Nutrition expert – sugar does not cause type 2 diabetes on its own.
Coca-Cola is the world’s most popular carbonated soft drink. The original is made with sugar, but the others contain artificial sweeteners that are now linked to a rise in obesity and diabetes.
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Eunice Zhang, University of California, Los Angeles
Mounting evidence suggests that artificial sweeteners are linked to chronic health problems like obesity and diabetes. Should there be a tax on these foods?
Sugar mama? Researchers are teasing out the benefits of various molecules in human milk.
Stefan Malmesjö
A chemist explains how some molecules in human breast milk help fight infection. Understanding their properties could lead to better infant formulas that share the health advantages of breastfeeding.
Our taste system is conditioned so foods higher in energy taste better.
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Recent studies have shown that we may be able to train ourselves to become more sensitive to certain tastes, which leads to feeling more full and satisfied after eating a meal.
The sugar industry has employed various tactics to influence health policy in its favour.
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Tonight, Four Corners looks at the tactics Big Sugar has used to influence health policy. Here’s our pick of five analysis pieces that will get you informed on the issue before the program airs.
Most parents will tell you their kids love juice. It tastes good and often comes in convenient and child-friendly packaging. Is the occasional juice OK?
More than half of Australians consume too much sugar.
Sharon McCutcheon
The research shows a link between high-sugar diets and diseases such as dementia and cancer. It doesn’t show that sugar causes them, but it’s compelling enough to prompt us to cut down on sugar.
All types of sugars will give us the same amount of calories, whether they are from fruit or soft drink.
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Quitting sugar is unlikely to improve your health any more than cutting down on ultra-processed foods, eating more vegetables and cooking food from scratch.
Governments in countries such as Mexico and the United Kingdom have responded to the over-consumption of refined sugar with a “sugar tax;” Canada lags behind.
(Unsplash/Neven Krcmarek)
The sugar tax relies on creating a price difference between high- and low-sugar drinks, but this could be cancelled out by bundled offers, such as fixed-price meal deals.
Kombucha is made from either a green or black tea base, with some interesting additions.
Matt Hoffman
Professor and Programme Director, SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand