The answer to this question depends on your definition of "sugar." If you mean table sugar, corn syrup and other sweeteners common in processed and refined foods, then the answer is no. But if you are using the word "sugar" to describe carbohydrates -- a broad group of foods that includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains -- then the answer is yes. To understand why that type of sugar is a necessary part of your diet, you must understand how the body functions.
The Body's Fuel
Just like your car, your body needs fuel to function. For your body, the preferred fuel is a chemical called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. You use ATP to fuel every single process in your body, and your brain uses the most. Even while you are sleeping, you body is using ATP, which means you need a constant supply. You can't go to the store and buy ATP. Your body has to make this chemical, and for that it needs sugar.
Glucose
All carbohydrate-based foods, whether processed snack cakes or fresh vegetables, contain sugar. When you eat, your body breaks down these foods into glucose, which is the backbone of ATP production. How fast you break them down depends on how close they are to glucose when you eat them. For example, a jelly donut has a lot of refined sugar and breaks down into glucose very quickly. Brown rice, which has a hard cellulose cover, breaks down less quickly.
ATP Production
Once your body breaks down the carbohydrates, it transfers the glucose into all the cells in the body, where tiny structures called mitochondria convert it into ATP in a process known as the Krebs cycle. The mitochondria break down each single molecule of glucose into two pyruvate molecules, and each pyruvate molecule creates one molecule of ATP. The body then uses the ATP as fuel. Your body can use fat and protein in this process, but it takes more energy because the body has to convert these substance into a usable sugar in order to make ATP.
Conclusion
Refined sugars are not crucial to your diet. If you never ate another cupcake or drank another glass of sugary soda, you would suffer no ill effects. But complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and fresh fruits, which also add sugar to your diet, are important. Your body needs them in order to function.
References
- "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology"; Gerard J. Tortora et al; April 2006
- Georgia State University: Adenosine Triphosphate
- McGraw-Hill: How the Krebs Cycle Works
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