Do low-sugar mooncakes cause diarrhea? Nutrition experts reveal the truth about "healthy mooncakes"

People's Daily Online, Beijing, September 18 (Reporter Cui Yuanyuan) Recently, some media reported that Zhihu mooncakes may have caused diarrhea in some diners because the OEM factory used too much maltitol as a sugar substitute. Maltitol can be seen in the ingredient list of many foods, why does diarrhea occur after consumption? Can low-sugar and sugar-free mooncakes made with sugar alcohols instead of sucrose still be eaten? With these questions, People's Daily reporters invited nutrition experts to reveal the truth about "healthy mooncakes" to consumers!

Why can maltitol reduce sugar?

Wei Guo, a doctor from the Department of Nutrition at the Oriental Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, introduced that maltitol is a type of polysugar alcohol that can be added to food instead of sucrose to increase the sweetness of the food.

"But unlike sucrose, maltitol provides only 1/10 of the energy of sucrose and does not quickly raise blood sugar, so maltitol is a sweetener that can be consumed by people with diabetes." Wei Guo said that maltitol is not easily decomposed into acid by microorganisms and has a certain anti-caries effect. If maltitol and fat are taken at the same time, it can also prevent fat accumulation in the human body, so obese people and children can also use it as a sweetener.

Is it true that consuming maltitol will cause diarrhea?

"Sugar alcohols do not break down in the stomach, but directly enter the intestines. After entering the intestines, part of the sugar alcohols are used by intestinal bacteria to produce gas, which leads to abdominal distension, bowel sounds, and even diarrhea in severe cases." Wei Guo explained that these reactions are actually normal, and most people will not have diarrhea problems as long as they do not eat too much. Maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol, isomalt, etc. in sugar alcohols have been widely used in many countries and are internationally recognized as sucrose substitutes.

Yu Liang, a registered dietician and popularizer of Chinese nutrition knowledge, also said that maltitol, as a sweetener, has a limited range of uses and cannot be used relatively unlimitedly like sucrose.

"The human body's maximum tolerable amount of maltitol is about 20g. If it exceeds 20g, osmotic diarrhea is likely to occur. Therefore, we must be careful when using maltitol in food." Yu Liang said.

Wei Guo introduced that studies have shown that when the intake of maltitol is 0.3g/Kg, diarrhea will not occur, but the specific intake is related to the dosage of sugar alcohol added to the food and the amount of food eaten, so some countries require that the labels of health foods containing sugar alcohols and oligosaccharides should indicate "excessive consumption can cause diarrhea."

Wei Guo suggested that the intake of sugar alcohols should be controlled within 20g per day, and for children, within 10g.

Does “no sucrose” mean “sugar-free”?

"Of course not! For sugar-free snack foods, the starch they contain is strictly speaking also considered sugar. Sucrose-free simply means that no additional sucrose is added." Wei Guo said.

Yu Liang also said that sucrose-free does not mean sugar-free. Sucrose-free foods sometimes taste sweet because some sugar substitutes, sweeteners or other non-sucrose sugars are used in the food. Therefore, it is necessary to read the ingredient list of the food and understand the secrets behind it.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, various mooncakes with low sugar or sugar-free concept are becoming popular. In this regard, experts suggest that the public should maintain rational cognition and master scientific eating methods.

Yu Liang reminds consumers that there is no such thing as true sugar-free! Low-sugar mooncakes use less sucrose or use sweeteners to replace sucrose, while sugar-free mooncakes simply do not add sucrose to the mooncakes. Regardless of whether they are low-sugar or sugar-free, the mooncake skin itself contains sugar.

"In addition to the extra sugar added, mooncakes also contain starch and fat, especially egg yolk mooncakes or meat-filled mooncakes, which have a higher fat content. Therefore, even if they are low-sugar or sugar-free mooncakes, you cannot eat them freely," Wei Guo emphasized.

How to choose the mooncake that suits you?

So, how should consumers choose the mooncakes that are suitable for them? Wei Guo introduced that, first, refer to the ingredient list to see clearly what sweeteners are added to the mooncakes. If it is synthetic sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium and cyclamate, it is not recommended for children under 2 years old to eat it. If it is protein sugars such as aspartame, children with phenylketonuria and children under 2 years old cannot eat it. If oligofructose or sugar alcohols are added, people who are prone to diarrhea need to control the amount of consumption.

Second, refer to the nutritional composition table and choose those with lower energy at the same weight.

Third, choosing individual mooncakes that are lighter in weight will help control the amount of food you eat.

Yu Liang reminded that when purchasing, you must read the nutrition label on the food packaging to understand the ingredients and raw materials. If you have any doubts, you can consult relevant people before buying, and do not buy mooncakes without a clear manufacturer or unknown source.

From the perspective of nutrition and health, mooncakes are high in oil, sugar and energy. Wei Guo suggested that consumers should refer to the nutrition information and ingredients on the food packaging according to their actual situation and make reasonable choices and consumption. When eating mooncakes, three principles should be followed: eat less, control the consumption to 25-50g per day; reasonably match, it is healthier to eat with coarse grains, vegetables, soybeans and milk; exercise appropriately, such as brisk walking for 30 minutes, the energy consumed is roughly equivalent to the energy provided by a 50g mooncake.

"The high sugar and oil content in mooncakes can lead to excess energy in the body and cause a very high blood sugar response. For those who have blood sugar and weight problems, eating a lot will be harmful to their health. Therefore, just taste it during the festival and don't eat it unlimitedly," Yu Liang suggested.