SUGAR 4U

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sugar 4 u : all about sugar & it's by products

Sugary myths

Over the years, sugar has been wrongly blamed for a number of diseases and ailments. Most of these accusations are the product of distorted beliefs and confused minds as there is absolutely no scientific evidence relating sugar to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and dental caries etc.

MYTH: SUGAR CAUSES DENTAL CARIES.

FACT: Lack of oral hygiene causes dental caries.

The relationship between sugar consumption and caries is very weak or no longer exists in countries where oral hygiene is good and fluoride-fortified water and toothpastes are widely available.

Dental caries is a complex disease influenced by many factors such as the nutritional status of individual, bacteria naturally present in the mouth, salivary flow, dietary behaviour, oral hygiene, water fluoridation status and overall health.

A substantial reduction in caries incidence has been observed in most industrialized countries over the last three decades. This has occurred despite the fact that total intakes of sugar have not changed substantially over these three decades. Improvements in oral health are largely attributable to the increased availability and use of fluoride toothpaste. In people who don't brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride containing toothpaste, frequent intake of foods or drinks containing fermentable carbohydrates such as sweets, fruit-juices, dried fruits, potato chips, etc. are known to cause tooth decay.

The FAO/WHO report on Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition concludes that, "more and more populations are characterised by a decreasing caries prevalence in the young generation, mostly independent from intake of sugars and other carbohydrates." It goes on to recommend "prevention programmes to control and eliminate dental caries should focus on fluoridation and adequate oral hygiene, and not on sucrose intake alone." These conclusions are supported by a number of reviews on diet and oral health. Furthermore, there is no evidence to show that change in people's dietary habits has ever been effective in improving their oral health.

MYTH: SUGAR CAUSES OBESITY.

FACT: Excess calories cause obesity.

Scientific consensus is that high-fat high-energy diets, combined with inactive sedentary lifestyles, are the principle factors behind obesity. A combination of high - carbohydrate diets and regular physical activity can help maintain an ideal body weight.

Obesity occurs when more energy is consumed from food and alcohol than is required for meeting basic biological and activity needs. Experts have recognised that energy balance is the key to preventing obesity and its associated morbidity. Also, that the composition of the diet can affect whether and to what extent positive energy balance occurs. High-carbohydrate diets are less likely to promote excess energy consumption compared with high-fat diets, because of their lower energy density.

Eating more calories that you burn up makes you gain body fat. Sugar is a carbohydrate, used by the body as fuel just like any other. Gram for gram, carbohydrates provide less than half the kilojoules of fat. Most carbohydrate-rich foods are actually low in fat. Studies have shown that a higher intake of sugar is associated with a lower intake of dietary fat, and vice versa (the "Sugar-Fat-See-Saw").

The Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation of Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition (1998) states this unambiguously. It states " There is no data to suggest that different types of carbohydrates differentially affect total energy intake" and "diets containing at least 55% of energy from a variety of carbohydrate sources, as compared to high fat diets, reduce the likelihood that body fat accumulation will occur."

It continues, " Much controversy surrounds the extent to which sugars and starch promote obesity. There is no direct evidence to implicate either of these groups of carbohydrates in the etiology of obesity."

Regular Physical activity can help to maintain energy balance by increasing energy expenditure. The FAO/WHO Report states that, "There is agreement that the combination of a high carbohydrate diet and regular physical activity is the optimal arrangement to avoid positive energy balance and obesity.

In year 2000 the WHO published Technical Report - 894, Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic, which was based on an earlier report of a WHO Expert Consultation on Obesity (1998). TR - 894 concludes that, "the fundamental causes of the obesity epidemic are societal, resulting from an environment that promotes sedentary life-styles and the consumption of high-fat, energy-dense diets." The report attributes the rise in obesity in many developing nations to urbanization and a move away from traditional lifestyles.

A meta-analysis of 16 low-fat dietary intervention studies lasting more than two months supports the conclusions of both reports in its finding that replacing dietary fat with carbohydrate without intentional restriction of energy intake can assist in weight loss.

MYTH: SUGAR CAUSES DIABETES.

FACT: Obesity and inactivity cause Diabetes.

By controlling energy intake while increasing physical activity and consumption of carbohydrates reduces the risk of diabetes. Most nutrition recommendations for diabetics prescribe modest intakes of sugar.

Like coronary heart disease, diabetes is a multifaceted disease, in which genetics and lifestyle factors play roles. Recent studies reaffirm that obesity and sedentary lifestyles are the most important risk factors in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes experts have reconfirmed that diabetics can include sugar as part of the carbohydrate allotted in their diets. This is because sugar is not implicated in the development of diabetes, nor does sucrose or other sugars independently contribute to poor blood glucose control. In fact, sugar causes a smaller increase in blood glucose levels (lower glycemic index) than the carbohydrates in such foods as white or whole meal bread and cooked potatoes. Research shows that inclusion of some sugar in the diet is also beneficial because it makes it easier for diabetics to reduce their fat intake, which aids weight loss and lessens the risk of developing the cardiovascular disease often accompanying diabetes.

The FAO/WHO Report on Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition states that "avoiding obesity and increasing intakes of a wide range of foods rich in non-starch polysaccharides and carbohydrate-containing foods with a low glycemic index offers the best means of reducing the rapidly increasing rates of NIDDM in many countries."

The American Diabetes Association (ADA, 2002) has recently updated its nutrition guidelines for diabetics which state, " available evidence from clinical studies demonstrates that dietary sucrose does not increase glycemia more than isocaloric amounts of starch. Thus, intake of sucrose and sucrose-containing foods by people with diabetes does not need to be restricted because of concern about aggravating hyperglycemia."

MYTH: SUGAR CAUSES CORONARY HEART DISEASE.

FACT: Obesity and inactivity cause coronary heart disease.

There is good evidence that moderately low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and that further benefits are attained by increasing physical activity levels

The major modifiable risk factors for developing heart disease known to date are smoking, abdominal obesity (especially in men and postmenopausal women), high intakes of saturated and total fat and low physical activity levels. Numerous expert advisory committees have concluded that there is no relationship between the consumption of sugars and heart disease.

The 1998 FAO/WHO report on Carbohydrate in Human Nutrition concludes, "There is no evidence for a casual role of sucrose in the etiology of coronary heart disease. The cornerstone of dietary advice aimed at reducing coronary heart disease risk is to increase the intake of carbohydrate-rich foods, especially cereals, vegetables and fruits rich in non-starch polysaccharide, at the expense of fat."

This advice is supported by the UK Government's Nutrition Advisory Committee's report on Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease, which recommends an increase in carbohydrate intake to restore the energy deficit from a reduction dietary fat.

A meta-analysis of 37 dietary interventions on cardiovascular risk factors showed that a reduction in total fat and saturated fat (replaced with carbohydrate) could improve blood lipid profile and reduce risk of coronary heart disease in free living subjects. The review also showed that exercise and weight loss provided further beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors observed following the dietary intervention. The findings of this review are supported by a more recent randomised controlled trial in which replacing fat with sugar rather than starches in the diet of overweight subjects had no deleterious effect on blood lipid levels.

Myth: Sugar Adversely Affects Behaviour In Children By Causing Hyperactivity.

Fact: There is absolutely no evidence that sugar causes changes in children's behaviour at all.

Indeed, we all know that children should be encouraged to be involved in sport and physical activities and to do this, they need to eat plenty of carbohydrates for energy, like breads, pastas, breakfast cereals and fruits. Sugar is useful to boost this intake without being quite as filling for their little stomachs.