關於糖類的十大謠傳(上)

Sugar certainly has gotten a bad rap lately. It's blamed for everything from obesity and diabetes to heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. But is it really all that bad? Is there nothing redeeming about those tiny, sweet granules? Or is a lot of what we hear misinformation? We know one thing for sure. Sugar consumption in America has skyrocketed. In 1990, Americans ate an average of 4 teaspoons (16 grams) of added sugar per day. By 2014, that number had shot up to 20 teaspoons (80 grams) daily. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says Americans obtain 16 percent of their total calories from added sugars, namely soda, energy and sports drinks, grain-based desserts, sugar-sweetened fruit drinks, dairy-based desserts and candy. The World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation? We should only be getting less than 10 percent of our daily calories from added sugar. In 2014, the WHO even proposed slashing that recommended rate to less than 5 percent. Clearly, we need to pay attention to sugar and our consumption rate. But first, we need to learn the truth about our favorite sweetener.

近來，糖類無疑是備受責難。從肥胖症、糖尿病到心臟病、腎臟疾病和中風，一切都歸咎於糖。但是糖真的這麼不好？這些小小的、甜甜的的顆粒真的沒有可取之處嗎？又或者我們聽到的很多都是錯誤消息？不過我們可以確信一件事情：在美國，糖類消費量一路飆升。1990年，美國人每天平均攝入4茶匙（16克）添加糖。而到2014年，這個數據已經陡升至20茶匙（80克）。美國食品和藥物管理局（FDA）稱，美國人從添加糖食品中獲得16%的總熱量，這些食品包括蘇打水、運動型功能飲料、穀物甜點、含糖果汁、乳制甜點和糖果。世界衛生組織（WHO）的建議是什麼？我們每天從這些含糖食物中獲得的總熱量不應超過10%。2014年，世界衛生組織（WHO）甚至提議將這個比例大幅降低至5%以下。顯然，是時候留心一下糖以及我們在日常生活對其的攝取狀況了。但首先，讓我們來了解一下有關我們最喜歡的甜味劑的真相。

le Can Easily Limit Sugar Intake

10.人們可以很容易地控制糖類攝入量

OK, we need to eat less sugar. No problem. We'll just stop eating dessert, eschew the doughnuts brought in by our colleague and pass on the Halloween candy. But -- argh! -- why is it so hard? Are we weak-willed babies or what? Sugar is actually an addictive substance. Animal studies show sugar consumption causes bingeing, withdrawal and craving. Regularly eating sugar also makes it easier to become addicted to another drug. When humans were studied, consuming fructose (a form of sugar) caused the brain's reward center to light up. However, much like a drug, over time the subjects needed to consume more and more fructose for the reward center to light up as brightly

好吧，我們需要少吃糖。沒問題。我們不再吃甜品，遠離同事們買來的甜甜圈和萬聖節糖果。但是，啊！爲什麼這麼難？我們是意志薄弱的嬰兒還是什麼？事實上，糖就是令人上癮的東西。動物研究表明，攝入糖分會導致暴飲暴食、戒斷不良反應和內心產生極度渴望。經常吃糖也更容易對另一種藥物上癮。對人體的研究表明，果糖的分解（一種糖）能活躍大腦反饋中心。然而就像藥物一樣，隨着時間的推移，人需要消耗越來越多的果糖使大腦中心保持活躍的狀態。

Additional research shows sugar and sweetness can actually be more addictive, rewarding and attractive than drugs such as cocaine. Seems a bit preposterous, but a possible explanation, say scientists, is humankind's past evolutionary need to eat foods high in calories and sugar.

更多研究表明糖和甜味劑實際上比藥物，如可卡因，更有吸引力，令人上癮，使人更加滿足。這似乎有點荒謬，但科學家對此解釋說，原始人類的進化需要進食高熱量和高糖的食物。這種說法仍有待證實。還有一個問題：含有添加糖的產品比你想象的要多——比如番茄醬、即食燕麥片和意大利麪醬。

d Sugar Is Bad for You

9.添加糖對人有害

In 2014, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends Americans slash their sugar consumption from the average 20 teaspoons (80 grams) a day to six (24 grams) for women and nine (36 grams) for men. And the group notes, added sugars are particularly worrisome. Added sugars are sugars or syrups that are tossed into our food and drink during processing or preparation. They can be natural (e.g., honey) or chemically manufactured (e.g., high fructose corn syrup). They're troubling because they don't provide any nutrients -- just excessive calories. And they're in more products than you might think – in ketchup, instant oatmeal and spaghetti sauce, for starters.

