Sugar is undoubtedly one of the main factors underpinning the obesity crisis, not to mention the soaring number of children having dental extractions writes nutritionist Dr. Emma Derbyshire.
It’s just everywhere – not only in obvious things like cakes and biscuits but cereals, bread, shop-bought soups, sauces and even salad dressings.
With the average adult now eating double the amount of sugar they should be each day – 12 teaspoons, rather than the recommended limit of 6 – and the average teenager consuming an eye-watering three times the recommended amount, I believe there’s little doubt the amount of excess sugar we are eating has become a public health crisis.
It’s also not just about obesity and dental health; sugar most definitely contributing to the rising rate of type 2 diabetes.
Thankfully, sugar reduction now dominates the nutrition agenda, with policy-makers and health professionals ramping up the pressure to slash the sugar content of our diets, mainly through the use of sweeteners, which have been embroiled in controversy amid fears they can lead to obesity, diabetes and even dementia.
Time and again, there are things I hear about sweeteners that are wrong, which puts people off using them. The three following myths are the most popular;
1. Myth: Low-calorie sweeteners disrupt our metabolism
This is based on the idea that eating something sweet tells our body to expect calories, stimulating digestive activity and insulin release in readiness for the anticipated surge in blood sugar levels.
Truth: This stems from one study in laboratory which found that when half of the subjects were given unlimited access to food and yoghurt sweetened with sugar, and half had access to food and yoghurt sweetened with saccharin, the study subjects offered the low-calorie sweetener gained more weight.
However, when another team of scientists tried to replicate this, they found the opposite was true.
They also showed the original study was flawed because the subjects that didn’t like saccharin were excluded, leaving a self-selected group which was also more likely to gain weight.
2. Myth: Low-calorie sweeteners encourage a sweet tooth
Frequent exposure to sweet flavours promotes a preference for them and over-stimulates sugar receptors, encouraging cravings. The success of salt reduction in processed foods is sometimes used to support this argument.
Truth: There is, though, little direct evidence to support these statements. A paper published last year in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society by Professor Peter Rogers, at the University of Bristol, points out that if this theory was correct, swapping drinks made with low-calorie sweeteners for water would reduce our preference for sugary foods/
But short-term studies show no difference in energy intakes and long-term studies show people who switch to low-calorie drinks rather than water are more likely to lose weight.
3. Myth: Low-calorie sweeteners encourage us to overcompensate for ‘calories saved’.
This is based on the idea that we give ourselves permission to eat or drink more when we choose low-calorie options — and end up maintaining, or even increasing, our calorie intake.
Truth: Again, the Roger’s paper says there is evidence that we eat more when we are told a food is ‘healthier’, but we eat less when we know how many calories it contains and long-term studies also found that knowing whether or not low-calorie sweeteners were being used made no difference in weight loss.
