Honey Versus Maple Syrup - WTOP

The human body is hardwired to like sweet foods. That was useful for our caveman ancestors who sometimes dealt with long periods of hunger or fasting when resources were scarce. But it’s not always such a great thing for modern Americans who often have easy access to countless sugary, calorie-filled snacks every moment of the day.

America’s ongoing love affair with sugar has helped fuel an increase in obesity rates, and that spells trouble for general health and well-being. As such, many people are looking to cut out or limit their intake of sugar, and in so doing, may be substituting in honey or maple syrup instead.

However, this move towards a more natural sweetener may not have the intended effect because as it turns out, “both honey and maple syrup are made up of primarily sugar,” says Mia Syn, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Types of Sugar

There are several kinds of sugar, including sucrose, glucose and fructose. They have differing chemical compositions and the body treats each one a little differently:

— Sucrose is the technical term for white refined sugar. It’s made up of a combination of glucose and fructose. It occurs naturally in many foods, but in its refined form, its the primary source of added sugars in the diet and is found in many processed foods and baked goods.

— Glucose is a simple sugar that’s less sweet than sucrose and fructose. The body prefers to burn glucose for energy, and it’s a basic building block for many other...

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