Your syrup health guide: key facts

Popular Syrups - Are They Healthy?

Is there really a difference between regular sugar and popular expensive syrups?

There are many syrups out there, but after reading this article, you'll never get confused about them again.

Note: This is not a call to completely avoid syrups, but you need to understand them and consume them wisely!

A syrup is a concentrate of sugars + substances contained in the base, aromatic substances, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients.

What is the base for syrups?

• break down STARCH into glucose using acid or enzymes, because starch consists of glucose units bound together (this is how corn and rice syrups are made). They will contain a lot of maltose and glucose, but the reaction can go further to create a syrup with almost 42% fructose content.

• extract juice from something sweet (agave, dates) and concentrate it. This will be almost pure fructose.

• collect sap from trees (maple, birch) and evaporate it until it becomes thick. This will contain a lot of sucrose.

• break down inulin into fructose, as inulin consists of fructose units bound together (this is how Jerusalem artichoke and chicory syrups are made). This will contain up to 95% fructose. But there is an exception, which I'll mention below.

• use honey.

So all syrups consist of fructose and/or glucose and sucrose. Sucrose is the name for fructose and glucose bound together by certain chemical bonds. Therefore, no matter what, the base of syrups is sugar. Even if the labels say "no sugar")

There is an interesting exception that is very useful to remember:

Some chicory syrups contain 65-80% oligofructose (these are short chains of fructose created by partial hydrolysis of inulin).

Such a syrup will have PREbiotic properties and a sugar content of only 12%.

Such a syrup should indicate a fiber content of at least 65%. If there is no such information, then most likely a complete hydrolysis of inulin into fructose syrup was carried out. Whether to choose it or not is up to you.

Important conclusions:

• The amount of syrup consumption is very important, as excess negatively impacts the body, so it's best to consume them in small amounts. You need to understand them and treat them like sugars, not superfoods.

• Some syrups are healthier than sugar because they contain additional beneficial substances. But if you consume syrups in excessive amounts, the harm from their sugar content will outweigh any benefits.

• Consuming some syrups is much worse than consuming sugar (for example, fructose syrups, as we wrote about the harm of fructose and why this happens in a previous article).

• Why the glycemic index and glycemic load index are important can be read in this article.

• Of course, consuming any products is an individual process. For example, if a person has SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), even the healthiest of all syrups - chicory syrup containing oligofructose - should be removed until the intestinal condition is normalized.

SYRUP RATING:

These GI and GL values can be helpful when choosing sweeteners, especially if you need to manage the glycemic impact on your body. Remember that consuming any syrups should be done in moderation, especially if you have issues with glycemic control, such as diabetes.

Choose your syrup wisely based on your health condition and your understanding of fructose (its metabolic pathway and impact on the body), of course, preferring healthier options that contain inulin and a balanced composition of fructose and glucose.

Agave syrup, date syrup, as well as chicory syrup with complete hydrolysis of inulin - these are 80-95% fructose solutions and rank last, because worse than that is only crystalline fructose.

Please use this cheat sheet to find science-backed syrup rating 👇
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Each mindful small step today will become a giant leap for your well-being tomorrow.

Warm regards,
Kos