Now there are many sugar-free drinks on the market, which are very popular with consumers, especially young consumers, everyone thinks that these sugar-free drinks are both delicious, healthy and fashionable, and can be drunk at will. But regarding sugar-free beverages, most consumers still have certain misunderstandings and have not really understood.
According to China's General Principles on Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods, mono-disaccharides (such as glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, etc.) in food are less than 0.5g/100g (solid) or 100ml (liquid), which can be labeled as "sugar-free food". Sugar-free beverages are not the same as low calories, especially plant protein drinks containing protein and fat (such as walnut drinks, etc.), and the calories are not low.
So where does the sweetness of sugar-free drinks come from? According to the standards of sugar-free food, some drinks are indeed sugar-free, but they have a sweet taste, and the reason why they are sweet is because there is a "sugar substitute" substance that replaces sugar. Sugar substitutes give foods a sweet taste, but they provide far less calories than traditional sugars, even to the point of being calorie-free. According to whether they can provide energy, sugar substitutes are roughly divided into two categories: nutritional sugar substitutes and non-nutritional sugar substitutes: nutritional sugar substitutes (also known as sugar alcohols) and non-nutritional sugar substitutes. Nutritional sugar substitutes (also known as sugar alcohols) mainly include: xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, erythritol and the like. Non-nutritive sugar substitutes mainly include: natural sugar substitutes (stevia, monk fruit glycosides, glycyrrhizin, etc.) and artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium).
Studies have shown that long-term intake of beverages containing sugar substitutes is more likely to induce obesity and type 2 diabetes. Attention is induced, not induced. People may not want to believe this reality, thinking that since sugar-free drinks really only have zero calories, why increase the risk of obesity and diabetes? The main reasons are:
Artificial sweeteners increase appetite and cravings for sweets. When you drink a sugar-free carbonated drink, the tongue feels the sweetness, triggering a series of reactions in the body that put the body in a state of readiness to receive and digest food. But there is no energy or food in the digestive tract for digestion and absorption, so the result is to drink sugar-free carbonated drinks, due to the various biological signals secreted in the body, you will feel hungry. This feeling of hunger can make you extremely interested in other sugary foods or snacks, and eventually over-intake of food can lead to obesity.
Artificial sweeteners may change your otherwise healthy lifestyle. Artificial sweeteners are dozens of times, hundreds of times sweeters than conventional sucrose, and when the human body eats these sweeteners, it feels very boring for regular vegetables and fruits, such as feeling that grape watermelon is not as sweet as before. Therefore, there is less interest in fruits and vegetables with natural sweetness, and more foods with artificial sweeteners or processed foods are selected. Otherwise healthy lifestyles are disrupted and intake of unhealthy foods increases, increasing the risk of obesity and other diseases.
In addition to the above problems, some sugar substitutes such as sugar alcohols, children and people who are more sensitive to sugar alcohols may have problems with flatulence, bowel sounds, and diarrhea after eating. At the same time, sugar-free beverages add more food additives such as potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and other preservatives, as well as a variety of artificial colors and flavors, etc., which are also detrimental to the body. There are also some sugar-free drinks that are also carbonated drinks, and long-term drinking may affect the absorption of calcium, resulting in osteoporosis.
It can be seen that sugar-free beverages should be scientifically controlled by sugar friends, heavy friends, or ordinary consumers. The best drinks are boiled water, light tea and mineral water.
(Niu Li, Deputy Chief Physician of Wuhan Central Hospital)
【Source: People's Political Consultative Conference Daily】
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