"No Sugar Added" Is Not a Free Ride

Q: My wife bought me a dessert advertised as "no sugar added," yet after having a slice my blood sugar spiked to 300. Why?

A: Carbohydrates. Here's the deal: When a product says "no sugar added," it doesn't mean it’s carbohydrate-free. That little dessert of yours was probably loaded with them. Many people don’t realize there’s a close relationship between the amount of carbs you consume and your resulting blood sugar level.

Carbohydrates are one of three macro-nutrients found in food; the other two are fats and proteins. Carbs can either be simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, have names such as fructose, lactose and sucrose, among others. (Basically anything with the suffix "-ose" is a sugar.) Simple carbs are found in milk, fruits and, the one we all know, table sugar. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are starches, which are made up of many glucose units joined together. Some examples of starchy foods include breads, pasta and cereals.

Exactly how much your sugar levels rise depends on the carbohydrate. Some grains and fruits contain fiber, which is a good thing because the more fiber present, the less potential there is for the food to affect your blood sugar. Other carbs are very easily converted by your body into sugar. Over 90 percent of simple carbs and some starches are in this category and, therefore, can play havoc with blood sugar levels.

And let's unravel the mystery of those ingredients in products that claim "no sugar added." Sure, they may not contain sugar, per se, but they could use other simple carbohydrates, such as turbinado, dextrose, honey, maltose, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, sorbitol or lactose. All of which can raise your blood sugar levels. So, please don't be fooled into thinking that if label says no sugar added that it’s a free pass on the food train, because at the end of this ride the conductor is counting your carbohydrates! 

Finally, remember, those of you with diabetes should meet with a registered dietician. These experts can explain how your food intake affects your blood sugar levels and help you come up with a good meal plan to stabilize things. This in turn will allow you to work with your healthcare team in choosing the best medications (if needed) to control your Type 2 Diabetes. Many insurance plans will pay for all or most of this consultation, too.

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Robert Danoff, D.O., M.S., is a family physician and program director of The Family Practice Residency, as well as the combined Family Practice/Emergency Medicine Residency programs at Frankford Hospitals, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, Pa. He is the medical correspondent for CN8, The Comcast Network, a regular contributor to Discovery Health Online and a contributing writer to The New York Times Special Features. (Read his full bio.)