Although sugar functions as a source of energy for the body, in special cases, it may also provide additional benefits.
• Sucrose and glucose have been shown to be effective analgesics in newborns undergoing heel-lancing, venipuncture, or intramuscular injection.1
• Sugar may be useful in wound healing by promoting a low-moisture environment that inhibits bacterial growth.2
• Hossain et al3 suggested that the anti-hyperlipidemic effect of D-allulose, a no-calorie sweetener, in combination with its anti-inflammatory actions on adipocytes may be beneficial in the prevention of both obesity and atherosclerosis.
• Hayashi et al4 noted that D-allulose suppressed the postprandial blood glucose elevation primarily in borderline diabetes cases.
• Soterakis et al5 observed that the rate of alcohol removal from the blood was increased after ingesting fructose or sucrose compared to glucose.
SOURCES
1. Taddio A, Shah V, Hancock R, et al. Effectiveness of sucrose analgesia in newborns undergoing painful medical procedures. CMAJ. 2008;179(1):37–43.
2. Chirife J, Herszage L, Joseph A, Kohn ES. In vitro study of bacterial growth inhibition in concentrated sugar solutions: microbiological basis for the use of sugar in treating infected wounds. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983;23(5):766–773.
3. Hossain A, Yamaguchi F, Matsuo T, et al. Rare sugar D-allulose: Potential role and therapeutic monitoring in maintaining obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Pharmacol Ther. 2015;155:49–59.
4. Hayashi N, Iida T, Yamada T, et al. Study on the postprandial blood glucose suppression effect of D-psicose in borderline diabetes and the safety of long-term ingestion by normal human subjects. Study on the postprandial blood glucose suppression effect of D-psicose in borderline diabetes and the safety of long-term ingestion by normal human subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2010;74(3):510–519.
5. Soterakis J, Iber FL. Increased rate of alcohol removal from blood with oral fructose and sucrose. Am J Clin Nutr. 1975;28(3):254–257.
