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goodhealth.

ABOUTNothing satisfies a sweettooth like a sugary treat, butnow sugar is being likenedto drugs like cocaine ortobacco. ls it really so bad?Bonnie Vaughan finds out

ntire books, blogs andnewspaper articles are dedicatedto spreading the message that

sugar is toxic and its over-consumptionis responsible for obesity, diabetesand a host of other health problems.Australian authors such as DavidGillespie and Sarah Wilson have triedto convince us of its inherent evil. But issomething that tastes so good really sobad for us? Here, we uncover the facts.

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A: Excessive sugar consumption canlead to high insulin levels, a depressedimmune system, flora disruption inthe gut, tooth decay and chronicinflammation associated with allergies,arthritis, dementia and other commondiseases. A 2010 Swedish study alsofound a link between high bloodsugar levels and an increased riskof developing cancer.

But the most obvious damage causedby sugar's over-consumption is weightgain. According to the most recentfigures, 63 per cent of Australians areoverweight or obese. One major reason isthe abundance of added sugar in our diet- that is, any type of sugar that is addedto food during processing or preparation,including table sugar and refinedcarbohydrates such as white bread. )

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A: Thanks to our ape ancestors' instinctivepreference for ripe, juicy, energy-densefruit, a sweet tooth is hardwired intohumans. The first food we taste in life isbreast milk, which is naturally sweetenedby the sugar lactose. Of all the tastesensations - sweet, salty, sour, bitter -sweet has what scientists call the highesttaste recognition. Our tongues lap it up.

What's more, we need sugar tostay alive. "Ultimately, nearly allthecarbohydrates we consume end up asthe sugar glucose, which is the preferredfuel for our brains, our nervous systems,our red blood cells, kidneys and muscles,"explains Dr Alan Barclay, head of researchat the Australian Diabetes Council.

Fruit, vegetables, grains and dairy allcontain some naturally occurring formof sugar and provide the carbohydratesrequired for that vital glucose conversion,which raises our blood sugar levels andgives us energy. When our blood sugarlevels get too high, the pancreas willrelease insulin to guide the glucose

into the cells and our blood sugar willgo back down - if we're not floodingour systems with more sugar thanwe need, that is.

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Fl ltrtt *{uttt[ {ltr,:; tvtrtt"sitt.fi'rrit rtnrI ru,s'rlrtltf wlA: While all plant foods contain suchnatural sugars as glucose, fructose andsucrose, they also offer a network of vitalnutrients including fibre, vitamins, water,minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrientsand enzymes that make them anessential part of any healthy diet.The fibre in whole, natural foodsalso makes them more filling.

Furthermore, the sugar contentin a natural food is nowhere near asconcentrated as it is in refined products,according to NSW-based naturopathMim Beim. "Plus, fibre slows down therate of absorption in the bloodstream,"she adds.'The body can then convertthe cells into energy and you don'thave the big peak of blood sugaryou'd get with refined sugar."

.s.flttrlusr, {xtr[.f rn' trsiA: Many no-sugar advocates

insist that fructose is a poison that getsstored in the liver, where it is convertedinto fat. But Barclay says this is simplyuntrue. "About five per cent ofthefructose we consume is converted tofat in the liver," he says. "The rest isconverted to glucose - some is releasedinto our blood and the rest is stored asglycogen." Claims that excessive fructoseconsumption contributes to high bloodpressure and type 2 diabetes aresimilarly inconclusive, Barclay says.

Unfortunately, fructose's bad raphas scared many people offfruit - andthey're missing out on an integral sourceof energy as a result. "We now eat lessthan one piece of fruit a day on average,when the recommended amount is atleast two pieces a day," says Barclay.

Much of the recent hysteria aboutfructose has come from the U5, Barclaysays, where processed foods mostlycontain high-fructose corn syrup, ahighly refined product that's not used inAustralian-made foods. We use sucrose,which is derived from cane sugar.

Research is still underway on howdifferent forms of sugar are processedin the body, so it's unclear if one is anymore harmful than the other. What wedo know, says Beim, is this: "lf you've got62

too much sugar in your diet, it willbe converted into fat, whether it'sfructose or glucose."

I re' "-rlr,?srr s t t { Lr;f i I t t { t,.+{tr{it,t' liic" taslA: Not necessarily. Although artificialsweeteners made of aspartame andsucralose have been approved byFood Standards Australia New Zealand,remember that they're chemicallyprocessed and therefore yet another stepaway from a natural food. Even somebrands of powdered stevia - marketedas the most natural ofall natural sugars- contain chemical additives.

As for so-called natural alternativessuch as agave, honey, syrups of any kindand most names ending in -ose, don'tbe fooled. The body metabolises themin the same way. "lt doesnt matter if it's anatural sugar - it's still sugar," says Beim.

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A: Whenever you can, avoid processed,packaged food, and when you can't,examine your food labels. Rememberthat the nutrition label lists total sugars,notjust added sugars, meaning thenatural sugar content is included. Forinstance, a tub of 1 00 per cent naturalyoghurt will contain about 10 per centnaturally occurring milk sugar. Addedfruit bumps it up to 12 or 15 per centfrom naturally occurring fruit sugar. lf anadded sugar source is listed among thefirst three or four ingredients, it meansthe total amount of added sugar isrelatively high. But if milk, yoghurt orfruit are at the top of the list, it's low.

Beim says: "lfany processed foodcontains more than 59 of sugar per1 009, then it has added sugar."

ll'ltut'.* ltr {xt {rtttt Iiur,lA: Ultimately, no good can come

of demonising one nutrient. The realproblem is over-consumption ofeverything: refined fats, carbohydratesand starches, and alcohol. The bestadvice is to cut back on sweets andsugary drinks, replace refined, processedfoods with whole, natural, fresh foods,do more exercise, and try to eat less.

How much susar areyorl reatly edting?The World Health Organisationrecommends limiting added sugarconsumption to around 12 to 15teaspoons (609 to 759) per day.**ti"*Lta\1t{ttt

According to a recent national nutritionsurvey, Australian adult consumption isclose to that target. Here's a sample of howmuch sugar is in some all-time favourites.

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Coca-Cola

it'tttq.=279 per 250m1

Mars bar

Ati L{=20.89 per 369 barNudie Nothing But 21 OrangesJuice (Pulp Free)t.Ln{.=l 79 per 200m1MasterFoods TeriyakiMarinadet*-t= 13.69 per 379Jalna BerryFruit Low FatCreamy Yoghourttt{r=12.49 per l00gArnott's Tim Tam

*.t8.19 per 18.39 (1 biscuit)McCain Season's Choicefrozen blueberriest{= 7 .79 per 9ogLindt Excellence 85olo CocoaExtra Darki\= 59 per 409 serve

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KNOW YOURSUGARS*f*(simple sugar or fruit sugar)

Naturally found in honey,fruit and some vegetables.Concentrated forms of fructoseare used as additives in beveragesand processed foods.

(milk sugar)Naturally found in milk andmilk products. Lactose is

digested in the body by anenzyme called lactase andthen used for energy.

(table sugar)A 50/50 combination of glucose andfructose derived from sugarcane,sugar beets and, less commonly,date palm, sorghum (a speciesof grass) and sugar maple.

(simple sugar or blood suga0Found in plants but also producedin our bodies during digestion.Commercially manufactured glucosesyrup is added to foods to enhancetexture, volume and sweetness. o

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