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07 December 2018

Sugars: are they harmful?

Recently much has been said about sugars, especially due to the Sugar Tax, that is, the tax on sugary soft drinks which has already been applied in the United Kingdom and in Denmark and which has pushed many producer companies to reduce the sugar content of their products.
Sugars have ended up in the dock after the WHO established that the maximum limit that an adult can consume without running into health problems is 25 gr while many people, in fact, consume much more (around 82 gr).
This excess provokes various pathologies directly connected with obesity, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the latter defined as “the disease of the century”.

 

 

But what are sugars and how many exist?

Sugars are carbohydrates, and are divided into:

 

  • simple (mono and disaccharides)
  • complex (polysaccharides)
  • polyols/polyhydric alcohols

 

Simple sugars include sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltose and glucose and are responsible for dental decay, spikes in glycaemic levels, and are also high in calories. They are the main culprits for obesity and cardiovascular problems.

 

Complex sugars are maltodextrin and starches. They are highly calorific, they don’t have sweetening properties and don’t cause spike in glycaemic levels. We find them in potatoes, cereals, vegetables, pasta and bread.

 

Polyols include maltitol, sorbitol, isomalt, xylitol and erythritol; they don’t cause dental decay (they are non-cariogenic), they have a low glycaemic index, they have low energy value and favour a probiotic microflora.

In the video in our InForma section, we give some more information on how to understand how many sugars we consume during the day and we also warn against a number of advertising claims that could be misleading.

 

Our range of FREE drink capsules is without added sugars and with a reduced calorie content; discover the full selection here and here!

Foodness InForma