An intelligent sugar strategy: choosing which sugars you eat
Not all sugars behave the same way in the body. In a world filled with dietary choices, selecting the right sugars is crucial. With Dr Coy’s Sugars, you can make an intelligent switch to your favourite recipes, without sacrificing sweetness.
Get to know Dr Coy’s Sugars
Awareness of what we consume is at the heart of how we eat. Dr Coy’s sugars provide you with an opportunity to make a change in your diet. These natural, ancient sugars supply the energy you need, but the body handles them differently from conventional ‘classic’ sugars.
Whether you’re looking to replace or supplement your current sugar intake, Dr Coy’s sugars provide a versatile solution. Each one takes a different route through the body, and the pages below explain how. This is what Dr Coy calls the Intelligent Sugar Switch.
Tagatose
Tagatose is a sweet, simple sugar (monosaccharide) with a very low glycaemic index and low-calorie content. It slows the uptake of other sugars eaten alongside it. A small amount is absorbed in the small intestine, and the remainder is excreted or fermented in the large intestine by gut bacteria.
Produces a lower blood glucose rise than sugar
Low in calories because only a small part is absorbed
Does not feed the bacteria that cause tooth decay
Low glycaemic index
Tastes 90%-92% as sweet as classic sugar
Galactose
Galactose, is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) like glucose, but with a lower glycaemic index, which means it doesn’t lead to a fast blood glucose increase and blood sugar levels remain stable. Although it has the same calorie content as glucose, it uses more energy to process, so the actual calorie content is lower than normal sugar.
Forces the cell to use its mitochondria, which is where fat is burned
Taken up by the brain without needing insulin
Not available to the bacteria that produce acid in the mouth
Low glycaemic index
Produces only a small rise in blood glucose
Isomaltulose
Isomaltulose is a natural double sugar (disaccharide) which consists of the same components as conventional household sugar, glucose and fructose, but has a lower glycaemic index. The bond between them is different, so it is broken down slowly, and mouth bacteria have no enzyme that can cleave it at all.
Produces a lower blood glucose rise than sugar
Long-lasting energy
Cannot be broken down by the bacteria that cause tooth decay
Low glycaemic index
Tastes even sweeter than table sugar
Trehalose
Trehalose, is a natural double sugar (disaccharide) composed of two glucose molecules. Many plants, fungi, bacteria, and some insects use trehalose to protect proteins in their cells against protein damages – especially when extreme environmental conditions are present.
Produces a lower blood glucose rise than sugar
Releases its glucose gradually rather than all at once
Studied for its role in protecting proteins inside the cell
Low glycaemic index
Tastes 50% less sweet than table sugar
Ribose
Ribose is a simple sugar which forms the building blocks of DNA. It’s an essential component of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the primary molecule that stores and transfers energy in our cells. It’s the least sweet sugar.
Lowers blood glucose rather than raising it
A direct precursor of ATP, the molecule cells use to carry energy
Studied in relation to muscle recovery after exercise
Negative glycaemic index
Tastes slightly sweet
Allulose
Allulose is a naturally occurring rare sugar, also known as D-allulose or D-psicose. It’s found in trace amounts in foods such as figs, raisins, and maple syrup.
Produces almost no rise in blood glucose
Very low in calories, as little of it is metabolised
Low glycaemic index
Tastes just as sweet as table sugar
Mannose
Mannose is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) similar to glucose. It occurs naturally in various fruits such as cranberries, oranges, and apples, as well as in seeds and coffee beans. In the body, mannose plays a key role in the formation of glycoproteins — essential molecules involved in cell communication and immune function.
Used by the body to build glycoproteins, which cells use to communicate
Can be converted to glucose when the body needs it, which is why Dr Coy includes it alongside galactose
An active area of research in metabolism and immune function
Mannose has also drawn attention in cancer research. A 2018 study published in Nature reported that mannose slowed the growth of tumours in mice and increased the effect of chemotherapy. This was laboratory and animal work, and the findings have not been tested in people.
Produces little rise in blood glucose
Getting to know the classic sugars
Too much classic sugar, combined with large amounts of glucose-based carbohydrates, bumps our daily sugar consumption, and a growing body of research links this pattern to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. When this is combined with a stressful and inactive lifestyle, our bodies are at greater risk of disease and faster ageing.
Glucose
Glucose:
Most of the glucose we consume comes from starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. It is also a component of many common sugar compounds, including:
- Sucrose (glucose + fructose, found in cane sugar and table sugar)
- Lactose (glucose + galactose, found in dairy products)
- Maltose (two glucose molecules joined together, found in malt sugar)
Too much glucose in our diet causes a spike in our blood sugar levels, which is associated with weight gain, chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. When we are stressed, the body craves carbohydrates and sweet foods, because the quick release of glucose triggers the brain's reward pathways and temporarily suppresses cortisol. After the spike, blood sugar levels fall again, and the cycle of craving starts over.
