Food, like everything, is not black and white. Sugar and sweeteners have long competed to prove themselves healthier than other options, but it remains unclear whether any of them are actually acceptable enough. This is why a team of experts from the University of the Basque Country has just published the guide Sugar and sweeteners: What should I know?, which aims to clarify the characteristics of 19 of these components approved by the European Union.
As indicated in the guide, its objective is "to help understand and give a broad overview of the sweetening additives that, until now, we can find in foods, and/or that we can purchase in stores and add to foods" . The contents are explained in a simple way, since it is aimed at the general population, providing rigorous information based on evidence.
Sweets are usually related to pleasure and have positive connotations in most of society. This is why it is often abused, thus causing other derived problems such as diabetes and obesity. To prevent them and reduce their negative effects on health, the food industry has tried to find sugar substitutes, but has encountered other risks that most sweeteners also have, whether natural or synthetic.
Starting with sugar, the guide explains that both white, brown and brown sugar are based on sucrose, a compound made up of two simpler sugars: glucose and fructose. Furthermore, they all come from or are derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. For this reason, neither is healthier than the other nor should they be consumed in large quantities.
The most common substitutes for these sugars have been, for years, saccharin and stevia. However, the World Health Organization advises against them because they can increase the risk of other diseases. Although the recommendation is aimed at the entire population, it excludes those people who are diagnosed with diabetes, in whom sweeteners can facilitate control of blood sugar levels.
Many other sweeteners such as maltitol, xylitol and sorbitol contain fewer calories and cause fewer oral problems, experts say, but if consumed in excess they can cause intestinal difficulties and have a laxative effect. On the other hand, the consequences of other sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame - which is about 200 times sweeter than sugar - are more serious, since when they are heated they can degrade and release toxins. Therefore, they are not suitable for culinary use.
Additionally, the guide talks about the myths and controversies of sugars and sweeteners and provides answers to common doubts such as whether sweeteners are harmful to the microbiota or if, on the contrary, they can be beneficial. In addition, she explains whether there is a relationship between the consumption of sucrose and aspartame with cancer, and erythritol with cardiovascular risk.
For all this, the team responsible for the guide explains that the publication is not only useful to clarify doubts around these sweetening substances, but also to help know which sugars are best if the objective is to control calorie intake, or which Sweeteners take if you need to control glucose to avoid problems such as diabetes.
The guide has been prepared by members of the Spanish Nutrition Society, who belong to the 'Nutrition and Obesity' group of the University of the Basque Country and the CIBEROBN (Center for Biomedical Research Network). Dr. Rafael Urrialde, from the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid, has also been one of those responsible.
