​Eccleston,​ ​McLaughlin,​ ​Schenck

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Hayden Eccleston,​ ​Max McLaughlin​, Grace Schenck

Mrs. Salby

ERWC

21 November, 2019

What are the Differences Between Different Types of Sugars

Health in the United States has declined. Is this caused by a love of sugary and unhealthy

foods? Is the increase of corn syrup the leading cause? Or is there another source for the decline

in health? To improve the quality of life and extend lives we must take action. According to

Jilian Kubala, who has a masters in nutrition, writing an article for Healthline, “A study in over

30,000 people found that those who consumed 17–21% of calories from added sugar had a 38%

greater risk of dying from heart disease.” This greater risk of heart disease may link to the

increase of one of our highest leading causes of death in the country. That leads to the question,

are sugar free or artificial sugars better than natural sugars?

Furthermore, if sugar sometimes causes heart disease what else can it do to our bodies?

There have always been debates on sugar and its effects on the human body. How do we know

who to believe when it comes to the facts about sugars. Let’s start with breaking down what each

type of sugar is and the effects on our body.

Before figuring out how different sugars affect you, it’s important to figure out how

much sugar you are consuming by reading food labels. The nutrition facts label is a label found

on all food products in the United States, and it contains information on what is in food. Included

on the label are grams of fat, protein, sugar, calorie count, and ingredients. The daily value
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percentage of nutrients of the average human diet (2000 calories a

day) is also included as another metric to measure intake of food.

Offered to help people measure portions better are serving sizes and

servings per container. There is a problem with the lack of food

labels usage however.

A study done by The Journal of Consumer Affairs

concluded that the biggest factor in consumers reading food labels

is how much the household spends on food. Further, they

concluded that high income consumers may be more cautious

regarding nutrients, leading them to benefit more from food

labeling. The studies final conclusion was that consumer health

awareness is a large factor in the usage of food labels. While it is true that consumer health

awareness is a major factor in correct usage of food labels, incorrect or outdated food labels can

often mislead consumers.

There is a major issue with the correct and ethical ways to label food with added sugars.

Many individuals argue that labels, “...Added sugar consumption is a public health concern and

that federal regulations pertinent to sugar labeling are outdated... “ (Pomeranz, JD, MPH

American Journal of Public Health). Not only are the regulations for labeling outdated, but few

efforts have gained attention. The American Journal of Public Health's only declared plans for

the FDA to promote front package labeling for sugars but no concrete ideas are going into action.

This means that justice for labeling sugars, added sugars, etc will actually be a long process

before any changes are made. Representation of added sugars on labels is important, especially if
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the added sugars prove to have adverse health effects. Individuals have the right to know what

they are ingesting, and decide from their research if the effects of those sugars are worth it. The

Scientific American​ states that no matter where fructose, sucrose and glucose are coming from,

moderation is the main goal because too much fructose will lead to increased fat production and

insulin resistance. Not only does exponential sugar intake lead to negative health effects it

actually leads to increased cravings for sugar acting as a positive feedback loop. The ​Scientific

American​ declares, “Fructose does not trigger insulin production and appears to raise levels of

the hormone grehlin, which keeps us hungry.” (Jabr from the Scientific American). By binging

on sugar/fructose filled foods we feed one craving while developing another, leading to obesity

through overeating unhealthy, sugar packed snacks. In addition, frequent consumption of sugary

foods will lead to a tolerance in taste to those same sweet foods, as well as decreasing the

intensity of the taste of natural sugars in fruits and the

“bland” taste of vegetables.​ Harvard Health Publishing

declares, “That means people who routinely use artificial

sweeteners may start to find less intensely sweet foods,

such as fruit, less appealing and unsweet foods, such as vegetables, downright unpalatable”

(Strawbridge of Harvard Health). ​Harvard Health Publishing​ assures individuals that artificial

sugars will someday lead to less effective tastes, growing a tolerance to sweet foods and making

it harder to enjoy anything - such as vegetables - that do not have many sugars at all. Artificial

sugars change expectations of all tastes.

Artificial sugars have been an attractive alternative to natural sugars for as long as sugar

has been known to cause health problems. These artificial sugars mimic the taste of real sugar
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while tending to have less food energy. This allows people who cannot have real sugar (dietary

restrictions may cause them to avoid real sugar) to enjoy the same sweets that others do. While

this is a major positive benefit, there are also many serious drawbacks. In animal studies artificial

sweeteners have shown that they cause weight gain, brain tumors, bladder cancer, and other

problems. Many scientists agree that these studies are valid and hold them up as arguments

against artificial sweeteners. However, there are many reasons outside of artificial sweeteners

that these health problems may have emerged. One such reason is that many of the foods that

include artificial sweeteners are far less nutritious when compared to foods containing natural

sugars. Nevertheless, these studies are correct that there are many things we still do not know

about artificial sweeteners, as such we should use them in moderation, and opt to use regular

sugar when possible.

Our whole lives we have been told to eat fruit—it’s better than candy! However, some

believe it is the same as eating candy. ​The Washington Post​ covered this matter in the article,

“The Sugar in Fruit Doesn’t Make it Bad for you, Despite Some Trendy

Diet Claims” by Carrie Dennett (a registered dietitian). She explained that

people who are dieting worried about the natural sugars in fruit, but Dennett

says “Ditching fruit may mean missing out on some key nutrients. Many

fruits are rich not only in vitamins and minerals, but also in phytochemicals,

natural plant-based compounds that appear to have a variety of health

benefits, including helping to prevent cancer and promote cardiovascular health.” This statement

provides the fact that sugar is actually a key to our everyday lives and essential for human
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existence. ​Even though we know the importance of sugar in a human diet, some may choose to

opt for sugar free options using artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.

Sugar free foods and drinks have countless misleading health claims. For instance, sugar

free drinks claim to be more beneficial for one’s health and aid in weight loss when they actually

have people packing-in unnecessary calories. The ​Korea Times ​proclaims, “...a drink that is

supposedly sugar free but in fact packed with enough calories to make any effort to lose weight

fruitless at best.” (​Chung​ of ​Korea Times​). Many food items and drinks lie to the consumer

which build an unhealthy and unaware society; having individuals blinded by the facade that is

“sugar free”. Sugar free items claim to help in weight loss

and be effective in maintaining good health, while they

may have less sugars they make up for them in

exaggerated amounts of carbohydrates and calories.

Following this further, the ​Korea Times​ also dives into

the literal meaning of “no sugar” which actually means no

added sugars. ​Korea Times​ communicates, “ Sugar free doesn't mean it contains no sugar at

all...It just means the drink has no sucrose, a highly refined pure carbohydrate more commonly

known as table sugar” (​Chung​ of ​Korea Times)​ . This means that everyone should know and do

their own research on what claims like “sugar free” actually translate to; literal meanings are

much different than what labels may say. Labelling can be very deceiving, checking what labels

say matters just as much as knowing what the terms and ingredients included mean for you and

your body.
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Moderation is key. You can still eat what your heart desires, make sure to check the label

and eat the correct portion size. It is essential to eat some sugar so portion it and check the

serving sizes. Keep in mind the hidden sugars in “sugar free” labels, just because it says sugar

free does not mean there are no sugars. Being aware and educated is the key to living a healthier

lifestyle. Do some research and find what works best for you or your family to live healthier

lives.
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