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For many of us, the relationship we have with sugar is love at first taste, and that love usually lasts a lifetime. But what price do we have to pay for this truly addictive, sugary love? Rotten teeth? Heavier bodies? Raised blood sugar levels? Or even type 2 diabetes?
Time to quit perhaps? Easier said than done. What’s the alternative? Many would suggest using sweeteners as a substitute. But are sweeteners healthier than sugar?
Sweeteners are usually low-calorie or calorie-free substances that have a similar taste to sugar. It is estimated that more than a quarter of British households buy artificial sweeteners to help cut their sugar intake.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved some of the health claims food manufacturers have made about sweeteners such as xylitol, sorbitol and sucralose. These include preventing tooth decay and controlling blood sugar levels.
According to the National Health Service in the UK, sweeteners are safe to use and are especially helpful for those who are diabetic. Sioned Quirke, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association says, “As a dietician, I support and promote the use of sweeteners in cooking and diet." She also says that "There is no evidence to suggest that low-calorie sweeteners, such as saccharin, aspartame and sucralose, are harmful or bad for you.”
But many have concerns over the long-term effects caused by using sweeteners. Dr Robert Lustig, author of 'Fat Chance: The Bitter Truth About Sugar' would not endorse sweeteners as an alternative to sugar because, “We have a dearth of data”. According to Dr Lustig, organisations like EFSA only require studies which test if something will poison a person in a short period of time, otherwise known as acute toxicity studies. But we still don’t know what the long-term effects are.
Dietician Emma Carder says on the NHS Choices website, “While more research is needed, sweeteners continue to have a useful role in offering a sweet taste without adding extra calories.”
词汇表
sugary 甜的
rotten 非常糟糕的、不好的
blood sugar levels 血糖水平
type 2 diabetes 2型糖尿病
a substitute 替代物，代用品
low-calorie 低热量的，低卡路里的
calorie-free 无卡路里的
artificial sweeteners 人造甜味剂
cut one’s sugar intake 减少糖的摄入量
health claim 健康声明
xylitol 木糖醇
sorbitol 山梨糖醇
sucralose 三氯蔗糖
tooth decay 蛀牙
diabetic 糖尿病的，糖尿病患者
saccharin 糖精
aspartame 天门冬氨酰苯丙氨酸甲酯（一种甜味剂）
endorse 支持，赞同
dearth 缺乏，不足
acute toxicity 急性毒性