Popular Sugar Substitutes and Your Health

Humans are engineered to love sugar. Modern scientists speculate this is because most fruit and overly saccharine foods in nature are relatively free of poisons and toxicity issues. In either case, today's humans receive an electrifying sugar rush, or blood sugar spike, after slurping up a milkshake or munching on one or three brownies. That in itself, and in moderation, isn't inherently derailing for one's health. The more troubling issue is the modern influx of sugar substitutes in our foods falsely toted as organic and natural. This article will cover some of these sugar substitutes, the foods that these sugar substitutes find themselves in, and the health repercussions to regularly consuming sugar substitutes.

Prime offender: HFCS

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is increasingly common in the United States. Because of the economical upside to using HFCS over, say, organic cane sugar, as well as the generous government subsidies given to the corn industry in the United States, HFCS has attained ascendancy over other sugar-like ingredients and additives. HFCS is actually present in processed foods ranging from cereals, breads, and lunch meats to ice creams, soups, and yogurts. The public should realize, however, that HFCS is not the same type of sugar as table sugar or organic cane sugar. In fact, HFCS starts out as a corn syrup but is enzymatically altered to convert some of the glucose into fructose. This alteration makes the HFCS more sweet, but also presents health issues. HFCS is currently being investigated as a possible contributor to cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. In the meantime, it may be better to play it safe and opt for organic sugar or organic cane sugar to complement your coffee or dessert.

What is Stevia?

Stevia, also known as sugarleaf, actually enjoys some advantages over both HFCS and regular table sugar. Stevia has a more gradual onset and more extended duration than regular sugar. Stevia also has the distinction of having zero points on the glycemic index and zero calories. The glycemic index essentially measures the amount and type of blood sugar alteration which occurs after a particular food is consumed. That said, since Stevia has relatively little action on blood sugar, it may be preferable for those diagnosed or at risk for diabetes and obesity. Although Stevia has been used ubiquitously in South America and Japan for centuries, it's use is still blooming in the United States. Stevia should become more accepted over the next ten years as a natural, relatively healthy sugar substitute.

Splenda and Sucralose

Sucralose is amazingly six hundred times more sweet than conventional sugar! Sucralose is a chlorinated sugar used in Splenda, beverages, gums, and some baked goods. Sucralose is quite unique as a sugar substitute because it retains its chemical structure when heated. This means that sucralose can safely be used in baked goods and breads without compromising taste or potency. Sucralose, as with most sugar substitutes, has some pros and cons. The most prominent plus is that only fifteen percent of sucralose is assimilated by the body, and the rest is innocuously excreted. One poignant downside to sucralose is that it belongs to a class of chemicals known as organochlorides. This is a problem because some types of organochlorides have been scientifically shown to be carcinogens or toxic. Perhaps like HFCS, while the public will have to wait for scientific consensus on the safety profile of sucralose, caution is best exercised in the meantime.

This article has outlined some of today's most prominent sugar substitutes, and their health effects. Since sugar substitutes, especially HFCS, are increasingly found among foods in literally every section of the grocery store, it's important that the public understand the origins, scientific findings, and health effects of these sugar substitutes.

Jack Adler writes about food, finance & more at www.creditreport.org.