Overweight Risk Essay

In the United States, increasing use of sugar in foods has led to an increase in obesity levels. Many manufactured foods catch sugars that put one across been added. These include jams, jellies, yogurt, peanut butter, soups, candy, bars, soft drinks and many other snacks. The subject health and Nutrition examination survey indicated that the United States population has lessen its intake of fat but increased its intake of sugary and get-up-and-go giving foods, plot the incidence of obesity has increased (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006).The implication here is that there is a great(p)er worryliness of developing obesity with the consumption of sugar than with the consumption of fat. The sugar, when consumed by world is stored as glycogen. When this glycogen becomes excessive it is converted to fats which when in excess results in the noble fat deposits common in obesity. Artificial enticements have miscellaneous advantages over sugar and these make the m the preferred choice for individuals who want to repeal the health risks of natural sugar.To begin with, sugar substitutes do not have the problem of lactic acid production, consequently tooth decay is not a health hazard associated with decoys. The sweeteners do not undergo the fermentation form like natural sugars. The difficulty of regulating blood glucose levels is easier to manage exploitation near sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners al pocket-size the individual with diabetes to enjoy a great variety of foods while maintaining close control of their sugar intake. Further, nigh of the synthetic sweeteners even though they have a small add of goose egg calories, atomic number 18 slowly metabolized.This mode that the levels of blood sugar have near degree of stability over time and so the danger of shit build up of glucose is overcome. Reactive hypoglycemia is common when foods with high glycemic indices are eaten. Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition where excessive insulin is produced when glucose has been rapidly heedless into the bloodstream. This results in levels of glucose in the blood falling between the required amount for brain function (WHO Technical Report, 2006). Artificial sweeteners general have low glycemic indices making them a better alternative.Despite the advantages associated with arranged sweeteners, those are accredited perspective effects that have led to disputation concerning their use. Some of the claimed side effects include headaches, behavior changes, seizures, genus Cancer and respiratory difficulty as well as dermatological problems. The safety of artificial sweeteners use is a great bone of contention because many studies have findings that differ greatly, with some studies concluding that sweeteners are safe at any dose while others conclude that sweeteners are safe in all conditions (Pizzorno et al, 2005).Generally, most flock are of the view that when sweeteners are used in moderation, the risk of ind ecorous effects is minimal. The more important issue of risk-benefit ratio is however, still unclear. some(prenominal) studies show that burthen-loss is not an effect which can be directly associated with artificial sweeteners . On the contrary, people using artificial sweeteners may increase weight. This is because the experience that one is reducing calories intake by using artificial sweetener may cause them to compensate and thus eat foods that have high energy values resulting in weight gain rather than weight loss (De Noon, 2005).Sucralose is an artificial sweeteners close to 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is produced when sucrose has three of its hydroxyl group groups removed and replaced with three chlorine atoms. It is comm however found in mastication gum, baked goods, frozen desserts and is usually absorbed only minimally by body and leaves the body without any changes pop offring to it (Renwick et al, 2000). Sucralose has been approved by the FDA and much of t he controversy associated with it has more to do with marketing than with safety.Its marketing slogan makes it appear as though it really is a sugar where in actuality it is a raffinose, a carbohydrate made up of three different sugar molecules. Saccharin was created from derivatives of toluene. Its sugariness was discovered as is the case with several other sweeteners. The substance is excessively made form phthalic anhydride. It is about 300 to 500 times sweeter than sucrose and is commonly used in toothpaste, dietary beverages and foods. It however has a blistery aftertaste which is minimized through blending it with sweeteners (Pizzorno et al, 2005).Reports from a study that associated saccharin with causation of cancer of the bladder led to controversy surrounding the use of saccharin. Some countries like Canada banned the product while the USA was considering an FDA ban. Further research however, revealed that it could not be dangerous to human beings, causing the threat of an FDA ban to be lifted (Pizzorno et al, 2005) Aspartame, a white, odorless, crystalline powder whose derivatives are aspartic acid and phenylanine is about 200 times sweeter than sugar.It can be utilized as a table sweetener or it can be used in frozen desserts, changing gum, gelatins and beverages. It however has the shortcoming of reacting with other flavors of food resulting in a taste that is slightly different from sugar. Aspartame undergoes metabolism to form the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It has considerably low energy values. Safety tasting of the sweetener however resulted in findings that showed that aspartame caused brain tumors in rats. The sweetener was however, FDA approved avocation deliberation and results o a study done in lacquer (Whitmore, 1996).There has been debate on the value of extrinsic sugar to the health of an individual. Extrinsic sugar enhances the taste of food but as it does so it also increases the amount of calories resulting i n negative effects to the health of an individual. The nutritional advice by the United Nations following a report compiled by ii of its agencies (Food and Agriculture organization, FAO, and World Health Organization (WHO) ) is that free sugars should account for only as much as 10% of the essential intake in a diet that is considered to healthy.The free sugars in this case include truthful sugars (monosaccharides and disaccharides) that manufacturers add to foods, as well as those added by consumers themselves and cooks. It also includes sugars that occur naturally like fruit juices, syrups and honey (WHO technical report, 2007). The report goes on to recommend a range of between 55% and 75% of carbohydrates for total energy intake (WHO technical report, 2007). The food industry generally favors artificial sweeteners or natural sugar sweeteners.This is because of the high profit margin recognize with the use of artificial sweeteners as they are more cost strong than both corn syrup and sugar. The sweeteners however should be used by consumers with great caution to ensure that the sweeteners do not end up becoming more of a health hazard than a means of achieving good health.ReferencesDeNoon J,2005, Drink More nourishment Soda, Gain More burthen? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink,Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis MD, WebMD Medical News