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Do All Carbohydrates Turn to Sugar in the Body?

Updated: Jul 31, 2020



Short answer: Technically, yes, carbohydrates breakdown to single sugar molecules called monosaccharides that our body is equipped to handle in moderation.


Long answer: Yes, all carbohydrates turn to a type of sugar in the body. BUT THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING. Any type of nutrient, whether it be carbs, proteins, or fats, must be broken down into their smallest form so that those building blocks can enter the bloodstream through the small intestine and fuel our bodies appropriately.


Each macro-nutrient ultimately breaks down to it’s building blocks:

Carbohydrates -> Monosaccharides (aka. single sugar molecules: glucose, fructose, galactose, etc.)

Proteins -> Amino acids

Fats → Glycerol + fatty acids


For example, when digested, the starch and natural sugar from say, a sweet potato will break down into glucose in the body as will the starch and added sugar from say, a cupcake, but this does NOT mean we have table sugar running through our bloodstreams.


In fact, table sugar is a disaccharide, which means two sugars. Table sugar = sucrose, which is a compound made from glucose + fructose. So, it gets broken down too.


For more information on carbohydrate breakdown read part II of my three-part series article questioning the necessity of carbs.


Our bodies have systems in place to breakdown and utilize glucose and other single sugar molecules, which are natural fuel sources. The problem does not lie with the fact that carbohydrates break down into sugar, our bodies can handle that. The problem lies with the speed that carbohydrate-containing foods breakdown into sugar, the amount that is broken down, and the quality of these foods.


Let’s look more closely at a sweet potato vs. a cupcake:

1. Speed

a. The types of carbohydrates in a sweet potato are coming from complex carbohydrates, fiber, and natural sugars. The natural sugars breakdown quickly as they are made of only mono or disaccharides (again, read part II for an explanation). The starch will breakdown slowly, however, as it is made of many monosaccharides all connected to each other, creating a polysaccharide. The fiber will never breakdown, but it will aid in slowing down the total digestion of these carbohydrates. Ultimately, it will take a longer time for all of the carbohydrates to break down into sugars in the body.


b. The cupcake contains refined starch (little to no fiber) and added sugars. The sugars, like in the sweet potato, will break down quickly. But, unlike in the sweet potato, so will the starch as it has little fiber to slow it down. Ultimately, it will take a relatively short time for all of the carbohydrates to break down into sugars in the body.


2. Amount

a. As you can see, the sweet potato contains a lot less carbohydrates than the cupcake, but that’s not really the point. Because the sweet potato contains fiber, it will take longer to breakdown and thus, longer to leave our stomachs, which helps us feel full, so we do not want anymore sweet potatoes and often less food in general.


b. The cupcake on the other hand, not only contains more carbohydrates, but they contain little fiber, so take Iess time to breakdown, leave are stomachs quickly, so we do not feel as full and - here’s the important bit - are more likely to eat more of this food, and/or other foods to help us feel full.


Additionally, since the sugar from this food digests more quickly, it spikes blood sugar quickly, and thus drops blood sugar quickly, leaving us feeling tired and likely hangry - not a good feeling.


So, often times it is the TYPE of carbohydrate-containing foods that we need to pay attention to, not just the amounts. And, yes, when we get TOO MANY carbohydrates/sugars, they will begin to be stored as fatty tissue and turn to triglycerides in our body, which can contribute to heart disease risk. It is the EXCESS that causes this.

3. Quality

a. To run efficiently, our body also utilizes vitamins and minerals. We need these for various functions in our bodies. The sweet potato is a very nutrient-dense food, containing lots of vitamins and minerals. Look at this profile from Cronometer:

Those percentages represent how much the sweet potato contributes to our daily amount of each of these nutrients, the goal is 100%.


b. The cupcake on the other hand is severely lacking. Another profile from Cronometer:

Why is this important? Well, when the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it 1) does not function as properly, and isn’t the goal to feel good? And 2) it still needs these nutrients, so it may continue to seek them out in additional foods (i.e. additional calories). The sweet potato even has compounds in it that make it better at utilizing the sugar we get from them.


Conclusion: Yes, carbohydrates turn to sugar in the body. This is not a bad thing and our bodies are adapted to handle it and actually use it for various functions. Like most things though, it is the excess of sugar that can become an issue. It is easier to get excess sugar from processed/refined foods that are easy to overeat and lack nutrients. Focusing on whole food carbohydrates will more likely prevent us from consuming an excess of sugar and provide us with health benefits from vitamins and minerals.

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