When we digest sugar, enzymes in the small intestine break it down into glucose. This glucose is then released into the bloodstream, where it is transported to tissue cells in our muscles and organs and converted into energy.

Where is sugar first digested?

The mouth You begin to digest carbohydrates the minute the food hits your mouth. The saliva secreted from your salivary glands moistens food as it’s chewed. Saliva releases an enzyme called amylase, which begins the breakdown process of the sugars in the carbohydrates you’re eating.

How do you digest sugar?

During digestion, starches and sugars are broken down both mechanically (e.g. through chewing) and chemically (e.g. by enzymes) into the single units glucose, fructose, and/or galactose, which are absorbed into the blood stream and transported for use as energy throughout the body.