Sugar means a lot of things in our culture, ranging from ideal children (“Sugar and spice, and everything nice”) to easing unpleasant situations (“A spoonful of sugar…”) to sexual desire (“Pour some sugar on me/ ooh, in the name of love” ). Sugar hardly ever means a bad thing in pop culture. But, when it comes to our health, it’s a different story.
In 2008, Americans consumed 20 million short tons (40 billion pounds) of caloric sweeteners, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). With four calories per gram, the weight adds up in American waistlines. In recent years, sugar has been implicated as a major factor in epidemic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. It also has a bad rap for causing tooth decay.
“Excess dietary sugar and unstable insulin levels are among the leading causes of disease and health challenges in the United States, including the rising epidemics of diabetes and obesity, and both food manufacturers and consumers are becoming more aware of this and responding,” said Wes Crain, vice president, Navitas Naturals. He added, “Food shoppers are reading product labels more than ever to see how their foods are sweetened, so food manufacturers want to have a more attractive natural ingredient list.”
Colleen M. Zammer, market development manager, health and nutrition, Jungbunzlauer Inc., attributes the growth of the natural sweetener industry to three factors: “1) The struggle with obesity and the need to reduce calories in foods and beverages, with a major target being sugar calories; 2) Sporadic studies or published comments questioning the safety of artificial sweeteners, which have been a longtime solution for reducing sugar calories; and 3) The opportunity to cater to niche markets that are high value and high profit using unique natural sweeteners that combine safety, good taste and a natural aura."
However, there are those on both sides of the fence: those who say sucrose is evil, and those who say it is carrying the blame that should be attributed to the overall lifestyle trend of added calories and reduced activity. In fact, Audrae Erickson, president, Corn Refiners Association, noted people often forget glucose provides energy to the body and is a necessary carbohydrate for brain function.
