2023-07-14 15:20:00
Receive National Geographic magazine for only €5/month + GIFTS
Enjoy our special editions at a unique price for being a subscriber.
Los health risks associated with sugar consumption have been widely studied for decades, which is why their intake has been limited to 5% of total caloric intake by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The constant excess of this amount can cause damage to the cardiovascular system, as well as digestive problems and being overweight, among others.
Experts recommend choosing healthy foods that are naturally sweet, and replacing sugar with natural sweeteners and other spices. However, Not all the sweeteners that we find on the market are of natural origin and its intake is associated with other dangers.
Do sweeteners really help you lose weight?
Some studies have been able to link artificial sweeteners to development of some types of cancer if taken in excessive amounts. Even so, it is difficult to establish in what quantities we ingest them since they are present in many common foods in supermarkets.
This is the case of aspartamethe non-caloric sweetener that is in the spotlight of the WHO and whose consumption, as it concludes, must be regulated to avoid exceeding the maximum daily amounts marked by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in the European framework.
what is ASPARTAME?
It’s a low calorie chemical sweetener which has been used as a sugar substitute since the 1980s. It is estimated to be about 200 times sweeter than sugar, allowing its use in very small quantities.
This additive comes in the form of a white granular powder, and is also available present in many products that we commonly find in supermarkets.
The acceptable daily intake of this substance is currently 40 milligrams per kg of weight bodily. Even so, this information is constantly re-evaluated by EFSA and other food safety bodies.
It should be noted that studies do not conclude that this substance poses an immediate serious health hazard, but that there is a relationship between its massive consumption and potential carcinogenic effects.
Where is it located?
Aspartame is usually present in those products classified as “light”, without sugar, or dietary, and it is also integrated into soft drinks and juices, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, yogurt, some cereals, syrup, toothpaste and chewable vitamins, among others.
It can be identified on labels and nutritional information with the code E 951where it must be indicated if the product contains it.
These foods hide harmful substances for the body
As to the amounts of use in products, these are usually small and therefore its moderate consumption would not be a problem. A can of soda, for example, may contain 200 to 300mg of aspartame.
This means that according to the European daily intake limits an adult weighing 70 kilos could consume up to 2,800mg of aspartame daily, the equivalent of a quantity of 9 to 14 cans of soda daily.
SOME NATURAL SWEETENERS WITHOUT REFINED SUGARS
Stevia Pure bee honey Maple or agave syrup Dates Coconut sugar Panela Birch molasses Jams that are 100% fruit
#foods #carry