Sport Nutrition

Nutrition requirements of sports persons are different than that of normal people.
In most cases nutrition of the sports persons depends on the type of sport they are involved in. each sport has uses different parts of the body and requires different levels of physical fitness and energy requirement. This is reason why sports nutrition is a science which requires proper study based on scientifically collected data.
Most of the sports persons have sports nutritionists who guide sports persons what are the immediate foods they should have after exercising as well as after their sports events. These foods generally are aimed at replenishing the lost energy to muscles.Most of the times the above are carbohydrate foods which are absorbed immediately by the body and the body can maintain its energy levels. Sports nutritionists are available to guide all sports persons to educate them regarding what they should eat so that they can enhance their performance as well as maintain require fitness level.
For people who train in muscle building and physical fitness, sports nutrition is readily available in the market, this nutrition addresses their requirement for daily dose of required nutrients so that they can build muscle power along with getting adequate amount of energy and strength.These sports nutrients have the power of nourishing and building muscle power with low fats and high calorie intake. These nutrients are available in the form of powders and bars. With powders you will require to mix these with water and drink after exercises and bars you can have them like any other chocolate bar. These are highly packed with nutrition.Since these products are mixed with nutrients, these might not be liked by all; therefore, the companies have also taken care to make these nutrients in different flavoring. So sports persons should not have any difficulty in drinking or eating these nutrients. Sports nutrition packs are made from several different types of raw materials like whey, oats, gram, etc. these materials provide nutrition as well as muscle building power. Sports nutrition packages are created by doctors’ consultation, several nutritionists decide compositions required by sports persons.Sports nutrition should include proteins, carbohydrates, iron, and vitamins. Not just that these should also include adequate fiber and other nutritional elements that are required for a healthy body.
Sports nutrition also includes eating proper balanced diet so that nutrients normally required by the body are provided to the body.


During Exercise

Consuming carbohydrates during an event helps to extend endurance performance in an athlete.
It is important to replace both fluids as well as carbohydrates for energy that sustain till the end and improves performance. This will largely depend on the type of exercise, intensity and duration.
Carbohydrates during exerciseCarbohydrate replacement is beneficial in both high intensity short duration exercises and events lasting for more than 1-2 hours.
But in the latter type which includes continuous long lasting events like swimming, running, cycling and other sport it is more important. Carbohydrate replacement during an activity will help to increase time and intensity an athlete and is able to carry out before feeling exhausted. Carbohydrates supplied during an exercise supplies additional fuel for the working muscles thus preventing fatigue and maintaining blood glucose levels.
Approximately 30-80 g of carbohydrates is recommended during an event to prevent blood glucose levels to drop and delay fatigue or 0.7 g/kg body weight per hour is recommended to extend endurance performance. This can be obtained from sport drinks, bananas or dried fruits. Some athletes may even prefer diluted fruit juices or suck on hard candies, animal crackers or energy bars that can be easily chewed and digested. Although mixtures of glucose and fructose may seem to be effective, glucose should be the primary fuel yielded from the carbohydrates consumed as fructose seems to be less effective and may cause diarrhea.
Fluid recommendationsEven partial dehydration tends to compromise a performance, thus it is necessary to drink enough fluid and maintain fluid balance. Drink enough fluids (avoid dairy) or in other words water consumption should be around 17 ounces two hours before an exercise and additional 10-15 ounces within 15-30 minutes of an event. Through out competition it is important to remain hydrated, thus drink 6-10 ounces of water or diluted sports drink every 10-20 minutes. Electrolyte replacement drinks can be consumed after one hour of exercising. For intense activity lasting longer than an hour, beverages containing carbohydrates in the concentration of 4-8 % are recommended.
Although plain water is considered appropriate for activities lasting less than an hour, 4-8% carbohydrate beverages are also suitable. It is important to replace the electrolytes lost in perspiration, 0.5-0.7 g/l of sodium is recommended for activity lasting longer than an hour. This will also help to increase the palatability of sports drinks and in turn increase fluid consumption. Athletes susceptible to hyponatremia also benefit from added sodium in the fluid replacement beverages. Adequate fluid consumption will also help the body to maintain temperature, blood circulation and proper muscle function.


