Science Explains | Are sugar-free foods really "0 sugar"? Listen to what the experts say!

Although sugar substitutes are food additives that only provide sweetness and no or very little calories, the carbohydrate, fat content and total energy of sugar-free foods, especially some starch products such as bread and pastries, are not low.

Sugar-free compressed biscuits, sugar-free low-fat oats, sugar-free low-calorie vitamin drink powder, 0 sugar, 0 fat, 0 calorie sparkling water, sugar-free snacks for diabetics... As a food with a healthy halo, sugar-free food is increasingly accepted by the public and has become a favorite of many health-conscious people. With publicity gimmicks such as "0 sugar is healthier" and "Used by the nutrition department of large tertiary hospitals", the sugar-free food market has been unparalleled for a while. Is sugar-free food really healthy?

To answer this question, we need to first understand what sugar-free food is.

"First of all, we need to clarify the definition of 'sugar' in sugar-free foods." Xue Changyong, former director of the Nutrition Department of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, introduced that sugar in a broad sense refers to digestible carbohydrates; sugar in a narrow sense mainly refers to refined sugar, such as sucrose.

"If we are talking about sugar in a broad sense, strictly speaking, only foods that have nothing to do with carbohydrates are called sugar-free foods. But in reality, they are not. The sugar-free foods on the market, such as sugar-free cakes, sugar-free moon cakes, sugar-free rice dumplings, etc., simply do not contain sucrose.

Under the cover of this concept, businesses can add other sugars, such as fructose, sugar substitutes, etc. " In Xue Changyong's view, sugar-free foods are not completely sugar-free. The common sugar-free foods on the market mostly refer to foods without refined sugar.

In fact, there are no clear regulations in China to define sugar-free food.

However, in the General Principles of Nutrition Labeling for Prepackaged Foods, the critical limit for sugar (lactose) is that "0 sugar" or "sugar-free" means that the sugar content in every 100 grams or 100 milliliters of food does not exceed 0.5 grams. He Li, a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, further explained: "The General Principles of Nutrition Labeling for Prepackaged Foods stipulates that foods with a sugar content of less than or equal to 0.5 grams per 100 grams or 100 milliliters of food can be considered sugar-free, and foods with a total energy of less than 17 kilojoules (about 4 kilocalories) can be considered energy-free. In other words, '0 sugar' or '0 calorie' foods are not necessarily absolutely 0 values, but may just be very low in content and can be ignored."

From this we can see that, to some extent, "sugar-free" does not mean "0 sugar", and sugar-free foods are not completely free of sugar.

It is worth noting that in recent years, with the upgrading of consumption and the popularization of health concepts, sugar substitute derivatives, like sugar-free foods, have also gained favor among many consumers. What are sugar substitute foods? What is the difference between them and sugar-free foods?

"Sugar-free foods solve a taste problem, but they still have energy. For example, sugar-free steamed bread, its main ingredient is carbohydrates." Lu Juming, chief physician and professor of the Endocrinology Department of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, said frankly: "What is a sugar substitute? It is an ingredient that replaces sugar. It has a sweet taste, but it is not refined sugar."

He Li reminded that although sugar substitutes such as xylitol, maltitol, steviol glycosides and mogrosides only provide sweetness and are food additives that provide no or very little calories, the carbohydrate, fat content and total energy of sugar-free foods, especially some starch products such as bread and pastries, are not low.

Xue Changyong said: "Sugar substitutes will not cause blood sugar to rise. They are sweet but have no calories. Many current concepts, such as 0 sugar, 0 calories, and 0 fat sparkling water, mainly consist of water and sweeteners. Although these sweeteners have been approved by relevant departments and are relatively safe, we still do not recommend eating too much of them because they have no nutritional value."

"Even if it is sugar-free food, you can't eat too much. If the total carbohydrate content exceeds the limit, it is still bad for your health." When talking about the healthiness of sugar-free food, Lu Juming used sugar-free steamed buns as an example. He said that in terms of blood sugar, sugar-free steamed buns are the same as ordinary steamed buns, and they will cause blood sugar to rise. Especially for diabetics, they should not eat more just because they are "sugar-free".

Mu Yiming, director of the Endocrinology Department of the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, recently publicly stated: "Many studies have found that long-term consumption of sugar-free beverages, if they are sweetened with sucralose, aspartame, xylitol and other sugar substitutes, is no different from sugary beverages in causing diabetes."

So, does this mean that sugar-free foods have no value?

He Li said: "Sugar-free foods can help us consume less energy. Because added sugar is not necessary for the nutrients we need, so sugar-free foods can help us consume less added sugar, which is still healthy. Whether sugar-free foods are healthy or not depends on what they are made of."

Regarding healthy sugar reduction, Xue Changyong suggested that people who do not eat sugar can refer to the glycemic index and glycemic load when choosing food . The glycemic index refers to the degree of influence of the sugar content of food on blood sugar, while the glycemic load is the weight of the food eaten multiplied by the glycemic index. When consuming food, regardless of the composition of the food, such low glycemic index foods that have little effect on blood sugar can be consumed more.

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