Most of us have heard about how the sugar industry is to blame for diet-related illnesses, obesity, and so on. The documentary “Fed Up” showed us some sugar industry secrets and just how much added sugar we consume in each day.
For example, I, along with other women, should eat no more than 25 grams of sugar a day according to the American Heart Association — which would be around 100 calories. My favorite Nestlé product, the Butterfinger, has 250 calories and 24 grams of sugar in one regular-sized bar.
At the end of November Nestlé announced they plan to patent their own sugar substitute. This isn’t the first time the company has made improvements to their product for health benefits. In the past, Nestlé has reduced sugar, salt and saturated fat, while they have increased vitamins, minerals, and whole grains.
In a NY Times article, the company’s CTO Dr. Stefan Catsicas, said this new “sugar” would be easier on one’s digestive system.
“It is sugar, but it is assembled differently so it can disassemble easily in your mouth with less going into your gastrointestinal tract,” Catsicas said.
This substitute is made from natural ingredients which contain less sugar. However, Nestlé said the new sweetener has the same amount of sweetness as regular sugar. They also claim that the product will have the same flavor.
Nestlé will start using the “faster-dissolving” sugar in 2018. Since the company plans on patenting the product, they did not provide details on how the sugar substitute will be made. They did, however, explain they have discovered a way to reconstruct sugar and make it dissolve more easily. They believe it could potentially reduce the total sugar, and sugar calories as much as 40 percent.
This sounds like a perfect idea to reduce calories, right? Well, some are pretty skeptical about this new “sugar.” Artificial sweeteners have been controversial right from the beginning. They are linked to reducing risks of weight gain, high blood glucose and Type 2 diabetes; however, studies have shown that sweeteners can potentially cause cancer due to toxicity.
Not all artificial sweeteners are created equal, so we will have to wait to see how Nestlé plans on making their sugar substitute and how it compares to other sweeteners.