Energy Levels for Athletes

When it comes to gaining energy for exercise several factors should be considered before planning a meal as it is the first nutrition priority for athletes.
For optimal athletic performance achieving energy balance is essential as it helps to maintain lean tissue mass, immune and reproductive function. Energy intake refers to energy gained in totality from food, fluids and supplement products and energy expenditure refers to the total energy expended in basal metabolism, thermal effect of food and any physical activity.
Energy intake should equal energy expenditure to achieve an energy balance. Any imbalance will interfere with the athlete’s performance.
High energy intake and low expenditure can lead excess weight gain and low energy intake and high energy expenditure can lead to loss of muscle mass, strength and endurance. In the latter situation fat and lean body mass are used as fuel for energy, moreover chronically low energy intake can precipitate many micronutrient deficiencies. The energy intake of an athlete would vary according to sex, age, body-size, fat-free mass, lifestyle, physical activity and type of sport a person is in. The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for men and women that are involved in light-moderate activity between the ages of 19-50 years are 2,900 and 2,200 respectively. The energy intake of an athlete is calculated on the basis of the intensity, duration and frequency of an exercise, also energy needed for normal daily activity and energy expenditure while performing an exercise are taken in to account. How much ever precise numeric energy intake guidelines are recommended, it is important to keep in mind to consume enough energy to maintain appropriate body weight and composition.
Low energy intakes are a strict no-no for athletes as they would not even feel deprived or over hungry with 10-20% lower energy intake but on the contrary lose weight. Emphasis in the diet should be laid on starch intake or complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and cereals; proteins in the form of fish, lean meat, eggs, chicken, pulses, legumes and sprouts, and fruits and vegetables for vital nutrients and fiber. Fat intake should not be decreased below 15% of the caloric intake and focus should be on quality fats. Saturated fats and trans fats can be substituted with more healthy fats like polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Healthy dietary changes should be inculcated in life for life time; one should keep in mind that short term diet would definitely fade off some day.


Dehydration with High Protein

DietsHigh protein diets are taken by athletes with the intension to increase the muscle mass in the body or lose weight.
But some are unknown with the fact that a high protein diet can cause silent dehydration in endurance athletes who are trained adapt greater degree of dehydration compared to an average individual. As the amount of proteins is increased in the diet it influences the hydration indices. Degree of hydration in the body is inversely proportional to the amount of protein consumed in the diet.
High-protein low carbohydrate diets followed for weight loss only work for few weeks, after which the lost weight is regained. High protein diets mainly emphasize on foods rich in proteins like eggs, meat, chicken, fish, most of which are also high in saturated fats. Also foods rich in carbohydrates are restricted like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and non fat milk products which provide other vital nutrients and fiber.
This can lead to nutritional deficiencies that are rarely for short period. A low carbohydrate diet can in turn cause loss of body fluid, incomplete fat burning and formation of ketone bodies. Follow a thumb rule - Higher the protein in the diet higher should be the water consumption.Kidney plays a very important role in filtering not only the toxins from the body but also regulating the blood pressure and the number of red blood cells in the body. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is one of the tests used to determine the kidney function. When high amount of proteins are consumed in an athletes diet, abnormal BUN levels are found in the tests. This can be explained as increased protein intake can caused nitrogen build up in the body. This nitrogen precipitates in the kidney in the form of urea that has to be eliminated from the blood via urine. This process leads to increased urination that may ultimately cause dehydration. High protein diets may have a negative impact on the kidneys posing a load on them to produce concentrated urine.
Moreover dehydration forces the kidneys to work harder to clean the waste materials from the blood. Thus whether you feel the desire to drink water or not, to is wise to increase the water intake with high protein diets to avoid dehydration. Even 2% decrease in body fluids can affect the performance of an athlete in an event and may also increase cardiovascular risks. Following a balanced diet along with regular exercise regime is the best way to stay fit and enhance performance of an athlete in an event.


Eating Guide for Vegetarian Athletes

Vegetarianism may be followed by some athletes due to various reasons.
An athlete can be vegan, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian or fruitarian. Vegetarian diet can be followed by an athlete for religious beliefs, ethical, economical or health reasons. Some female athletes may switch to a vegetarian diet with the aim of decreasing calories and weight that is required for some sports like gymnastics.
When an athlete becomes vegetarian his diet should be monitored carefully as occasionally this habit may develop in to an eating disorder. Although following vegetarian diets would not affect the performance of an athlete, proper planning of the diet in terms of energy, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and other micronutrients should be done. Body weight and composition should be monitored to determine if energy needs are satisfied.
Protein intakes of vegetarian athletes are often complained to be low. Animal proteins are well digested than plant based protein even though the protein quality of vegetarian diet is adequate. To compensate this incomplete digestion a 10% increase in the protein intake is recommended, in other words 1.3 to 1.8 g protein per kg body weight is recommended for vegetarian athletes. Choose proteins wisely and emphasize on the good quality proteins. This could be achieved by including plenty of low-fat dairy products, eggs and protein rich plant sources like soy. Also extra care of micronutrients like vitamin 12, vitamin D, iron, calcium, zinc and riboflavin should be taken to avoid vitamin deficiency as these nutrients are particularly high in animal products. Even though iron intakes of a vegetarian athlete is similar or higher than the omnivorous, bio-availability of iron in plant based products is low (as heam iron present in animal sources is readily absorbed by the body), thus the iron stores in a vegetarian athlete are generally low. Moreover iron requirement is increased with increase in exercise, thus possibility of low iron stores in the body is high in vegetarian athletes, especially women. Iron levels should be monitored periodically to avoid low body stores and anemia in women athletes.
Include whole-grain cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, kidney beans, rice flakes, lentils, figs and some dry fruits to get non-heam iron in the diet. Additional vitamin C should be consumed with non-heam iron to facilitate its absorption in the body. Animal products are the primary source for vitamin B12, which is one of the most common vitamins very low in the diets of vegetarian athletes. Vitamin B12 can be derived from eggs, yeast, fermented products, cheese, milk, yoghurt or vitamin B12 fortified cereals or soy milk.Registered dieticians specialized in sports nutrition are an important resource for vegetarian athletes. They can help them to plan a well balanced diet and avoid any nutritional deficiencies.


