Sugar was once a luxury that only the very wealthy could afford. Black teeth, caused by eating so much sugar, were even thought to be desirable to flaunt great wealth. The huge profits that could be made from the 'White Gold' led to money driven Europeans moving to the 'New World' to set up sugar plantations. African slaves were exploited as the sugar industry flourished and the European plantation owners made huge profits. Equally the British government benefited from the high taxes on sugar. After the sugar tax was repealed in 1847, sugar became accessible to everybody. Nowadays the demand for sweet foods continues to rise. Consequently sugar, in various different and sometimes unexpected guises, is being consumed in ever increasing quantities. Unfortunately this is having serious repercussions on the nation's health, not only is sugar a major cause of tooth decay but also weight gain and blood sugar issues.
What is sugar?
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and it is made by combining dextrose (glucose) and fructose which means that it is classified as a dissaccharide (a double sugar). Both dextrose and fructose are found in fruit, vegetables and other plants.
Sugar, as we know it, has the chemical name sucrose.
Sugar Production
Sugar is commercially extracted from 2 plant sources:
- Sugar Cane - a tall grass like plant, which can only be grown in tropical climates - the sugar syrup is in the hollow canes.
- Sugar Beet - a root crop, similar to a large parsnip, grown in cooler climates.
Beet as a source for sugar has only been used since the 1700s but sugar cane was discovered on the islands of the Pacific Ocean over 5000 years ago. The UK's sugar beet industry really started during World War I as trading ships, containing cane sugar, were sunk by German U boats. To compensate for this loss the British government persuaded farmers to grow sugar beet.
Cane sugar is available in either refined or unrefined forms, such as Muscovado. After the initial extraction there are two products - raw sugar and molasses. The raw sugar is dark brown in colour so to make pure white sugar it is refined. The colour is partially removed with phosphoric acid then it is neutralised with lime before being run over beds of charcoal to remove the last remnants of colour. The unrefined sugars retain more of the plants nutrients, vitamins and minerals and have more flavour and colour than the refined versions. Originally the syrup would have been used straight from the canes so in this respect these sugars are closer to the natural product.
The sugar made from beet needs to be refined in order to make it edible. Although sugar beet has been grown for centuries, it was used as a root vegetable or for animal feed. It is a sweet vegetable but there is no obvious source of sugar within it, much like parsnips, sweet potatoes and carrots. Unrefined beet sugar doesn't exist because it is unpalatable, hence the foul smell that is emitted from beet factories. Refined light/dark brown sugar and Demerara are actually made by colouring the white sugar with molasses.
Why are we so fond of sugar?
It is believed that humans have an innate desire for sweetness as babies get their first sweet taste from the amniotic fluid in the womb followed, after birth, from sweet breast milk. Despite this sweet start to life, not all babies grow into sweet toothed adults. It may be that they are successfully weaned onto sharper tasting food and naturally grow out of the desire for sweetness. On the other hand, babies that are weaned onto sweet baby foods may continue to crave sugary foods.
Manufacturers know that foods with a sweet taste usually produce a more favourable response than bitter foods therefore they increase the sweetness of foods to make them more palatable. As well as the obvious sources of sugar (fizzy drinks, sweets, cakes & biscuits etc.), even foods like crisps, sausages and cheese may contain some form of added sweetener such as dextrose or lactose (the sugar from milk). Cereal bars and pro biotic drinks, touted as healthy options, often contain significant amounts of some form of sugar. Also, the demand for lower fat foods has meant that sugar levels have increased to compensate for the subsequent reduction in flavour.
It's not just processed foods that are becoming sweeter. To keep up with changing tastes, fruit growers are now breeding new varieties of fruit that have a higher sugar content than the traditional varieties - apples, raspberries, strawberries and grapes are all becoming sweeter.
As a result of consuming these increasingly sweeter foods our palates are changing and for many people these flavours are becoming the norm. Yet this seemingly innocuous substance is playing havoc with our health.
In part 2 - why is sugar damaging our health and what are the alternatives to sugar?
