Unlike sugar, sweeteners, as an invisible substitute for "sweetness," often lurk quietly in a variety of foods, such as sugar-free foods, barbecues, and even medicines.
Although this "special sugar" reduces the amount of added sugar, its safety has been controversial. Recently, French studies have found that some artificial sweeteners may increase the risk of carcinogenesis.
"Life Times" (search for "LT0385" in WeChat to pay attention to) interviews experts to interpret the safety truth behind sweeteners and teach you a few ways to eat "sweet" scientifically and healthily.
Experts interviewed
Zuo Xiaoxia, director of the Nutrition Department of the Eighth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital
Ph.D. in Food Engineering, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, Yun Wuxin
New study: Sweeteners or increased cancer risk
Recently, a study published in the journal PLOS Medicine in the United States showed that some artificial sweeteners may be associated with an increased risk of cancer.
The study, completed by the University of Paris XIII, looked at data analysis of 102865 French adults and collected data on artificial sweetener intake from 24-hour dietary records. Statistical analysis was conducted based on the collection of cancer diagnostic information during an average of 7.7 years of follow-up to investigate the association between artificial sweetener intake and cancer risk.
The study adjusted for a range of variables including age, sex, education, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, height, weight gain during follow-up, diabetes, family history of cancer, and baseline intake of energy, alcohol, sodium, saturated fatty acids, fiber, sugar, whole grain foods, and dairy products.
The data showed that participants who consumed large amounts of artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame and acesulfame potassium, had a higher overall risk of cancer than those who did not consume artificial sweeteners, with a risk ratio of 1.13 (a 13% increase in risk), with a higher risk of breast cancer and obesity-related cancers.
Compared with sugar, sweeteners have two major advantages
Strictly speaking, sweeteners are not a single substance, but a collective term for any substance that produces sweetness and is approved for use in food.
The production of sweetness is the molecule of the sweet substance that binds to the sweet receptor on the tongue, produces a nerve signal, which is transmitted to the brain, and after the brain's analysis, let people perceive the sweetness. The strength of sweetness is related to the strength of nerve signals.
Some molecules in nature produce a signal far stronger than sugar when they bind to a receptor, so they are mined as sweeteners. Just a little bit can produce enough sweetness.
The "Scientific Consensus on Food Sweeteners" jointly released by multiple departments in the mainland points out that compared with sugars such as sucrose and fructose syrup, sweeteners have the following characteristics:
High sweetness
Most sweeteners range in sweetness from tens to thousands of times that of sucrose, so only a very small amount is required to obtain the right sweetness.
Low energy
Sweeteners usually provide no energy or only provide less energy, and people can significantly reduce their energy intake while enjoying the sweetness.
Because of its small blood sugar response, it can be eaten by diabetics and those with impaired glucose function regulation. Because of this, sweeteners are usually used in very small amounts in food, and calories can be negligible.
Attentive consumers may find that multiple sweeteners often appear on the ingredient list of food packaging. Some may wonder whether the "superposition" of multiple sweeteners increases food safety risks.
In fact, a variety of sweeteners are used together, mainly to reduce the odor of sweeteners. In the long evolution, human beings have taken the sweetness produced by sucrose as pure sweetness, and when various sweetener molecules bind to sweetener receptors, the sweetness produced is different from that of sucrose, and often produces some peculiar smells.
For example, the sweetness of saccharin is not as long-lasting as sucrose, the aftertaste has a slightly metallic taste, and the concentration will be bitter. Other sweeteners also have some odor when used in large amounts.
3 tips for eating sweets safely
People seem to be more concerned about the safety of sweeteners than about producing sweetness. In fact, it is not a new thing, and it has been used for more than 100 years in more than 100 countries around the world.
At present, there are dozens of sweeteners widely used in the world, and the safety of these sweeteners has been affirmed by many international food safety agencies.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, as well as the authorities of the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada and other countries, believe that the use of approved sweeteners in accordance with relevant regulatory standards will not cause harm to human health.
At present, there are 20 kinds of sweeteners approved for use in the mainland, such as aspartame, ansales, saccharin, cyclamate and so on. In addition to being approved for use, the mainland also has strict regulations on the scope and dosage of sweeteners.
The intake of sweeteners partially replacing sugars is already a global trend. As a consumer, the premise of healthy intake of sweeteners must be to choose formal channels and suitable products, and to achieve moderate intake.
Neither sugar nor sweeteners can be "sweetened". To balance taste and health, it is recommended to do the following:
Control the amount
Many foods are naturally sugary, and "added sugar" refers to the sugar that is added during processing in addition to the sugar naturally contained in the food.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016), the intake of added sugars should be controlled no more than 50 grams per day, and it is best to control them within 25 grams.
Look at the labels
Mainland regulations require that all food products be labeled with a nutrition facts list that indicates the amount of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium, as well as the percentage of these nutrients in the daily reference amount.
The general nutrition facts list is based on 100 grams or 100 ml, and the energy and sugar content can be easily calculated according to the total amount eaten.
Small packages
Now many merchants have launched low-sugar cookies, sodas, chocolates, and some have also launched small packaged products, which are good choices for getting over. ▲
Editor of this issue: Zhang Yu
Wait, click in the lower right corner to see