Hydration for Athletes

Maintaining an appropriate fluid balance is very important for optimal performance, as a performance in an event is often impaired with progressive dehydration.
Keeping oneself hydrated during an event is just not enough, before and after exercise hydration also plays an important role. Dehydration during an event can cause serious problems like heat stroke, head injury or even loss of coordination affecting the performance of an athlete. There are heavy water and electrolytes losses while performing an exercise via sweat and urine.
To replenish these losses becomes very important as our body can not synthesize or store water that is important for almost all body functions.
Fluids and electrolyte balanceEven partial dehydration tends to compromise a performance, thus it is necessary to drink enough fluid and maintain fluid balance. Drink enough fluids (avoid dairy) or in other words water consumption should be around 17 ounces two hours before an exercise and additional 10-15 ounces within 15-30 minutes of an event.
Through out competition it is important to remain hydrated, thus drink 6-10 ounces of water or diluted sports drink every 10-20 minutes. Electrolyte replacement drinks can be consumed after one hour of exercising. For intense activity lasting longer than an hour, beverages containing carbohydrates in the concentration of 4-8 % are recommended. Although plain water is considered appropriate for activities lasting less than an hour, 4-8% carbohydrate beverages are also suitable. It is important to replace the electrolytes lost in perspiration, 0.5-0.7 g/l of sodium is recommended for activity lasting longer than an hour. This will also help to increase the palatability of sports drinks and in turn increase fluid consumption. Hyponatremia occurs when large amounts of water are consumed that leads to comparatively low levels of sodium in the blood. Athletes susceptible to hyponatremia also benefit from added sodium in the fluid replacement beverages. Adequate fluid consumption will also help the body to maintain temperature, blood circulation and proper muscle function.
Some athletes may experience mild dehydration as the fluid intake post event is often forgotten. Adding sodium in the drink can be beneficial in 2 ways, maintains osmolarity and thus desire to drink and reduce diuresis that can occur when only plain water is ingested. Fluid consumption can be up to 150% of the weight lost during an exercise. Fluid and electrolyte disturbances in an athlete can precipitate in the form of dehydration, hypohydration or hyponatremia, all of which can pose a life threat in their most severe forms. Although athletes experience dehydration more often than hypo hydration or hyponatremia, the latter two are not uncommon.


What is hyponatremia?

Excessive amounts of plain water may disturb the fluid and electrolyte levels in the body leading to hyponatremia.
Overhydration when combined with prolonged endurance exercise can develop dangerously low sodium levels in the blood, less than 135 millimoles per liter (normal plasma sodium concentration is 136-142 millimoles per liter). Osmotic balance across the blood brain barrier is disturbed due to the continuous fall of sodium concentration leading to rapid entry of water into the brain. This can lead to serious list of complications like cerebral edema, serious neurological responses like seizures, confusion or coma and even death due to ruptured brain stem.
Decrease in serum sodium concentration is directly proportional to the speed and degree – more rapid and higher fall, higher the risk of severe consequences of hyponatremia.
Symptoms of hyponatremia Early symptoms of hyponatremia include headache, puffiness, muscle cramps, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, these are experienced when plasma sodium levels fall below 130 millimoles per liter. With increased severity, sodium concentration below 125 millimoles per liter cerebral edema, altered mental status like confusion, disorientation, seizures, respiratory distress due to pulmonary edema, coma or even death can occur.
Sodium levels should be checked when an athlete complains acute symptoms of hyponatremia and the athlete should not be rehydrated even on claims of thirst as this might worsen the situation.
Causes of hyponatremia During a high intensity long duration exercise, sodium is lost in sweat. Moreover drinking too much water can cause water retention, further diluting the sodium levels in the body. Hyponatremia is primarily caused when the water intake exceeds the amount of sweat and urinary losses. It is very important to prevent hyponatremia as it is more often self-induced. Hyponatremia has no association with low sodium diet or any nutritional deficiency; it is purely due to excessive intake of water combined with high intensity long duration exercises.
Preventing hyponatremia It is prudent to avoid over consumption of fluids and have sports drink or other salty foods rather than just emphasizing on plain water.

