Brown sugar is a popular cooking ingredient. But is it healthy?

When it comes to sweet cooking ingredients, few are as commonly used as brown sugar, says Jen Messer, a nutrition consultant and registered dietitian at Jen Messer Nutrition. While it's popularly included in a wide variety of recipes, brown sugar is especially common in homemade candies and baked goods such as cookies, cakes, muffins and sweetened breads.

Its distinct properties and taste makes food chewier and sweeter, while also enhancing it with its unique caramellike flavor. Brown sugar is sometimes also used as an ingredient in Asian or barbecue sauces, meat marinades, as a natural sweetener topping dishes like oatmeal, and as a substitute for sugar cubes or packets in hot beverages like coffee or black tea. 

What is brown sugar? 

Brown sugar is a "granulated, refined sugar that comes from the same plant as white sugar," says Kate Zeratsky, RD, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. It gets its brown color from the presence of molasses - a thick, dark syrup that's produced by the refining of sugarcane or beet juice into sugar. 

"Brown sugar is made by mixing granulated white sugar with molasses," explains Messer. There are two types of brown sugar: light and dark. The main difference between the two is that dark brown sugar has a higher content of molasses. (Light brown sugar is about 3.5% molasses and dark brown sugar is nearly double at about 6.5% molasses.)

Regardless of the type used, one downside of brown sugar is that it can harden, which occurs when the moisture in the molasses evaporates. "To prevent brown sugar from getting stiff, it's recommended to store it in an airtight container or to add a slice of bread or a marshmallow in the container to help retain moisture and keep the sugar soft," Messer advises. 

Is brown sugar healthy? 

While brown sugar has many cooking and flavor benefits, it's has very little nutritional value and should not be thought of as being better for you than table sugar. "Many people believe that brown sugar is a healthier option than white sugar, but this is a misconception," says Messer. 

Because of the molasses in brown sugar, it does have trace amounts of iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, but Jill Weisenberger, a Virginia-based registered dietitian and author of "Prediabetes: A Complete Guide," says these amounts are too scant to be thought of as providing measurable health benefits. 

It's also worth noting that the number of calories in brown sugar and white sugar are nearly the same: 15 calories in a teaspoon of brown sugar compared to about 16 calories in a teaspoon of white sugar. 

How much brown sugar is safe per day? 

Because of such factors, the nutritional value (or lack thereof) between brown sugar and white sugar is so similar that the dietary recommendations for both are the same. Along with white sugar, brown sugar is considered an "added sugar," so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends limiting one's intake of it to under 50 grams (about 12 teaspoons) per day.

But some nutritionists and health organizations think even that amount is too high. "The specific recommendation of 50 grams of added sugars as a daily limit is not universally agreed upon and will vary depending on an individual's energy needs," explains Messer. The American Heart Association, for instance, suggests that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day, and that men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) per day. "This limit applies to all types and sources of added sugars, such as brown sugar, white sugar, honey and maple syrup," explains Messer. 

Overconsumption of added sugars have been associated with an increased risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

Because of such factors, Weisenberger suggests thinking about brown sugar "the same way you consider other added sugars: use as little as possible."

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