Sugar intake

In recent years there has been a great search for a safe, calorie-free sweetener to help diabetic people who need to control their sugar intake and, more recently, to meet the demands of health- and diet-conscious consumers. One such sweetener that was marketed in the late 1960s was calcium cyclamate. However, cyclamates were banned in the United States in 1970 because of a suspected link with cancer. 

Per capita consumption of sugar varies widely from country to country and is often a measure of the affluence and level of industrial development of a country, except in Asia, where dietary customs do not include high sugar intake. 

Some additives clearly serve an important function. Preservatives help to prevent food from spoiling and enable processed food to be stored for much longer. They reduce the likelihood of bacterial contamination in the food we eat. Sodium nitrite is added to cured meat, for example, to prevent the growth of organisms like Clostridium botulinum, which causes severe toxicity, botulism (see pp. 249-51). Preservatives also reduce chemical degradation and so allow food to have a longer shelf life. Other additives may also have a beneficial function, for example artificial sweeteners reduce the sugar intake of people who suffer from diabetes or obesity. 

Stop drinking soft drinks. You ll drastically cut down your sugar intake—by 11 teaspoons per can. 

Artificial or intense sweeteners are often used not only to restrict the sugar intake in food and beverages but also to boost the degree of sweetness to mask bitter notes. Only few are approved for use in over 80 countries (e.g., saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium). There is some ongoing controversy over whether artificial sweeteners are health risks despite lack of scientifically controlled peer-reviewed studies in general consistently to produce clear evidence. It is to be noted that if an acceptable daily intake (ADI) value is available, most of the time it is for a general adult population and not specifically for pediatric and geriatric population. 

Mardis, Anne L. Current Knowledge of the Health Effects of Sugar Intake. Family EconomicA and Nutrition Review (Winter 2001) 88 91. Also available online at http //www.cnpp.usda.gov/FENR/FENRv13m/ fenrv13mp87.pdf. 

The consumption of common table sugar in the United States is about 100 pounds per person per year. Many people want to curtail their sugar intake in the interest of fighting obesity. Others must limit their sugar intake because of diabetes. One of the most common ways of doing so is by drinking diet soft drinks. The soft-drink industry is one of the largest markets for aspartame. The use of this sweetener was approved by the U.S. 

Could there be a connection between high sugar intake and high blood levels of triglycerides Explain. 

Saccharin is very sweet yet has virtually no caloric content. It is useful as a sugar substitute for those who must restrict their sugar intake and also for those who wish to control their weight but still have a desire for sweets. 

Figure 3 shows the total sugar intake and urinary sugar loss according to age. Each age group was divided according to blood sugar levels above or below 150 mg per 100 ml. 

Fig. 3. Total sugar intake and uring sugar excretion (mean + SEM) in all infants (A.G.A ) given supplemental 10% dextrose + fibrin hydrolysate during the first three weeks of life related to blood sugar values less than or greater than 150 mg per 100 ml.

Significant glycosuria was seen in the first week when total sugar intake (oral plus intravenous) exceeded 12 g per kg per day. 

QUESTIOM This study conciudes that, on the average, there is no connection between sugar intake and hyperactivity. Does that ruie out the possibiiity that for some chiidren sugar may make them hyperactive, or that for some chiidren sugar may make them more sedate Aiso, what does this study demonstrate about the wisdom of using anecdotai observations to make generaiized statements ... 

Because this and much other evidence put forward for a relationship between sugar intake and dental caries in Man is circumstantial and the applicability of the results of animal experiments to humans was open to question, there was a need for a prolonged and well-controlled experiment on humans. Such an experiment was carried out in Sweden shortly after World War II over a period of 6 years on patients in a mental hospital at Vipeholm, where careful dietary supervision was possible. More than 400 subjects were fed on a nutritionally adequate basic diet which was rich in vitamins and other protective foods, contained 130 g carbohydrate and provided 7-5 MJ (1800 kcal). Groups of patients were then fed various supplements which raised their total calorie intake to 1T3 MJ (2700 kcal). The form of the supplements and the times at which they were provided were varied. Some groups were given extra bread or a sugar solution at meal times while others were provided with chocolate or toffees between meals. A summary of the... 

Reduction of the sugar intake by 10% (from 14% of total energy to about 12%). 

Diabetes can be controlled with regular injections of insulin and by diets in which the sugar intake is carefully controlled. 

Lots of exercise and a carefully controlled diet help, such as cutting down on sugar intake. One of the best ways to do this is to use artificial sugar substitutes, rather than sugar. 

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