-Salt intake can be increased several days prior to an event, provided you are not suffering from hypertension.
-To prevent loss of sodium before an event, an athlete should avoid overhydration.
Maintain a high degree of self-discipline and learn not to exceed water consumption more than the sweat loss.
-Follow a thumb rule for high intensity long duration exercises - 1 cup fluid for every 20 minutes.


Nutrition for Winter Athletes

Some athletes may get cold weather on their nerves but some might accept this change happily considering it as a change from exercising in summer’s heat.
Exercise should be done with the help of proper nutrition and layers of dry clothing to chase away the winter chills. Metabolism in the body is increased 7 to 10 times than the resting levels while performing an aerobic exercise that is a body temperature can be raised from 98.6° to 140° F. In summer this heat is dissipated as sweat but in winter this heat helps to keep the body temperature warm.
To generate this amount of heat in the body, fuel is required that is provided by the food. The way one fuels his body in cold will help to perform better and remain safe and comfortable in cold. Proper nutrition helps to fuel the muscle tissue and regulate the body core temperature that normally drops in winter.It is important to learn the basic cold weather exercise safety, avoid frostbite and hypothermia, and dress well for cold weather exercise.
Although water is not lost via sweat in winters, significant amounts of water is lost during respiration. It becomes important to humidify the cold air while breathing, in this process water is lost. Thus to avoid dehydration it is important for winter athletes to consciously increase the water consumption. Replacing fluids in winter becomes more important as the thirst mechanism is reduced in the cold weather causing decreased desire to drink water. Temperature of foods should be considered in winters, warm foods are prudent choice than cold foods. Although in summer cold foods are best (as they give a cool feeling and help during exercise) but in winters they can chill the body. A balanced meal with high carbohydrate intake is preferable in winters. To replace the carbohydrate stores that are used to keep the body warm and in exercising, it is important to eat continually to avoid fatigue or chills. Children are especially more prone to get fatigue and tired, thus keep handy foods ready like chocolate bars, energy bars, bananas, sandwiches, or trail mix.

Important points to keep in mind

-Avoid alcohol completely as it tends to dilate the blood vessels thereby increasing heat loss.
-Decrease caffeine consumption. Although a stimulant, it acts as a diuretic thereby further decreasing the water from the body.
-Drink plenty of water consciously.
-Eat warm or hot foods to stay warmer every 30-40 minutes (100-200 calories).
-Include foods high in complex carbohydrate.


Post Game Meal

After an event a post game meal or snack is often forgotten, but this meal plays importance in an athlete’s diet.
Carbohydrates that are stored in the body in the form of glycogen are depleted soon after an event. Human body has a limited capacity to store carbohydrates, after an activity the enzymes responsible for taking in fuel and storing it in liver and muscles are at their highest level within first 30-45 minutes. It is wise to take advantage of this period and have a nutritious post game meal.
1.5 g carbohydrate per kg body weigh at the interval of 2 hours is often recommended. For example when this amount is consumed immediately after exercise it increases the glycogen stores 6 hours post exercise compared to delayed ingestion of a post exercise meal for 2 hours. The composition and timing of a post exercise meal will largely depend on the duration, length and intensity of the exercise as this will determine the amount of glycogen depleted from the body.
For maximum benefits it is often recommended to feed 0.4 g carbohydrates per kg body weight every 15 minutes for 4 hours after a glycogen depleted state (remember this can lead to high energy load). However the time of carbohydrate intake does not affect the glycogen stores for an athlete who takes one or more days between intense training sessions. The recovery of muscle protein is also important, addition of protein along with sufficient carbohydrate in a post game meal will not only help to recover the muscle fibers but will also aid the storage of carbohydrates and promote a more anabolic hormonal profile. Carbohydrate to protein ratio is also of importance, a commonly recognized ratio is of 3:1 respectively, in other words 75 g of carbohydrates and 25 g protein from a post game meal will help an athlete to recover after an event. Glucose and sucrose have almost similar effects when consumed at the rate of 1.5 g per kg body weight for 2 hours, but fructose is less effective. 24 hours after an exercise, muscle glycogen stores are higher when high glycemic index foods are consumed than compared to low glycemic index foods. However the emphasis should be laid on an overall healthy post game meal for an athlete. Some athletes may experience mild dehydration as the fluid intake post event is often forgotten. Adding sodium in the drink can be beneficial in 2 ways, maintains osmolarity and thus desire to drink and reduce diuresis that can occur when only plain water is ingested.
Fluid consumption can be up to 150% of the weight lost during an exercise.


