2023-07-15 12:56:16
ruhr24Service
Weight gain, gut damage, and even changes in DNA. This sugar alternative is said to be anything but healthy.
Dortmund – Many prefer to use light alternatives to cola, yoghurt or muesli. After all, less sugar is better for your figure and your health, right? Unfortunately not, as current studies show. Because some sweeteners are said not only to lead to weight gain, but also promote cancer and damage the intestine.
Sweet temptation: That’s why the dangerous sugar alternatives are so popular
On average, Germans consume 34.8 kg of sugar per capita in 2021/2022, according to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. That’s almost 12,000 sugar cubes and 140,000 calories a year just from table sugar, also known as cane sugar.
So if you were to avoid sugar altogether, you might save almost 400 calories a day with calorie-free sweeteners – and without sacrificing the sweet taste. That sounds tempting at first. However, studies have found that sugar alternatives such as sucralose are genotoxic, promote cancer and damage gut cells.
Some sweeteners can also lead to a heart attack or stroke. Even fitness products such as whey protein powder are not always harmless to health.
Sucralose: This is how dangerous the supposedly healthy alternative to sugar is
Sucralose is a chlorinated, artificial, zero-calorie sweetener that is around 600 times sweeter than sugar. In a recent study, American researchers from North Carolina State University found that “ingestion of sucralose by humans and/or animals within the permitted ADI values disrupts the microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT)”.
The ADI value indicates the tolerable daily dose of a substance that a person can take in daily for a lifetime without negative effects on health. In the case of sucralose, however, this value is anything but harmless.
The sugar substitute sucralose and the breakdown product sucralose-6-acetate can be hazardous to health:
The risk of inflammation and colon cancer is increased. The thyroid function is weakened. There are harmful changes in the DNA
The study is an in vitro study. That means the researchers studied human blood cells and human gut tissue in a test tube, not on animals or humans directly. Further studies are needed to extrapolate the results to humans.
Sweetener Warning: Sucralose may be harmful
Older studies have already shown that sucralose can be harmful to health. The sweetener therefore not only increases fat production, but also the inflammation levels in the body. Paradoxical when you consider that most people turn to the sugar alternative to lose weight and live healthier lives.
According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), “After evaluating the available studies, no clear statement can be made as to whether the consumption of beverages containing sweeteners increases the risk of certain neurodegenerative diseases or influences the intestinal flora to a clinically significant extent”.
With regard to the sweetener sucralose, however, the current data situation indicates that “when sucralose is heated, potentially harmful and sometimes carcinogenic compounds can form,” adds the BfR.
Hidden danger: questionable sweetener is processed in numerous foods
Sucralose “can be used in a wide range of foods and beverages due to its high quality of sweetness, its very good water solubility and its stability,” as the Sweeteners Association explains (read more service news at RUHR24).
Reduced calorie foods, spreads, canned vegetables, and even fish, mustard, or alcoholic beverages contain the questionable sweetener sucralose. The popular cola is also said to be classified as “probably carcinogenic” because of its sweeteners.
But how can consumers now avoid consumption? A look at the back of the packaging reveals whether and which sweetener was used. But beware! These are often hidden behind the E numbers for food additives. Sucralose is assigned the number E995.
Avoid harmful products: The best alternative to sugar
Conventional household sugar is harmful to health in large quantities and contains “empty calories”. This means that it does not provide humans with any important nutrients apart from energy.
Less sugar is therefore the best alternative. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming a maximum of ten percent, or even better only five percent, of your total energy intake in the form of freely available sugar. However, this only refers to added sugar, not to the naturally occurring sugar in fruit or milk.
The consumer advice center also warns once morest statements such as “sugar-free” or “no added sugar”. Because sweeteners can hide behind them.
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