2014年，美國心臟協會（AHA）建議美國女性將每天的糖類消耗從平均20茶匙（80克）減少至6茶匙（24克），男性減少至9茶匙（36克）。並且該協會稱添加糖尤其令人擔憂。添加糖就是在加工過程中或生產過程前添加到食物和飲料中的糖或糖漿。它們可以是天然製品（比如蜂蜜），或是化學制品（比如果葡糖漿）。它們令人不安，因爲沒有任何營養——只有高熱量。並且它們的覆蓋範圍比你想象的要廣——比如添加在番茄醬、即食燕麥片和意大利麪醬裏。

Yet you don't have to nix all added sugar from your diet. Sugar may not have any nutritional value, but it can enhance the flavor of foods that do provide important nutrients, such as whole-grain cereal or yogurt. So if sprinkling some sugar over a cup of healthy, plain yogurt is the only way you'll eat the yogurt, it's worth it to add the sweetness. Luckily, in most instances all you need is a small amount of sugar to achieve a satisfactory taste. That's why it's better to buy the no-added-sugar version of the product and add a little sugar than to buy the "regular" or fully sweetened version.

然而，你不必完全對這種添加糖說NO。糖或許沒有任何營養價值，但是它可以改善一些食物的口感，正是這些食物（如全麥麥片或酸奶）提供給你重要的營養物質。所以，如果唯一讓你喝杯有益健康但口感平平的酸奶的方法就是加點兒糖的話，那就這麼做吧。值得慶幸地是，在大多數情況下只需要添加少量糖就可獲得令人滿意的味道。這就解釋了爲什麼買無糖產品並自己加少量糖比買普通的或甜味的產品更好。

ficial Sweeteners Are Healthier Than Sugar

8.人造甜味劑比糖更健康

Many health-conscious people favor artificial sweeteners for their food, figuring they're a better bet because they don't contain any calories. It's true you're avoiding calories when you stick with artificial sweeteners, but the jury's out on whether they're healthier for you. The FDA deems artificial sweeteners safe, but experts say their long-term effects still aren't known. Further, there are numerous studies that raise red flags. For example, one study performed by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine found that if you eat artificially sweetened foods that are low in calories, it may cause you to down high-calories foods later in the day, especially if you ate the artificially sweetened stuff when you were tired or hungry. Artificial sweeteners don't signal "energy" to the brain the way regular sugar does.

許多有健康意識的人喜歡往食物中加些人造甜味劑，認爲這種甜味劑是個更好的選擇，因爲它們不含任何熱量。的確，堅持使用人造甜味劑你可以避免攝入熱量。不過，這些甜味劑是否有益健康，這一點尚無定論。儘管美國食品和藥物管理局認爲人造甜味劑是安全的，但是專家稱人造甜味劑的長期影響仍舊不清楚。此外，大量研究表明人造甜味劑值得注意。例如，耶魯大學醫學院的研究人員發現，尤其當你累了或餓了的時候，如果吃低熱量，添加了人造甜味劑的食品，那麼晚些時候你就會多吃些高熱量的食物。因爲大腦並不會把人造甜味劑跟普通的糖一樣視爲能量的來源。

Additionally, many people who rely on artificial sweeteners knowingly eat a little more throughout the day because they feel like they can afford to do so. After all, they've saved calories by opting for Splenda or Equal in their coffee or plain yogurt, so it's fine to have that extra hamburger or serving of potatoes. In the end, it may be best to simply eat less real sugar than swap it out for artificial sweeteners.

