Not all sugar is the same
Eating too much ordinary sugar can affect our health over time. Dr Coy works with a family of sugars that let you enjoy sweet treats while being gentler on blood sugar, lower in calories and kinder to teeth.
Sugar is a basic fuel for body and mind
Our bodies run on sugar as a basic fuel. But too much ordinary sugar, and too much of the non-sweet starches in bread, pasta, potatoes and grains that also raise blood glucose, is linked over time to weight gain and type 2 diabetes, which can in turn contribute to further conditions such as cardiovascular disease. This bigger picture, how the modern diet affects long-term health, is the concern behind Dr Coy’s work.
His response is to look at which sugars raise blood glucose gently, and to use those in place of ordinary sugar and refined starch. You can explore the science and the studies behind these topics in our research library.
The science behind Intelligent Sugar
Dr Coy is a biochemist and cancer researcher who discovered the TKTL1 gene, and whose work on how our cells use sugar led to the idea of intelligent sugar: that not all sugars behave the same in the body, and that the ones which raise blood glucose gently can be used in their place. Learn more about Dr Coy and the science.
Make the Intelligent Sugar Switch
Sign up for our four-part informative email series to learn how sugar affects the body, and how Dr Coy’s alternatives differ.
Same, but different?
Let’s compare a classic sugar with one of Dr Coy’s, to see how each behaves in the body.
Tagatose is one of the sugars Dr Coy works with, chosen because it behaves very differently from ordinary sugar. Sucrose is a classic sugar. Both occur naturally, but they affect the body in different ways. They are part of what Dr Coy calls intelligent sugar, chosen for how they behave in the body rather than just how they taste.
Sucrose
Classic sugar
- Causes a large, rapid rise in blood glucose.
- Higher in calories.
- Contributes to tooth decay.
- Eaten in excess over time, is linked to weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
- Raises HbA1c, a marker of average blood glucose over time.
Tagatose
One of Dr Coy’s sugars
- Induces a lower blood glucose rise after consumption than sugar.
- Fewer calories than sugar.
- Low glycaemic index.
- Contributes to the maintenance of tooth mineralisation.
- Much of it is fermented in the colon by the gut microbiome rather than absorbed.
Dr Coy works with other sugars too, including galactose, mannose, isomaltulose, trehalose, ribose and allulose. Each has its own properties: isomaltulose, like tagatose, carries the authorised blood-glucose and tooth-mineralisation claims, allulose is very low in calories, and others are low glycaemic or slow-release. You can read about each, and the research behind them, in our research library.
Why people choose these sugars
Replace ordinary sugar one-for-one in cooking and drinks
Fewer calories than sugar
A gentler rise in blood sugar (low glycaemic index).
Tooth-friendly sweetness
Enjoy sweet food without the same spike.
Get in touch with Intelligent Sugar
Got a question about Dr Coy’s sugars? Contact info@intelligentsugar.info
If you have a question about a specific health condition, please speak to your doctor.