Pre Game Meal

A diet you consume several days before an event will affect your performance.
A pre-game meal is one of the most important meals for both endurance and power athletes that will determine whether or not an athlete will achieve his maximum potential during an event. A per-game meal allows an athlete to achieve increased muscle strength, better endurance and increased energy to perform their best. During an event the body primarily relies on the pre-existing glycogen and fat stores.
This can be achieved if a pre-game meal is consumed at proper time. A pre-game meal will help to load the body with glycogen stores and maximize strength and energy that will help optimize performance.
Carbohydrate loading – carbohydrate is the main fuel used as a source for energy during an exercise. It is important to reserve adequate carbohydrate stores in the body for an event. For this, first exercise to exhaustion should be done to deplete the carbohydrate stores from the right muscles that will be used in the event. Follow this by eating a carbohydrate rich diet (60-70% of the energy should be gained from carbohydrates) and combine this with depletion exercise 3 days before an event. Now these muscles which are loaded with used glycogen will be available for longer periods of time during an event. This process gives the right kind of energy and fiber from carbohydrates for workouts and saves amino acids for muscle building and recovery.
Following points should be kept in mind while planning a per-game meal

-Timing of a meal can make a difference, for exercise longer than 30 minutes, a per-workout snack one hour before the event or practice can be beneficial.
-Eat a meal 2-4 hours before an event this will give the body time to digest and also include good quality protein for staying in power.
-Liquid meals are emptied from the stomach more rapidly, so eating them prior to workout would help as they will provide energy as well as hydration to the body.
-Choose simple carbohydrates before an event as they are easily digested and will provide instant energy without causing any gastrointestinal distress.
-It is important to replace the fluids lost through perspiration during an exercise.
Drink enough fluids (avoid dairy) or around 17 ounces of fluid intake two hours before an exercise and additional 10-15 ounces within 15-30 minutes of an event. Through out competition it is important to remain hydrated, thus drink 3-6 ounce of water or sports drink every 10-20 minutes. Electrolyte replacement drinks can be consumed after one hour of exercising.
-An athlete’s metabolism is generally higher than a normal individual, so use fluids with high simple sugar content with caution to avoid sudden drop and maintain blood glucose levels. A per-game meal should never be under rated as it is a very important component that will determine an athlete’s power and performance in an event.


Suggestions for Food Intake for Athletes

In order to have an optimal health and performance it is important for athletes to eat well and keep themselves hydrated.
The type of foods athletes consume has a lot of influence on the way they practice and compete. Good nutrition is required for strong body to build muscle mass and to store energy for endurance activities. In the process of gaining optimal workout and recovery, often many athletes give less time and attention to eat nutrient rich food cleverly.
Eating a balanced meal should be emphasized to gain sufficient energy and a wide range of vitamins and minerals and other important chemicals like phytochemicals occurring naturally in foods. Fad diets are becoming increasingly popular, but one should keep in mind that these often restrict consumption of certain foods and is not for life time. So try to include all the food groups in your diet in a balanced form to avoid any nutritional deficiencies and follow them regularly.
Following are some suggestions for food intake for athletes which would help them to make wiser choices.

-Carbohydrates should form the basis of energy; 55-60% of energy should be derived from carbohydrates. Include whole grains, cereals, fiber rich cereals, brown rice, whole wheat and its products, whole meal pastas and breads in your diet.
-Have at least 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Select a wide range so that they suffice the nutritional needs of vitamins, minerals and fiber in the diet. Fruits are healthy choices and makes excellent snacks especially in between training sessions. Make a meal appealing by including different colored vegetables, include salads in the meals and load your sandwiches with different vegetables.
-Include healthy proteins in the diet in the form of eggs, milk, lean meats, chicken, pulses, legumes and sprouts. 12-15% energy should be gained from proteins. Calcium intake is necessary along with vitamin D and phosphorus to maintain healthy bones of an athlete.
-Fat consumption should not exceed beyond 20-25% of the total calories. Often when athlete’s fat consumption is increased they tend to gain weight with less lean muscle mass and compromised immune function that ultimately interferes with their performance. Reduce fat consumption and focus on healthy fats; replace saturated fats and trans fats with healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Avoid fatty, oily foods, meat or chicken loaded with fat.
-Keep yourself hydrated as it is very important to replenish the water lost during an exercise. Sports drinks rich in simple carbohydrates can be selected to keep the carbohydrates in the body leveled. Have a balanced meal and include variety of foods in the diet, this will eliminate the need of taking any extra vitamins and minerals in the form of food supplements.