此外，很多依賴人造甜味劑的人每天會故意多吃一點，因爲他們覺得自己可以這麼做。畢竟，他們選擇在咖啡或原味酸奶中加點兒人造甜味劑如Splenda 或 Equal，從而避免攝入一些熱量。因此額外吃一些漢堡和薯條是可以的。總之，比起選擇人造甜味劑，最好還是少吃糖。

nic (Raw) Sugar Is Healthier Than Table Sugar

7.天然（原）糖比蔗糖更健康

Raw sugar looks so appealing, with its light caramel hue and nuggety shape. This organic sweetener, less refined than table sugar, is found in many health-focused products -- so surely it must be healthier for you. Actually, it's not.

原糖看起來似乎是比精煉加工的白糖更有益健康，但這只是因爲原糖中含有少許礦物成分而已。（白糖完全沒有）。二者的熱量相同。

Both raw sugar and table sugar are derived from sugarcane, although table sugar can also come from beets. Raw sugar is created when sugarcane juice is boiled once. This leaves some molasses in the product and gives the sugar its signature golden color. Table sugar results from sugarcane juice that is boiled several times, a process that removes all of the molasses from the juice, hence its white color.

這一塊一塊帶着淺淺焦糖色的原糖看起來如此誘人。這種有機的甜味劑，雖然不如白糖般經過精細加工，但它存在於很多主打健康的食品中——所以很顯然，這種食品更健康。然而事實並非如此。原糖和白糖都來源於甘蔗，雖然白糖也可來自甜菜。原糖是甘蔗汁煮第一次時的產物。這使得原糖中留存了一些糖蜜，顏色也變成了標誌性的金黃色。甘蔗汁經過多次煮沸提煉，就產生了蔗糖。這個過程讓糖蜜從甘蔗汁中流失了，因此蔗糖就是白色的。一些原糖支持者聲稱留在原糖的糖蜜具有我們身體所需的營養價值。但是大多數專家認爲只有微量營養素得以留存——微量到對我們的身體沒有任何影響。況且，原糖和精製糖含有等量的熱量。所以儘管製作過程不同，但它們真的都差不多。

r-free Diets Are the Healthiest

6.無糖飲食最健康

OK, so we eat too much sugar. And artificial sweeteners or other forms of the sweet stuff, like raw sugar, aren't any better than plain old table sugar. So maybe the answer is simply to cut all sugar out of our diets. Perhaps. But that is a complicated plan. Technically, if you were able to eliminate all sugar from your diet -- meaning eating solely foods where no sugar was added during its creation or afterward -- that might be the healthiest option. But if your suggested "sugar-free" diet means eating foods labeled "sugar-free," then that won't fly.

好吧，我們吃太多糖了。而且人造甜味劑或者其他種類的糖，比如原糖，都不比普通的蔗糖。也許最簡單地答案就是戒食所有含糖食物。但這也說不定。因爲要做到無糖飲食也很複雜。從技術層面來說，如果你能夠做到消除你飲食中所有的糖——這意味着只吃在生產過程中或之後不添加任何糖的食物——這樣可以稱爲最健康的選擇。但是如果你的“無糖”飲食只是吃一些標籤着“無糖”字樣的食品，那麼就不會有任何效果。

Foods that boast of being "sugar-free" typically really aren't. That's because while the sugar has been yanked, it's been replaced with an artificial sweetener. That sweetener could be the pleasant-sounding honey or agave nectar; chemical-sounding sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol; or noncaloric sweeteners like saccharin (brand-name "Sweet'N Low") and sucralose ("Splenda"). Unfortunately, many of these alternative sweeteners are still high in carbohydrates and/or calories. And sugar alcohols are famous for causing stomachaches and diarrhea if they're ingested in large quantities. Experts say the wisest strategy is to eat unprocessed foods, adding as little sugar as possible.

那些自稱是“無糖”的產品通常言過其實。這是因爲當糖被提取掉，取而代之的就是人造甜味劑。甜味劑可能是迷人的蜂蜜或龍舌蘭花蜜；產生化學反應的糖醇，比如山梨糖醇、甘露醇和木糖醇；或者無熱量的甜味劑，比如糖精（品名：低脂糖）和三氯蔗糖（蔗糖素）。不幸地是，許多可使用的甜味劑都含大量的碳水化合物或熱量。衆所周知，過量攝入糖醇會導致胃痛和腹瀉。專家稱最明智的做法就是吃未加工的食物，儘可能不加糖。

翻譯:夏久梅 審校:晴晴晴天 來源：前十網