They’re absorbed directly into your bloodstream, primarily in your small intestine ( 4). Since monosaccharides are already in their simplest form, they don’t need to be broken down before your body can use them. Your body digests and absorbs monosaccharides and disaccharides differently. They’re Digested and Absorbed Differently Sucrose, glucose and fructose are found naturally in many foods but also added to processed products. Sucrose is made up of the simple sugars glucose and fructose. Of the three sugars, fructose has the sweetest taste but least impact on your blood sugar ( 2). High-fructose corn syrup is made from cornstarch and contains more fructose than glucose, compared to regular corn syrup ( 3). Moreover, it’s commonly added to processed foods in the form of high-fructose corn syrup.įructose is sourced from sugar cane, sugar beets and corn.

It’s naturally found in fruit, honey, agave and most root vegetables. Fructoseįructose, or “fruit sugar,” is a monosaccharide like glucose ( 1). Glucose is less sweet than fructose and sucrose ( 2).

It’s often added to processed foods in the form of dextrose, which is extracted from cornstarch. In foods, glucose is most commonly bound to another simple sugar to form either polysaccharide starches or disaccharides, such as sucrose and lactose ( 1). They’re the building blocks of carbohydrates. Monosaccharides are made up of one single unit of sugar and thus cannot be broken down into simpler compounds. It’s your body’s preferred carb-based energy source ( 1). Glucose is a simple sugar or monosaccharide. Sucrose tastes less sweet than fructose but sweeter than glucose ( 2). Table sugar and the sucrose found in processed foods are commonly extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets. It’s a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in many fruits, vegetables and grains, but it’s also added to many processed foods, such as candy, ice cream, breakfast cereals, canned foods, soda and other sweetened beverages. Sucrose is a disaccharide consisting of one glucose and one fructose molecule, or 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Sugars are categorized as monosaccharides or disaccharides.ĭisaccharides are made up of two, linked monosaccharides and broken back down into the latter during digestion ( 1). Sucrose is the scientific name for table sugar.

Glucose and lactose