Almighty Sugar Is Clearly Under Attack

Almighty Sugar has been taking a hit even though soda, pastries, cookies, and doughnuts are just as popular as ever. Scientists are busy in their laboratories creating nonsugar substitutes, keeping sugar prices in check for their employers. Consequently, these guys have been developing alternatives that mimic sugar, sometimes without carbohydrates. Unfortunately, there have also been some adverse side effects.

A new guideline on nonsugar substitutes (NSS) recently released by the World Health Organization advises against lab-based products. Mainly, this guideline rejects using NSS to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. Furthermore, WHO states that:

Results of the review also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults.

A team assembled at the National Institute of Health conducted a study specifically on the effects of erythritol levels in people and said:

To find out, they measured blood erythritol levels in eight healthy volunteers after drinking a beverage sweetened with erythritol. Blood erythritol levels increased 1,000-fold and remained substantially elevated for several days. For at least two days, the erythritol levels grew more than high enough to trigger changes in platelet function.

Conclusively no doubt exists, consuming erythritol can increase blood clot formation. This possibility of clotting increases the risk of heart attack or stroke, but more studies must be performed.

Stevia Is Unjustly Lumped Into The Same Category As Other Nonsugar Substitutes

This guideline also reports that common nonsugar substitutes include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and stevia derivatives.

WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety, Francesco Branca, goes on to say that,

NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.

While I agree with Mr. Branca that the desire for Almighty Sugar should come under better control by those suffering from obesity and diabetes, he fails to mention anything about the addictive properties of sugar. 

Stevia Does Have Value, According To The WHO Report

On page 31, Section 3.1.7.2, titled “Hunger,”  we find the following:

In addition, in one trial, the participants in the control arm reported overall higher hunger scores compared with an arm receiving stevia.

This statement suggests that the nonsugar substitute stevia curb one’s appetite. This is particularly notable since Almighty Sugar is known to increase weight. This is particularly true if a person is already obese. I consider this to have immense value.

On page 35, Section 3.1.11, “Neurocognition,” we discover that.

…those receiving stevia for 6 weeks did not display any changes in cognitive function, whereas those receiving sucralose showed a significant decrease in overall memory, encoding memory and executive functions.

This is another particular healthy value.

On page 38, Section 3.2.7,  “Dental caries” or Dental cavities, we find another practical value of stevia for children, particularly over Almighty Sugar.

…snacks containing stevia or sugars were given twice daily to children for 6 weeks. At the end of the trial, the concentrations of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans bacteria and lactobacilli (χ2 8.01; P < 0.01), and the probability of developing caries (measured by a cariogram) in the stevia arm had decreased compared with baseline, whereas there were no statistically significant changes in the sugars arm.

I don’t have this product in my store because I am not yet a distributor of the Now Foods brand. However, I recommend the product because I like its taste. Just remember not to use too much! It takes much less than sugar.