Effects on the body?
Our brains need sugar in the form of glucose, so an entirely sugar-free diet is not the goal. A growing body of research links high intakes of glucose and starch-rich foods to obesity, type 2 diabetes and accelerated ageing, and public health guidance in the UK recommends reducing our intake of free sugars.Fructose
Fructose:
Our ancestors had limited fresh fruit in winter and would eat as much as they could when it was available, building the fat reserves needed to get through the colder months. Fructose is a sugar that enables the efficient building of fat deposits. Eating fructose-rich fruits in late summer and autumn helped our ancestors survive, but most of us no longer rely on fat deposits to see out the winter.
Today we have access to fruit and fruit juice all year round, rather than only during harvest season. Processed foods add further fructose to our diet through manufactured syrups.
High-fructose corn syrup, made from corn starch, is a common additive in processed foods because it is an inexpensive bulk sweetener. It contains around 55 per cent fructose, and it turns up in sauces, salad dressings, yoghurts and fizzy drinks.
Effects on the body?
Most of the fructose we consume is sent to the liver, where it is converted into glucose. The body then uses it straight away for energy, or converts it into fat. When the diet is high in fructose, the liver is presented with more than it can process this way, and begins converting a greater proportion of it into fat.
Research associates high fructose intakes with:- An increase in liver fat and reduced insulin sensitivity, which is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Weight gain and a higher risk of obesity
- A higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Things worth knowing
Fresh fruit is part of a balanced diet, and the fibre, vitamins and minerals it carries come with the fructose. Fruit juices and dried fruits contain more fructose by weight than whole fresh fruit, so they are worth being aware of.
Berries, including strawberries, currants, chokeberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, are among the lower-fructose fruits.
Food labels are the most reliable way to see how much added sugar a product contains.
Sucrose
Sucrose:
We are all familiar with sucrose. We add it to tea and coffee, and use it to bake cakes and pastries.
Much of the time we consume it without noticing, in fruit yoghurts, peanut butter, granola bars and breakfast cereals, and in savoury foods like condiments, sausages and frozen ready meals.
Sucrose appears on ingredient labels under many different names, so the absence of the word 'sugar' does not mean a product is low in it. Common names for added sugar containing sucrose include beet sugar, golden syrup, carob syrup and molasses.
The most reliable way to know how much sucrose we are eating is to make a habit of scanning the ingredients list before buying.
Effects on the body?
On average, individuals consume more than 30kg of this type of sugar a year. A high sucrose intake means prolonged periods of raised blood sugar, and a growing body of research links this pattern to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Sucrose also feeds the bacteria in the mouth that produce plaque and the acids that attack tooth enamel.
Lactose
Effects on the body?
Lactose intolerance is common, and occurs when the body produces little or no lactase. Signs include an upset stomach, bloating, wind, headaches and fatigue.
Fermented dairy products such as buttermilk, kefir, yoghurt and cheese contain low or very low amounts of lactose, because the fermenting bacteria break the lactose down before we eat it.
Things worth knowing:
Galactose and tagatose do not require lactase in order to be digested, so they are handled differently by the body from lactose itself.Practical Solutions for Everyday Use
See how Dr Coy’s sugars are used day to day. Our ‘Solutions’ section sheds light on practical, everyday applications of Dr Coy’s sugars. Discover how each unique sugar works in cooking and baking, what the research says about it, and how it fits into ordinary eating.
Incorporate
Dr Coy’s Sugars into your diet
Explore Dr Coy’s mouthwatering recipes to learn how you can create meals and desserts using his sugars and flour mixtures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get to know more about Dr Coy’s sugars by reading some of our most frequently asked questions.
Who is Dr Coy?
Dr Johannes Coy is a world-renowned scientist whose research focuses on how different sugars are metabolised. Dr Coy has made a number of important genetic discoveries which change our understanding of cancer and nutrition and make him the leading expert on sugars.
What is Intelligent Sugar?
Intelligent Sugar is a company founded by the world-renowned scientist Dr Johannes Coy. Our primary focus is to raise awareness about Dr Coy’s sugars, such as tagatose, galactose, isomaltulose, and trehalose, which provide sweetness and are metabolised differently from classic sugar.
By replacing classic sugars with these natural sugars, we can keep sweetness in the diet while changing what it does in the body. We call this The Intelligent Sugar Switch.
Where can I buy Dr Coy's Sugars?
This site is informational and does not sell anything. If you would like help finding companies that use Dr Coy’s sugars and sugar mixtures, email us at info@intelligentsugar.info and we will point you in the right direction, including any retailers that may be stocking them near you.
Are Dr Coy's Sugars safe?
All of Dr Coy’s Sugars are naturally found in plants, fruits, milk, and honey. Each one has been researched through peer-reviewed studies published in leading scientific journals. We have a full list of research and resources on Dr Coy’s Sugars, along with an easy-to-understand summary of each study.