Are Soda with Pure Cane Sugar really Better or Better for Your than High Fructose Corn Syrup?
Most beverages consumed by the average citizen has some sort of added sweetener. This can include products like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners like Ace-K or aspartame. Although taste is important for most people, the safety of consuming many of these sweeteners is under the debate by food manufacturers and health officials; as well as the FDA. As a result, beverage makers and distributors have come out with new all natural versions of many products. This a good development in light of research that suggests that some sweeteners have led to health problems. However, not all natural sweeteners are as natural as they seem.
Unrefined Cane Sugar
Pure Cane Sugar is sugar that has undergone less processing and is often more brown in color than Refined Sugar (the white stuff, also known as Table Sugar). You often find Pure Cane Sugar in health food stores and the Natural aisles in your grocery stores. While Pure Cane Sugar (or Dehydrated Cane Juice) can definitely not be described as being good for you because it is a sweetener, on a scale of bad to less bad, Pure Cane Sugar is one of the better sweeteners you can choose. Because of this, Pure Cane Sugar is often included as the sweetener in beverages that carry the label Natural.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
The use of high fructose syrup, also known as HFCS, has skyrocketed in recent years because of its wide availability and cost efficiency. It is comprised primarily of corn syrup that has been stripped down and heavily processed to increase the fructose content. This leaves it with a taste that is far sweeter than that of regular cane sugar, thereby allowing much smaller quantities to be used. It also has a longer shelf life than sugar, especially all natural cane sugar which contains no preservatives to extend its use. This makes high fructose syrup very attractive to manufacturers of nearly all food products, especially beverage companies.
When reading labels, youll find High Fructose Corn Syrup in many different products from things like soft drinks that you expect to contain sweeteners, to other products like iced tea and juices where its presence might surprise you. And, if you look closely at the labels, youll also notice that sometimes, products that claim to be All Natural have HFCS hidden in the ingredient list, which makes them not really all that Natural after all.
Heated debates regarding the safety of high fructose corn syrup have been waged by many health organizations, primarily because it is believed HFCS may be a huge contributor in the current obesity epidemic. This is because high fructose corn syrup is processed differently by the body than sugar, and due to its unnatural composition, causes the brain to fail to recognize a feeling of fullness. This results in overeating when consuming products which contain HFCS, and because so many products have this sweetener in them, its hard to know which foods are safe. It is also theorized that HFCS may cause the body to produce more fat than usual, resulting in weight gain.
Other conclusions have been drawn that say that HFCS is no less healthy for the body than sugar, and that all sweeteners should be in used in moderation. Even natrual sugar, they say, when consumed in excess of 10% of daily calories can lead to weight gain and obesity. This translates to a mere 50 grams of sugar each day within a diet of 2,000 calories. Of course, even less is better.
Acesulfame Potassium or Ace-K
Ace-K, also known as acesulfame potassium, is an calorie free sweetener that is often found in diet soft drinks and other beverages. Ace-K fits into the same category as other non-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame. They all contain no calories and no fat, making them appealing for dieters and diabetics.
In many products, like soft drinks, Ace K is used along with other 0 calorie sweeteners like sucralose or aspartame because the blend of these sweeteners makes a more palatable taste than any one of them used alone.
For diabetics, Ace-K and other artificial sweeteners are especially appealing because they do not raise blood sugar. They also do not contribute to tooth decay as sugar can. These characteristics pose health benefits to those suffering from blood sugar and dental problems, however Ace-K and all similar products should still be used in extreme moderation.
Although some sweeteners are more harmful than others, it still stands that all should be consumed in small quantities. Whether sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners like Ace-K; each has its own effects on the body and the waistline. That said, it is important to check food labels before buying soda or other foods and beverages to ensure that you know which sweeteners are being used and the amounts in which they are present.
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