Are “sugar-free” drinks necessarily healthier?

As living standards improve, people’s pursuit of food is no longer just about being delicious and filling, but also about being healthy and meeting the needs of losing weight and reducing fat. Sugar-free beverages have become popular. Retaining the sweet taste of the beverage while consuming less energy sounds very attractive, but does “sugar-free” really have no disadvantages?

The ability of these added sugars to raise blood sugar should not be underestimated

First of all, "sugar-free" does not really mean that "sugar" is not added, but that there is no sucrose. Some products are marked "no sugar added", but they may have added dextrin, syrup, honey, protein sugar, etc. to confuse people. Glucose is a monosaccharide that can be directly absorbed and utilized by the human body, and blood sugar testing also refers to the detection of glucose content in the blood. Fructose, lactose, etc. need to reach the liver with the blood first, and then be broken down and converted into glucose before they can be used by the human body. Therefore, ingredients such as fructose syrup and maltodextrin on the ingredient list can also increase blood sugar, and their efficiency in raising blood sugar is higher than that of sucrose, which is not conducive to control.

There are also some fruit juice products that claim to be pure natural and additive-free. Although they contain 0 sucrose, the raw materials such as fruit juice and dairy products used are themselves extremely high in sugar content, so diabetic patients need to pay special attention.

Why is the carbohydrate content 0 but the calories are still high?

If you look at the nutritional information of some products, you will find that there is still a lot of energy without adding sugar. This is because sugar is replaced by certain "sugar alcohols". The change in chemical structure reduces their effect on raising blood sugar, but because of the loss of sweetness, the amount added to the product is not small, and the calories generated are also not negligible. In addition, consuming a large amount of sugar alcohols may cause diarrhea.

Consumers who choose sugar-free products for the purpose of losing fat should not only look at the product's ingredient list but also pay attention to the energy value in the nutritional table.

Zero-calorie sweeteners will "cheat" insulin, so don't drink too much!

A nutrition expert at the University of Utah believes that the principle of all sweeteners is to deceive the brain. Although sweeteners do not participate in the body's metabolism and provide energy, the body will mistakenly think that it has taken in real sugar and "cheat" insulin secretion. Drinking sugar-free beverages for the purpose of losing weight is likely to increase the desire for real sugar because the brain receives sweet signals but finds that blood sugar does not rise.

This "deception" will also reduce insulin sensitivity and weaken the ability of human tissue cells to absorb and utilize glucose, which may lead to the risk of obesity and diabetes.

In general, don't treat "sugar-free" or "low-sugar" drinks as health foods. Excessive drinking can still cause harm to the body. If you only drink it once in a while, it won't be a big burden. But if you treat drinks as a daily necessity for the purpose of losing weight, you need to be cautious. In addition, when buying, don't just look at the "sugar-free" or "low-sugar" on the product packaging, but check the ingredient list and nutritional information table to see if there is added sugar that is not suitable for you.