KEY INTERVIEW: Diabetes and the Sweet Alternatives

12 Apr 2016 --- The World Health Organization (WHO) focused on the fight against diabetes for World Health Day 2016 last week (April 7). To mark this, NutritionInsight talked with Helen Dickens from Diabetes UK and Scott Fabro from Cargill, about the global diabetes situation, as well as how use of sugars and sweeteners in the food industry have changed.

According to the Diabetes UK website, four million people are currently living with diabetes in the UK, of which an estimated 549,000 people have Type 2 diabetes but do not know it as they have not yet been diagnosed. It is estimated that, if nothing changes, five million people in the UK will be living with the condition by 2025, making the need to tackle this serious health condition more urgent than ever.

“Almost all of us are eating and drinking too much sugar which is very damaging to our health,” Helen Dickens, Head of Prevention at Diabetes UK, noted.

“Currently, the average intake of ‘added sugars’ being consumed across all age groups exceeds the recommended maximum amount of 5 percent of total daily energy intake.” This is about 30g of sugar a day for those aged 11 and over. Fruit juice and honey can also count as added sugars, as they're sometimes added to foods to make them sweeter.

In the UK government’s recent annual budget, Chancellor George Osbourne announced that soft drinks manufacturers would be subject to a sugar tax on sugary soft drinks to be implemented in 2018.

“The evidence that sugar directly causes Type 2 diabetes is inconclusive, but sugary foods and drinks are high in calories and consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain, which significantly increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions,” Dickens explained.

On January 21, members of parliament debated the upcoming Childhood Obesity Strategy (as reported by NutritionInsight on 01 Feb 2016), which is due to be published in the summer.

“Alarmingly, some children are consuming as much as six times the maximum amount of added sugar recommended,” Dickens explained.

“This is why we have welcomed the soft drinks industry levy announced in George Osborne’s budget.”

“However, the measure must be introduced in a way that does not negatively impact on people living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes who may rely on high sugar drinks to treat low blood glucose levels.”

Although popular, fast food - also commonly referred to as junk food – is closely linked with health problems including cardiovascular disease and obesity, as well as Type 2 diabetes: “Alongside the sugar duty we also want to see further measures to tackle the obesity crisis, which is fuelling the high rates of Type 2 diabetes in the Government’s forthcoming Childhood Obesity Strategy. This should include mandatory targets for food manufacturers to reduce levels of salt, fat and sugar in their products, and restrictions on the marketing of junk food to children.”

Industry does have its part to play, but things are changing. Scott Fabro, Global Business Development Director, High Intensity Sweeteners at Cargill explained about the changes in global sales of sugars and sweeteners in recent times: “With the movement toward ‘clean label’, we have seen growth in sweeteners like cane sugar, honey, and large growth in stevia leaf extract.”

Relatively new non-nutritive sweeteners – such as the naturally sourced, calorie-free sweeteners made from the stevia plant - are 200–300 times sweeter than sucrose (sugar) and are heat stable, so can be used in cooking and baking.

But are so many sweeteners necessary for the market today? “Yes, the world of sweetness continues to evolve and fragment. Balancing consumer taste preferences and the desire for a clean label, while trying to contain costs, is challenging. There is no one perfect sweetener, but every sweetener has a role to play.”

“Cargill has access to the widest suite of sweeteners and sweetener formulation expertise in the industry and can help customers find the right sweetener for their brand.”

So how can their products help in the current diabetes situation?

“Obesity and diabetes are real issues facing our communities today. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 2 billion adults worldwide qualified as overweight in 2014, and 600 million are considered obese. Additionally, approximately 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year (Source: American Diabetes Association).”

“Governments as well as industry are concerned about this epidemic and are working to take calories out of foods and beverages. The proposed FDA labeling changes will also be highlighting ‘Added Sugars’ on the Nutritional Facts Panel and will be forcing some products to change their serving size, which will result in an increase in the ‘Calories’ and ‘Sugars’ numbers on the Nutritional Facts Panel.”

“Stevia can be a great solution for decreasing calories and sugars in foods & beverages. Stevia leaf extract has no effect on blood glucose levels and is well tolerated by people with diabetes.”

by Kerina Tull

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