Sugar Analysis of First China Beverage Health Consumption Forum and Human Health

The "First China Beverage Health Consumption Forum" hosted by the China Food and Drug Enterprise Quality and Safety Promotion Association was held on September 3 at the Shougang Park of the 2021 Service Fair. As an important part of the forum, "Healthy China Beverage Food Sugar Reduction Action White Paper" was officially released.

As an important part of the forum, "Healthy China Beverage and Food Sugar Reduction Action White Paper" was officially released on the same day. According to the report, excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has led to a gradual increase in the incidence of diabetes and a younger population.

In order to do a good job of sugar reduction action, the beverage industry should open the direction of sugar reduction development from four aspects, such as structured, sugar reduction health, environmental protection and branding. Representatives from Yuanqi Forest, Bowling Green, Gadobao and other companies that have actively explored sugar reduction and sugar substitutes in recent years also shared their successful experiences at the forum.

Tang Benson, founder of Yuanqi Forest, said in his speech that Yuanqi Forest's sugar-free beverages began to gain success in 2018, deepening consumers' awareness of sugar-free beverages and thus further driving the development of the sugar-free beverage industry.

He pointed out that although Yuanqi Forest was not the first to try sugar-free beverages, the fundamental reason for its ability to quickly stand out among the crowd of sugar-free and low-sugar beverages is its willingness to invest more in R&D and production regardless of cost.

As the industry's first beverage brand to use high-cost erythritol as a sugar substitute, Yuanqi Forest not only provides a new idea for the beverage industry, but also makes sugar-free beverages start to take root in young people's consumption choices through continuous optimization of products and brands, and brings the concept of "sugar reduction" into the daily lives of the younger generation successfully.

In order to further improve product innovation, Yuanqi Forest has also cooperated with the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Beijing Sports University and 301 Hospital in various forms to guide product development with scientific theories.

Chen Junshi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and general consultant of the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, said at the forum that the Dietary Guidelines of the Chinese Nutrition Society recommends a daily sugar intake of 50 grams per person, preferably no more than 25 grams, so he called on food companies to produce food with reference to health standards and gradually reduce the amount of sugar in the food industry through technological innovation, while consumers should also gradually adapt to foods with reduced sweetness.

He also stressed that the innovative and rational use of sweeteners is an important means to effectively reduce the sugar level of food, and consumers should have a correct understanding of sweeteners and not feel unhealthy once they hear about additives. "To develop the beverage industry, sweeteners instead of sugar is the general trend, so as to give consumers more choices."

Regular consumption of sugar substitutes can lead to three types of harm. The first is to disturb the balance of intestinal flora: sugar substitutes can inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal flora, leading to an increase in the number of pathogenic bacteria.

A study proved that after two weeks of intake of sweetener equivalent to 1.2 liters of sugar substitutes per day, the level of beneficial bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and anthropoid bacteria in the intestinal flora decreased significantly, and the number of up to 11 pathogenic bacteria increased, and even the emergence of new pathogenic bacteria.

The second is an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Studies have found that healthy people with normal weight and normal metabolic systems who took calorie-free artificial sugar substitutes had significantly higher blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin.

A large cohort study of nearly 200,000 people at Harvard University showed that people who drank artificial sugar substitutes daily had a 19% increased risk of developing diabetes, which was higher than the risk of diabetes in people who drank sugar-sweetened beverages. Another study of adolescents showed that those who drank "sugar-free" labeled (no added sucrose) soda drinks with artificial sugar substitutes had a 58% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, higher than those who chose sugary drinks.

The third is the increased risk of obesity. When the body consumes a large amount of sugar substitutes, the body perceives the sweetness signal and secretes too much insulin, which leads to a decrease in insulin receptor sensitivity and an increase in lipolysis and synthesis, resulting in obesity or metabolic syndrome.