Sugars and Sweeteners: Structure, Properties and In Silico Modeling

Abstract

Several studies report the effects of excessive use of sugars and sweeteners in the diet. These include obesity, cardiac diseases, diabetes, and even lymphomas, leukemias, cancers of the bladder and brain, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, and systemic lupus. On the other hand, each sugar and sweetener has a distinct metabolic assimilation process, and its chemical structure plays an important role in this process. Several scientific papers present the biological effects of the sugars and sweeteners in relation to their chemical structure. One important issue dealing with the sugars is the degree of similarity in their structures, focusing mostly on optical isomerism. Finding and developing new sugars and sweeteners with desired properties is an emerging research area, in which in silico approaches play an important role.

Computational Study of D-glucose and its Differential Cognitive Effects on Well-being and Quality of Life

“…Carbohydrates depict an exceptionally huge classification of compounds, characteristically of bio-related frameworks, which play a significant role in the various pathways essential for life. Glucose is a simple sugar and one of the three dietary monosaccharides with the molecular formula C6H12O6 [1]. The foremost type of sugar found in the blood is glucose (dextrose).…”