關於我們最心愛的糖類的10大真相(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.

顯而易見，現在糖有一個壞名聲。從肥胖和糖尿病到心臟病、腎病和抽風，糖無一不被指責。

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?

但是真的有那麼壞嗎？難道這些小小的甜甜的顆粒就沒有任何可取之處嗎？還是我們聽到的都是一些錯誤的信息？

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.

的確，在美國，糖的消耗量猛增。1990年，美國人平均每天攝入4茶匙（16克）添加糖。到2014年，這個數字已經激漲至每天20茶匙（80克）。

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.

除此之外，美國食品藥品監督管理局(FDA)稱，美國人16%的能量是從添加糖中獲取的，也就是蘇打水，運動能量飲料，穀物類甜品，含糖果汁飲料，乳類甜點和糖果中。

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.

世界衛生組織(WHO)建議我們每日添加糖攝取量應低於總攝入能量的10%。在2014年，WHO甚至提議該目標應爲5%。

Clearly, we need to pay attention to sugar and our consumption rate. But first, we need to learn the truth about our favorite sweetener.

很明顯，我們需要高度重視糖的攝入比例。但是首先，我們需要了解我們最喜歡的糖的真相。

le Can Easily Limit Sugar Intake

10.人們可以輕而易舉地控制糖的攝入

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.

對，我們需要少吃點糖。沒問題。我們只要停止吃甜點，避開同事帶來的甜甜圈，並且對萬聖節糖果視而不見。

But -- argh! -- why is it so hard? Are we weak-willed babies or what? Sugar is actually an addictive substance.

但是！啊哈！爲什麼就那麼難！難道我們是意志力薄弱的嬰兒還是啥？實際上糖是一種令人上癮的東西。

Animal studies show sugar consumption causes bingeing, withdrawal and craving. Regularly eating sugar also makes it easier to become addicted to another drug.

動物研究表明糖的攝入會導致暴飲暴食，孤僻和慾望。規律性吃糖還會導致容易對另一種毒品上癮。

When humans were studied, consuming fructose (a form of sugar) caused the brain's reward center to light up.

對人類的研究顯示，果糖的攝入（糖的一種）會激活大腦的獎賞中樞。

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.

然而，它更像是一種毒品，隨着時間推移，就需要消耗越多的果糖來使獎賞中樞產生刺激的感覺。

Additional research shows sugar and sweetness can actually be more addictive, rewarding and attractive than drugs such as cocaine.

另一項研究表明，相比可卡因等毒品，糖和甜味更容易上癮，更加誘人。

Seems a bit preposterous, but a possible explanation, say scientists, is humankind's past evolutionary need to eat foods high in calories and sugar.

有一種可能的解釋聽起來有點荒唐，但是科學家說，人類的進化過程需要攝入高卡路里和高糖的食物。

Another problem: Sugar is added to more products than you might think – it's in ketchup, instant oatmeal and spaghetti sauce, for starters.

另一個問題是：糖被添加到比你想象的多的產品中——首先它就存在於番茄醬，即食燕麥片和意麪醬中。

d Sugar Is Bad for You

9.添加糖對你有害

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.

2014年，美國心臟協會建議美國人應降低糖的攝入量，從平均一天20茶匙（80克）削減到女性平均一天6茶匙（24克），男性平均一天9茶匙（36克）。並且特別提到，添加糖尤其令人擔憂。

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).

添加糖是指經過特殊加工或者處理後添加到我們的食品和飲料中的糖或者糖漿。它們可能是天然的（如蜂蜜）或者化學的（高果糖玉米糖漿）。

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.

它們之所以令人擔憂是因爲它們並不提供任何營養物質——僅僅含有過量的卡路里。而且它們被添加到比你想象的多的產品中——首先就存在於番茄醬，即食燕麥片和意麪醬中。

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.

然而你沒必要將所有的添加糖從你的飲食中剔除。糖可能沒有任何營養價值，但是它可以改善真正提供重要營養物質的食物的口感，例如全麥片或酸奶。

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.

因此，如果灑一點糖在一杯健康但是平淡無味的酸奶中是讓你吃掉它的唯一方法，那麼這一點點糖是值得的。

Luckily, in most instances all you need is a small amount of sugar to achieve a satisfactory taste.

幸運的是，在大多數情況下，你只需要少量糖就可以獲得一種讓你滿意的口味。

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.

這也是爲什麼買無添加糖的產品比買添加普通量或者加足糖的產品要好的原因。

ficial Sweeteners Are Healthier Than Sugar

8.人造甜味劑甚至比天然糖更甜

Many health-conscious people favor artificial sweeteners for their food, figuring they're a better bet because they don't contain any calories.

許多有健康意識的人更傾向於在食物中加人造甜味劑，因爲其幾乎不含能量而是一種更佳的選擇。

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.

選擇人造甜味劑確實減少了卡路里攝入，但那對人們真的有利嗎？

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.

美國食品藥品管理局（FDA）認爲儘管人造甜味劑是安全的，但長期食用其效果未可知。更進一步，已有大量的研究對其發出紅色警告。

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.

例如，耶魯大學醫學院的研究者的一份研究發現，即使你選擇的人工甜味劑食品低卡，但很可能讓你以後對其他高熱量食物上癮，當你疲倦飢餓時尤甚。

Artificial sweeteners don't signal "energy" to the brain the way regular sugar does.

因爲人造甜味劑不像真正的糖一樣，傳遞給大腦“能量”信號。

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.

此外，許多依賴人造甜味劑的人每天都會有意地多吃一些。

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.

因爲他們認爲自己畢竟在咖啡或純酸奶中選擇等量甜味劑，會少攝取些熱量，所以多吃一個漢堡或一份薯條也無大礙。

In the end, it may be best to simply eat less real sugar than swap it out for artificial sweeteners.

最後發現，少吃點真正的糖遠比選擇人造甜味劑健康得多。