The Training Diet

To get categorized as an elite athlete not only requires good genes or good training and conditioning, but also requires the foundation of a balanced nutritional diet.
A good nutrition plays a very important role in optimizing and enhancing an athlete’s performance. A balanced training diet is required daily, and not just one or two days before an event. Along with other factors like age, sex and built the daily energy recommendations for a healthy individual are based on the activity level of a person.
As athletes are involved in extensive physical activity, they require additional energy to fuel the physical activity. The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for men and women that are involved in light-moderate activity between the ages of 19-50 years are 2,900 and 2,200 respectively.A diet should comprise 60-70% of carbohydrates which includes whole cereals, whole wheat and wheat products, pastas, breads, rice, fruits and vegetables. Consume at least 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
The intake of refined flour and sugars should be minimal. To stay energized and perform at your best use a carbohydrate strategy. High protein foods in the form of eggs, milk, lean meats, chicken, pulses, legumes and sprouts are required by the body to build new tissues and perform other functions. Proteins should comprise 12-15% of the total caloric intake. Fats should comprise not more than 20-25% of the total calories. Including too much fat is associated with extra weight gain, heart diseases, cancer and more importantly not getting enough carbohydrates in the diet leading to poor performance. The need of vitamins and mineral and other nutrients will depend on the energy levels, the need would increase in high caloric diet and decrease in a moderate-low calorie diet. The main fundamental difference between a healthy individual’s diet and an athlete diet is the requirement of additional fluids. Fluid loss is extensive in athletes in the form of sweat and urine, to replace these fluids and avoid dehydration it is important to maintain a normal fluid and electrolyte balance.
The timing of meals and snacks are important in an athlete’s diet and are largely individualized according to the intensity, duration, frequency of a work out and his gastrointestinal conditions. Besides these lifelong healthy dietary habits, it is very important to consume appropriate meals and fluid before, during and after exercise. Fad diets are becoming increasingly popular, but one should keep in mind that these often restrict consumption of certain foods and is not for life time. So try to include all the food groups in your diet in a balanced form to avoid any nutritional deficiencies.

Vitamins and Minerals for Athletes

Vitamins and minerals requirement would largely depend on the daily caloric intake and exercise levels of an athlete.
These micronutrients play vital roles in the body like involved in hemoglobin synthesis (iron, folate, and vitamin B12), energy production (thiamin, riboflavin and niacin), maintaining adequate immune function, bone health and protection of body tissues by scavenging the free radicals and preventing oxidative damage (antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A, E, C, beta carotene, selenium, zinc and glutathione). Stress caused due to exercise may interfere with many metabolic pathways in which these micronutrients are involved. The turnover of the micronutrients is also increased due to exercise leading to the losses of vitamins and minerals from the body.
Thus the need of vitamins and minerals would be higher for an athlete involved in strenuous exercise.Foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins when consumed suffice the current Recommended Dietary Allowances for all the vitamins and minerals. However when athletes who restrict energy intake for weight loss are at greater risk for micronutrient deficiencies and might require multivitamin and mineral supplements. But this practice is discouraged unless a genuine medical or nutritional health reason is present.
Unlike fat soluble vitamins, water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body. Riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc are the common vitamins and minerals found low in the diets of female athletes. This can be attributed to avoidance of non-vegetarian diet, dairy products and restricting caloric intake. As female athletes are also more prone to low mineral density, stress fractures and menstrual dysfunction, calcium intake along with vitamin D and phosphorus becomes utmost important. Poor energy intake is also associated with high incidence of iron depletion from the body. Female athletes involved in high intensity and duration exercise should be screened periodically to check the iron status in the body. Often amenorrhea is present in female athletes to preserve the body iron stores. Chronic low iron levels will ultimately lead to low-iron stores, low-iron transport in the body and then anemia. To avoid this situation it is better to consume iron rich foods before iron depletion state is developed.
Some athletes may experience a transient depletion of serum ferritin with initiation of a training program; this can be explained due to increase in the plasma volume causing hemodilution. This effect however does not appear to affect performance. 70 % zinc is mainly derived from animal proteins and approximately 81 % women and 90 % men have zinc deficiency. It is wise to assess zinc levels in diets of the athletes as it plays important role in building and repair of muscle tissue and energy production.

