Consumers being misled on nutritional benefits of high fructose sweeteners, natural sugars: Experts.Byline: ANI Washington, July 1 (ANI): Consumers are being misled on the nutritional differences between high fructose fructose (frŭk`tōs), levulose (lĕv`yəlōs'), or fruit sugar, simple sugar found in honey and in the fruit and other parts of plants. sweeteners and natural sugars, say experts. Condemning the Starbucks and other brands decision to drop high fructose corn syrup corn syrup Sweet syrup produced by breaking down (hydrolyzing) cornstarch (a product of corn). Corn syrup contains dextrins, maltose, and dextrose and is used in baked goods, jelly and jam, and candy. from certain products, experts say that both the sweetners are nutritionally the same. A Washington Post health reporter Jennifer LaRue Huget wrote: "...most nutrition experts now agree there's really little material difference" between high fructose corn syrup and other caloric caloric /ca·lo·ric/ (kah-lor´ik) pertaining to heat or to calories. ca·lor·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to calories. 2. Of or relating to heat. sweeteners." She added: "They all deliver about 15-20 calories per teaspoon, and the human body appears not to know one from the other." Food industry critic Dr. Walter Willett Dr. Walter Willett, MD, DrPH., (born in 1945 in Hart, Michigan[1]) is an American physician and nutrition researcher. Currently, Dr. Willett is the Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition in the Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard , of Harvard University's School of Public Health, also wrote in a Chicago Tribune article that recent product reformulations a "marketing distraction." Another well-known food industry critic, Marion Nestle, commented that this type of product reformulation is a "calorie distractor dis·trac·tor n. Variant of distracter. ." "The irony is that white table sugar - formerly a leading target of 'eat less' messages - suddenly has a health aura. Marketers have wasted no time moving in to use that aura to sell the same old products," he said. Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, said: "Consumers are being misled into thinking that there are nutritional differences between high fructose corn syrup and sugar, when in fact they are nutritionally the same. Whether from cane, beets, or corn, a sugar is a sugar. They all contain four calories per gram." Erickson added: "Switching out a kind of corn sugar corn sugar n. Dextrose obtained from cornstarch. for table sugar is not for health and it is not for science. It is for quarterly earnings. It is unfortunate that consumers are being duped by these marketing gimmicks - gimmicks which may result in higher food prices at checkout." (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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