Nowadays, everyone pays attention to healthy diet, and there are many so-called "sugar-free" drinks on the market under the banner of zero sugar and zero calories. Many people think that since it is a "sugar-free" drink, it means that it is completely free of sugar and calories, is healthier, and can be drunk as much as you like.
National standard regulations
Beverages containing trace amounts of sugar can also be labeled "sugar-free"
Experts remind that the so-called "sugar-free" is defined by the national standard and is a trace exemption label, which does not mean that the "sugar content" is absolutely zero.
According to my country's food labeling standards, beverages are labeled as sugar-free and energy-free, but the ingredient content does not exceed a limited threshold, which does not necessarily mean the value returns to zero.
Ge Zhiwen, deputy chief nutritionist of the Nutrition Department of Beijing Friendship Hospital: According to current national standards, as long as the sugar content does not exceed 0.5g per 100ml of beverages, they can be claimed to be "sugar-free". In terms of energy, if the energy per 100ml of the drink does not exceed 17 kilojoules, which is about 4 kilocalories, and the energy provided by fat does not exceed 50% of the total energy, it can be claimed to be "energyless". Therefore, in fact, "zero sugar" and "zero calories" do not mean absolutely zero, it may just be that the content is very low. It does not mean that we can drink unlimited amounts without causing any burden on the body. This is a misunderstanding.
Experts point out that long-term consumption of sweetened sugar-free drinks can easily intensify the desire for sweetness; as for sugar-free tea drinks, one must be wary of various body reactions caused by excessive caffeine.
"Sugar" in the national standard
Not just white sugar or sucrose
Experts explained that "sugar" in the national standard refers to the sum of all monosaccharides and disaccharides, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, etc., and does not only refer to white sugar or sucrose. Some drinks are labeled "sucrose-free", which only means that no additional sucrose is added during the production process, but the product may contain other sugars such as fructose, crystallized fructose, high fructose syrup or concentrated fruit juice.
In addition, "sugar-free" drinks on the market often use sugar substitutes as sweeteners, such as erythritol, sucralose, aspartame, etc., to provide sweetness. Sugar substitutes do not belong to traditional sugars and are therefore not included in the “sugar” content statistics of the national standard.
Don’t put “sugar-free” drinks
as daily drinking water
Are there any safe drinking standards for these "sugar-free" drinks containing sweeteners? Can sugar-free tea without sweetener be consumed in large quantities? Can children, pregnant women and other special groups drink it?
Experts remind that there is currently no unified recommended daily consumption of sugar-free drinks, but there are clear principles: sugar-free drinks cannot be used as daily drinking water, and different groups of people need to pay attention to the physical risks caused by the ingredients.
Ge Zhiwen, deputy chief nutritionist of the Nutrition Department of Beijing Friendship Hospital: Especially for people like children and teenagers, they should try to reduce their preference for sweet drinks. Pregnant women, lactating women, and people who are prone to insomnia and anxiety should be careful to limit their intake of sugar-free drinks containing caffeine. In addition, for example, sugar alcohols, if taken too much at one time, may cause bloating and diarrhea. People with irritable bowel syndrome should pay attention. In addition, patients with phenylketonuria should avoid sugar-free drinks containing aspartame, which may cause phenylalanine to accumulate in the body and easily cause damage to the nervous system.
Experts emphasize: Consumers should not have the illusion that they are not consuming sugar when they eat sugar-free foods. The best choice for replenishing water is still water. Generally speaking, an adult man drinks about 1700ml of water per day, while an adult woman drinks about 1500ml. It can be adjusted appropriately according to weather conditions or her own physical condition.
(CCTV reporter Cao Yu)
