How many times have we heard of sugars? From food to drinks, we take them every day in our diet. Sugars are simple carbohydrates which provide immediate energy to our body, because they come absorbed quicklycausing an increase in glucose (concentration of glucose in the blood) which, however, over time, can lead to harmful effects. The sugars are present in many foods, such as fruit and milk, and are added to a wide range of industrial products, from desserts to snacks, up to sugary drinks. Often, however, on the labels of the drinks we find the writing “Without added sugars”as in fruit juices. But are they really suggested? In reality no, indeed, very often there are sugars Of course already present In the content of the drink or contain artificial sweeteners that reproduce well the sensation of sugar sweetness. Therefore, be careful not to be fooled: a drink without added sugars is not necessarily free of sugars. To be sure, you have to check your item “Total sugars” In the nutritional label, which indicates the overall quantity of sugars present, both naturally contained and possibly added.
Difference between total sugars and added
The labels of drinks, especially for those who are more attentive to the intake of sugars, can be misleading. There is a real distinction between Total sugars And Added sugars. Total sugars include all those present in the drink, regardless of their origin as sucrose, fructose, lactose. So, to have a complete picture of what we are about to drink, it is essential to check this data. The added sugars, however, are those inserted during the preparation of the product, such as syrups of various types, molasses, honey.
But be careful: in this category, the sugars are also included which, despite being present in nature, come isolated from a whole food and then concentrate until it becomes the main component. Let’s take the example of an apple. Sugar is naturally present in the fruit together with water, fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. If we transform it into juice and remove part of the water, the percentage of sugars in the drink increases. In this way, in the final drink the sugar has become the main component: Even if the same sugars came naturally from the apple itself, now they fall into the “added sugars” of the juice!
What does the wording “without added sugars” mean and what is the maximum limit
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the maximum limit fixed for added sugars is equal to 10% of the daily caloric intake. For example, in a 2000 kcal diet added sugars should not exceed 50g. However, this value is quite high and it would be better to keep it lower. The sources of added sugars are multiple and often go unnoticed in our daily diet.
There Italian society of nutrition (Sinu) advises instead to maintain the daily contribution of Total sugars below 15% of the daily caloric contribution. Obviously, they are completely considerations generic And they can vary according to several factors, such as age, level of physical activity and health conditions.
Alternatives to added sugars
Yes, there are some variants to added sugars, such as i Artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes. Are composed to High sweetening power with very low caloric contentthey reproduce well the sensation of sugar sweetness and, therefore, a minimum quantity is enough to obtain the same effect as several teaspoons of sugar.
Artificial sweeteners have often been at the center of criticism and theaspartame It is one of the most discussed. Recently, theInternational Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) ranked it as “Possibly carcinogenic”unleashing a large debate. This means that there is limited evidence on its link with cancer, but Not a definitive proof that correlates the assumption of aspartame with the actual onset of cancer.
Other entities such as the FDA and theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) instead stressed that the available studies do not demonstrate a concrete risk and that, if consumed within the recommended limits, aspartame is considered Safe. Waiting for new studies, the best advice is that of not to exceed either with sugars or with artificial sweetenerskeeping a varied and balanced diet.
