructose that is absorbed and also stimulates the release of insulin. This means that more fructose is used to create fat, compared to when this type of sugar is eaten alone Therefore, eating fructose and glucose together may harm your health more than eating them separately.

This may explain why added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup are linked to various health issues. Glucose and fructose are absorbed directly into your bloodstream, while sucrose must be broken down first. Virtually all the fibre, phytochemical, vitamin and mineral content have been removed from white sugar sucrose. Eating too many carbohydrates, particularly simple sugars, can be harmful to blood sugar control , especially if you are insulin resistant, experience reactive hypoglycaemia or are diabetic.

Eating excess sugar can lead to weight gain, which increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. All you need to know about sugar How much sugar should I eat? Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.

Jo Lewin is a registered nutritionist RNutr with the Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health. All health content on bbcgoodfood. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.

See our website terms and conditions for more information. Still struggling to get your head around sugar? Subscriber club Reader offers More Good Food. Sign in. Back to Recipes Pumpkin recipes Butternut squash See more. Back to Recipes Chicken slow cooker Veggie slow cooker See more. Back to Recipes Cheesecakes Cookies See more. Back to Recipes Family meals One-pot recipes See more.

Back to Recipes Quick and healthy Quick vegetarian See more. Back to Recipes Vegetable soups Healthy soups See more. Back to Recipes Chicken curry Pasta See more. Back to Recipes Smoothies Autumn drinks See more. Back to Recipes Whole foods recipes Healthy dinners See more.

Back to Recipes Vegetarian dinners Quick vegetarian See more. Back to Recipes Vegan storecupboard Vegan baking See more. Back to How to Roast timer Conversion guides. Back to Health Is air-frying healthy? The sucrase-isomaltase polypeptide is cleaved into its sucrase and isomaltase domains, which remain associated and, by analogy to the corresponding pig enzyme, are thought to dimerize Cowell et al.

Toggle navigation. About What is Reactome? Reaction [transition]. Homo sapiens. Digestion of sucrose to yield glucose and fructose. Locations in the PathwayBrowser Expand all.