We all enjoy our beverages on daily basis whether its a soda, energy drink or some new functional beverage. While most of us do not check the ingredient list to see what sweeteners are used in our favorite drink, maybe we should. Do all natural drinks only use pure cane sugar? Is high fructose corn syrup really that bad? While the debate between the type of sweeteners has increased as to their safety we should start by understanding their differences and/or similarities?

Unrefined Cane Sugar

Pure Cane Sugar is sugar that has undergone less processing and is often more brown in color than Refined Sugar (the white stuff, also known as Table Sugar). You often find Pure Cane Sugar in health food stores and the Natural aisles in your grocery stores. While Pure Cane Sugar (or Dehydrated Cane Juice) can definitely not be described as being good for you because it is a sweetener, on a scale of bad to less bad, Pure Cane Sugar is one of the better sweeteners you can choose. Because of this, Pure Cane Sugar is often included as the sweetener in beverages that carry the label Natural.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

The use of high fructose syrup, also known as HFCS, has skyrocketed in recent years because of its wide availability and cost efficiency. It is comprised primarily of corn syrup that has been stripped down and heavily processed to increase the fructose content. This leaves it with a taste that is far sweeter than that of regular cane sugar, thereby allowing much smaller quantities to be used. It also has a longer shelf life than sugar, especially all natural cane sugar which contains no preservatives to extend its use. This makes high fructose syrup very attractive to manufacturers of nearly all food products, especially beverage companies.

When reading labels, youll find High Fructose Corn Syrup in many different products from things like soft drinks that you expect to contain sweeteners, to other products like iced tea and juices where its presence might surprise you. And, if you look closely at the labels, youll also notice that sometimes, products that claim to be All Natural have HFCS hidden in the ingredient list, which makes them not really all that Natural after all.

There have been some studies that show that High Fructose Corn Syrup is a big contributor to the obesity epidemic because it is processed differently by the body than other sweeteners like table sugar and Pure Cane Sugar. Some studies have also shown that the way in which HFCS is processed leads the body to produce more fat and also masks the bodys sensation of fullness, so people ingest more than they need to. In addition, it has been theorized that because High Fructose Corn Syrup is hidden in so many different products, we all unknowingly over-consume it.

Other conclusions have been drawn that say that HFCS is no less healthy for the body than sugar, and that all sweeteners should be in used in moderation. Even natrual sugar, they say, when consumed in excess of 10% of daily calories can lead to weight gain and obesity. This translates to a mere 50 grams of sugar each day within a diet of 2,000 calories. Of course, even less is better.

Acesulfame Potassium

One of the less talked about sweeteners in the Sweetener Debate is Acesulfame potassium, also known as Ace K. Ace K is a calorie free sweetener along the same lines of aspartame and sucralose. Many diet sodas and other diet beverages contain Ace K as a sweetener because it enables them to give their products a sweet taste without additional calories.

In many products, like soft drinks, Ace K is used along with other 0 calorie sweeteners like sucralose or aspartame because the blend of these sweeteners makes a more palatable taste than any one of them used alone.

Ace-K and similar products are especially beneficial to diabetics because they do not raise blood sugar the way sugar does. They also do not contribute to tooth decay. However, despite these benefits, all artificial sweeteners should be used in moderation.

Although some sweeteners are more harmful than others, it still stands that all should be consumed in small quantities. Whether sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners like Ace-K; each has its own effects on the body and the waistline. That said, it is important to check food labels before buying soda or other foods and beverages to ensure that you know which sweeteners are being used and the amounts in which they are present.

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Tags: Nutrition

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