Share

Sweet, sweeter, healthiest

Surely honey must be healthier than sugar. After all, it’s nature's own sweetener. Besides, everyone knows sugar is unhealthy. And artificial sweeteners such as aspartame cause cancer. Just check on the Internet.

Which of these theories is correct? Or are they all false? There are so many theories about the three sweeteners that we asked dieticians Karen Protheroe and Carol Browne to make sense of the available research.

For starters, forget about honey if you thought it would improve your health...  

1. Sugar
Sugar is an important part of our diet because of its sweet taste and energy-giving properties. A moderate amount of sugar (four to six teaspoons a day) is definitely not unhealthy and, according to dieticians and scientists, even dieters can use this much. 

Even diabetics can use a little sugar, provided it is part of a low-GI meal and they check with their nutritionist or doctor first. Bear in mind your insulin levels will rise suddenly if you eat lumps of sugar or sweets between meals. But if taken with a low-GI meal, it won’t lead to sudden insulin peaks.This, of course, is the opposite of celeb nutritionist Patrick Holford's views. Dieticians and nutrition researchers say his views against the use of sugar are fanatical and scientifically unfounded. 

What’s more, sugar isn’t the only culprit when it comes to weight gain. You get fat because your daily, weekly and monthly kilojoule intake is more than the kilojoules you burn. The body stores all kilojoules not burned as fat, regardless of whether they’re derived from protein, sugar, starches, alcohol or fat. To lose weight or keep your weight constant you have to lower your kilojoule intake.     

Sugar also doesn't cause hyperactivity. Despite claims to this effect in the '70s, researchers have yet to ?nd any evidence to back the claim suggesting sugar causes hyperactivity. Nevertheless, it's not a good idea to let children overindulge on sweet things in one go, not even at a party. Sugar and sweet things should make up only part of a meal or snack. They're not meals in themselves.

Remember that sugar can cause tooth decay if you eat sugary or starchy food and neglect to floss and brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Limiting snacks such as sweets, crackers and dried fruit to five times a day and brushing regularly should keep the bacteria that cause tooth decay in check.

2. Honey
Honey looks beautiful and tastes delicious but isn't any healthier than sugar – plus, it won’t help you much if you’re trying to lose weight.

Teaspoon for teaspoon, honey may be more effective than sugar for slimmers, but there’s a catch. A 5 ml teaspoon (4 g) of sugar contains 68 kilojoules (kJ) and the same amount of honey 64 kJ – but most people use as much as a 15 ml (9,9 g) tablespoon of honey. If you use a tablespoon of honey in your tea instead of two teaspoons of sugar, your kilojoule intake will be slightly higher.    

Honey also has the same effect on blood sugar levels as sugar. The composition of honey is similar to that of table sugar, which consists of sucrose. In turn, sucrose consists of glucose and fructose. Honey consists of almost 70% fructose and glucose and 30% of other sugars. Because its composition is so similar, honey has almost the same glycaemic index as sugar and will increase your blood sugar level just as much.

As food, honey also has no great health benefits because it simply contains too few minerals and vitamins.

So, use honey if you like its unique taste but not for health reasons. And remember to buy only honey marked as 100% pure – glucose syrup is often mixed into honey.

3. Artificial sweeteners
These low-kilojoule sweeteners taste a lot like sugar but are sweeter by weight. Depending on the type of sweetener, it can be a hundred to a thousand times sweeter than sugar.

Sweeteners are useful for diabetics and slimmers. They’re extremely sweet but contribute very little to the kilojoule content of fruit yoghurts, cool drinks or other products they have been added to.

And don’t be afraid of them: sweeteners don’t cause cancer. Several websites carry research stating aspartame transforms in humans into toxins associated with brain cancer and lymphoma. However, the European Commission’s independent scientific committee scrutinised more than 500 research documents published between 1988 and 2001 but could find no proof that aspartame is associated with epileptic attacks, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit disorder, depression, headaches, allergies or brain tumours. 

Use artificial sweeteners in moderation to replace sugar if you're a diabetic, are trying to lose weight or simply because you prefer them. And, even though sweeteners are low in kilojoules, you shouldn't use more than eight pills a day.
 
The conclusion regarding honey, sugar and artificial sweeteners
• Use sugar moderately (four to six teaspoons a day) even if you're trying to lose weight but always make it part of a balanced diet. Even diabetics can use a little sugar if it's part of a low-GI meal and if their nutritionist agrees. 
• Eat honey in small quantities but only because you like its special taste. 
• Use artificial sweeteners if you usually use more than four to eight teaspoons of sugar a day but don’t use more than eight sweetener pills or powder equalling eight teaspoons a day.
• You won’t survive long without taking in carbohydrates at some stage. All sugars and starches are broken down in your body to form glucose, therefore it doesn't matter in which form you get it. Glucose supplies the energy for everything you do: breathing, thinking, moving and digesting food. Without glucose your body cells, and especially your brain cells, can't survive.


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE