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Bodyshop: Sweet talk: Know the truth about sugar

A spoonful of sugar may help your health — and even your workout. Here are surprising truths you may not know about the sweetener.

Sugar shocker: It may improve your workout.

An Ohio State University study of rowers found those who consumed dextrose (a naturally occurring sugar in syrups and jellies) improved their rowing times nearly threefold, significantly more than those who ate ribose, a sugar often used in performance supplements. Why? “Dextrose requires minimal digestion and can be used by the muscles quickly as an energy source,” says Fitness advisory board member Leslie J. Bonci, R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Sweet truth: A pre-workout snack that contains dextrose, such as whole-grain toast with peanut butter and honey, might help you go farther or faster.

Sugar shocker: It wreaks havoc on your skin.

An out-of-control sweet tooth may give you wrinkles. Eating a lot of sugary foods can trigger chronic, low-level inflammation throughout your body, which sends the aging process into overdrive. “Sugar attaches to collagen, a complexion-protecting protein, and breaks it down, which leads to wrinkles and sagging,” explains dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, author of “The Perricone Promise: Look Younger, Live Longer in Three Easy Steps.” Meanwhile, sugar’s inflammatory effects create free radicals, which wear down elastin, another skin-saving protein.

Sweet truth: Pack your diet with produce and herbs and spices, such as oregano, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric — they all have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help fight wrinkles. Also, use a topical antioxidant with vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid or retinoids to boost collagen production.

Sugar shocker: It can make you catch a cold.

Eating too many sweets can suppress your white blood cells, meaning you’re more susceptible to infectious illnesses like colds and influenza. And because high sugar intake triggers inflammation, it ends up diverting immune cells from the germ-fighting front and directing them toward the inflammation instead, explains Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center.

Sweet truth: In addition to limiting your intake of refined sugars to 10 percent of your daily calories, up your fruit and veggie consumption. Produce contains powerful antioxidants that can bolster your immune system and prevent low-grade inflammation.