There are few, if any benefits, and lots of adverse effects, associated with sugar consumption, either sucrose or fructose. Fructose may be a bit worse, but excess sucrose consumption also leads to late onset diabetes in the adult population and has for centuries. Dad always said, “avoid consuming anything white if you can and if it comes in a bag or a box, don’t eat it.”
I agree with your dad, white flour, white sugar, even cocaine, are concentrated extracts, white rice has the bran removed.