Weight Change in Athletes

To meet demands of a sport, it is common for an athlete to lose or gain weight.
Irrespective of the reason, this weight change should be gradual and should be accomplished at the beginning of the season or off season before an event as weight and body composition are the two major factors that influence the performance of an athlete. By incorporating additional energy in the diet in combination with strength training (to promote growth of desired muscle mass) weight gain can be accomplished. But this will largely depend on an athlete’s genetic makeup and his dedication and inclination to do so.
Weight gain would also depend on degree of positive energy balance, type of exercise done in a training program and number of rest and recovery days per week. Weight loss however should be done only when necessary under the guidance of a registered dietician trained in the field of sports nutrition, as decreased energy intake can compromise nutrient intakes and hinder performance with decrease with both muscle mass and body fat. If weight loss is necessary, it should be done slowly, approximately 1-2 lbs pre week and no fad diets should be followed.
The aim should be to maintain healthful body weight that is based on genetic, social, sport, physiologic and psychological factors. A realistic goal should be set keeping in mind that a healthful weigh should be maintained with minimum risks of illness and injuries and allows positive advances in sport performance. Weight loss and weight gain should be done carefully as a failure might result in boycott from the team, restricted participation or elimination from the competition. These changes will affect the athletes psychologically and might result in chronic dieting or binging to lose or gain weight. This can ultimately lead to eating disorders, other health consequences and low nutrient profile in an athlete. This cycle is primarily due to the pressure on athletes to achieve a weight goal. Especially weight loss can be problematic in female athletes than male counterparts because of the small stature and lower energy needs. Hormonal changes are reported in females who have low energy intake and high energy output. There are alteration in the secretion of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone (pituitary gonadotropins) that leads to changes in the secretion of ovarian hormones causing amenorrhea.
This in turn leads to loss of bone mass in young female athletes. Energy availability to maintain the vital body functions is decreased and this negative energy balance due to chronic dieting with heavy exercise leads to ‘energy drain’ which affects the health and performance of an athlete. Having a balanced diet will suffice the nutritional and energy need of an athlete and help then to improve the over all nutritional and reproductive function.

Artificial Sweetener Substitutes

Substitute for SugarArtificial sweetener or sugar substitutes are chemicals that are calorie free but provide the sweetness of sugar.
It is basically a food additive used in various products that attempts to duplicate the effects of sugar. They are many times sweeter than sugar, thus a small quantity is enough to equate large quantities of sugar. Unlike sugar some of the artificial sweeteners may have an unpleasant after taste.
Sugar is a favorite and most overused substance world wide. But sugar provides calories and excess sugar consumption is related to many health problems like obesity and anxiety. It is important to satisfy the sweet tooth, but this can be done by replacing sugar with artificial sugar substitutes.
People with diabetes mellitus have difficulty in metabolizing sugar in blood. An artificial sweetener is a wise choice for them as they can enjoy the sweet taste of the food without leaving any sugar in the blood to metabolize. As artificial sweeteners provide zero calories it is used by many individuals to have control over their weight or used as a part of weight loss plan. Sugar substitutes are not fermented by the micro flora of the dental plaque and thus are non-carriogenic. Five low calorie sweeteners are approved by Food and Drug Administration and have established an ‘acceptable daily intake’ (ADI) for each sweetener to avoid its abuse. These sweeteners can be used in a variety of food products and the ADI depicts the maximum amount that is considered safe to consume each day for life time.

-Aspartame – 50 mg per kg body weight
-Saccharin – 5 mg per kg body weight
-Acesulfame K – 15 mg per kg body weight
-Sucralose – 5 mg per kg body weight
-Neotame – 18 mg a day

Except aspartame all artificial sugars are heat stable and can be used for baking or cooking purposes. Lead acetate is an artificial sugar substitute made from lead which was used extensively in the past. But habitual consumption of this sweetener eventually may lead to lead poisoning.
There are various studies conducted to assess the safety of artificial sweeteners due to the concerns of it being carcinogenic and causing other health problems. But all the studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are safe to use for healthy population. However people with phenylketonuria (PKU) should use aspartame with caution as they can not metabolize it. One should keep in mind that a sugar free product does not mean a caloric free product. Artificial sugar substitutes can be used over sugar confidently as it has many other benefits, but should be used sensibly for instance it is a good idea to replace diet soda with normal soda but that should not be the only beverage in a persons diet.

What is aspartame?

Aspartame is a non saccharine artificial sweetener available on the shelf of the supermarkets with the trade name as Equal, NutraSweet or Canderel.
It is used as an ingredient in more than 6,000 reduced calorie foods and beverages sold in the world. It is commonly used as a sugar substitute or table condiment, in diet soft drinks, sugar free chewing gums and even available as chewable vitamin supplements. Aspartame is not heat stable as it often loses its sweetness and breaks down when heat is applied, thus not suitable for cooking or baking.
This effect can be masked by combining aspartame with other high intensity sweeteners. The additive code or E number for aspartame is E951. Aspartame is basically composed of two amino acids namely aspartic acid and phenylalanine, as the methyl ester.
These amino acids are naturally found in various protein containing foods. Aspartame does not accumulate in the body and on digestion it breaks down in to aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol.Aspartame is a low calorie sweetener and 180-200 times sweeter than sugar. Although it provides 4 calories per gram, the amount required to produce the sweetness is very low making its caloric distribution negligible in a food product. This unique property of aspartame makes it a very popular sweetener and a sugar substitute especially for ones who are trying to avoid calories from sugar. Some people find the taste of aspartame unpleasant as unlike sugar the sweetness of aspartame has a slower onset and stays for a longer duration. Aspartame is used to intensify and extend fruit flavors in foods and beverages for example oranges and cherries. Aspartame does not affect the blood sugar and insulin levels, thus can be safely consumed by diabetics. Aspartame is also tooth friendly as it is resistant to fermentation by the oral micro flora and does not cause dental plaques or tooth cavities. People suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU - a rare inherited disease) should avoid aspartame as the phenylalanine (an essential amino acid) in aspartame cannot be metabolized by them causing a health hazard.
Thus it is mandatory in United States to write ‘Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine’ on the product labels containing aspartame. Although studies have proved that aspartame is safe when consumed in the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and does not have any adverse health effect, this is been a subject of controversy. Some studies have also recommended studying the aspartame side effects and its association with conditions like headaches, brain lesions, brain tumors and lymphoma.

