Week 2 ILAB - Research Paper Example

Sucrose s History of sucrose and its structure Sucrose is a disaccharide molecule composed of glucose and fructose monosaccharide. It has a molecular formula of C12H22O11.The word sucrose was formed in the mid-19th century from Latin sucrum meaning sugar and the suffix –ose.The knowledge of sugar production mainly dates back to India. For example, the army of Alexander the Great docked on the banks of river Indus when his troops became relentless to go on East. They saw people in India growing sugarcane and processing granulated sweet powder.

The soldiers then carried the sugar cane reeds back home.Structure of sucrose2. Safety and sucrose.The sweetener is relatively safe in terms of both physical and chemical reactions. The sweetener reacts slowly with both cold and hot water. The sweetener is soluble in all liquids but its solubility depends on different temperature. However, it creates certain diseases such as diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus if consumed at high or low levels respectively. 3. Relationship between sucrose and obesityDifferent research studies show that sucrose is not associated with obesity, for example Bolton-Smith and Woodward found no relationship between bodyweight, and sugar intake in Australian adults aged between 25-64 years (Winsome Parnell, 2007).

This data is in agreement with that of Gibson, who found no evidence that obese people in the United Kingdom were consuming a diet high in sucrose. A study carried out in New Zealand also showed that overweight adults did not have a high sugar intake than normal weight adults; obese children also gave the same results (Winsome Parnell, 2007).ReferencesWinsome Parnell, N. W. (2007). Exploring the relaationship between sugar and obesity. Public Health Nutrition , Vol 11 Issue no 8 860-866.