Acesulfame Potassium

Acesulfame potassium commonly referred as acesulfame K is a high intensity artificial sweetener available in the supermarkets with the trade name of Nutrinova, Sweet one and Sunett.
It is similar to aspartame in sweetness that is around 200 times sweeter than table sugar or sucrose. When used in high concentrations, like saccharin it has a slight bitter after taste. It is usually blended with other sweeteners to mask this quality, to give a synergistic effect and to give a more sugar like taste to the product.
Acesulfame K can be effectively used for cooking or baking purpose as it is heat stable and also stable in mild acidic or basic conditions. The good taste, solubility and stability of this compound make it suitable for various products in the market. Acesulfame K is used as an artificial sweetener or food addictive in many food and beverages to reduce the calories from sugar and the food additive code or E number for acesulfame K is E950.
It is used as a table top sweetener, in puddings, desserts, baked goods, soft drinks, carbonated beverages, sodas, canned foods, soft candies, hard candies, dairy products, low calorie chewing gums, mints, cough drops and lozenges. It is also a popular compound in protein powders used by body builder and athletes. Acesulfame K helps to reduce calories thus it is beneficial for people on low carbohydrate diets or for weight loss. But one should keep in mind that sugar free does not mean calorie free. People with diabetes can safely include acesulfame K in their diet as studies have shown that it does not have effects on blood glucose and insulin levels or on cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Acesulfame K is non carriogenic and is not associated with dental plaques or dental carries. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for acesulfame has been established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of 15 mg per kg body weight. There is always a hunt for low calorie sweet tasting products as the general population is becoming more health conscious and not every one wants to gain the excess pounds. There is a common health concern with acesulfame K and other artificial sweeteners regarding their safety.
Although the Food and Drug Administration has permitted acesulfame K for use as general purpose sweetening agent (expect stevia that is used as a dietary supplement), some critics say that this compound should be studied properly as it may prove carcinogenic.

Cyclamate

Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener discovered by accident in 1937.
It was first used by Abbot to mask the bitterness of some drugs. It was designated as ‘generally recognized as safe’ in U.S. in 1958. Cyclamate is approximately 30-50 times sweeter than sucrose; some individual may feel an unpleasant after taste after its consumption.
For this reason to have a synergistic effect in a product and mask the after taste it is often combined with other artificial sweeteners. For example cyclamate when combined with saccharin in 10:1 proportion gives a sugar like taste and masks the off taste of both the sweeteners. Cyclamate can be a sodium salt or calcium salt of cyclamic acid, both the forms of cyclamate are soluble and heat stable. Cyclamate is used as an artificial sweetener in various foods, as a beverage sweetener, in diet beverages, table sweeteners and other low calorie foods. Cyclamate also makes a good flavoring agent for many toiletries and pharmaceutical preparations.
Cyclamate like other artificial sweeteners can be used by people who are on weight loss diet or low-carbohydrate diet. It is also safe for people with diabetes or hyperglycemia as it does not affect the blood glucose or insulin levels. Also it has no effects on serum triglycerides and cholesterol. Cyclamate is tooth friendly and is not associated with dental plaque and dental carries. Cyclamate is associated with many health related controversies. One study published in 1966 claimed that cyclamate can produce clyclohexylamine by some intestinal bacteria and this compound is suspected to have some toxic effects in animals and even testicular atrophy in mice. Another study published in 1969 claimed that cyclamate when combined with saccharin in the proportion of 10:1 may increase the incidence of bladder cancer in rats. Due to these controversies and bladder cancer cause of cyclamate, its sale was banned in United States and United Kingdom by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Abbot however tried to lift the ban on cyclamate but eventually the petition was denied by FDA in 1980. Many studies have proved that cyclamate does not have carcinogenic effects and is non-mutagenic. But FDA have denied repeated petition and its request to get approved is still pending. Cyclamate has been studied and approved its used as an artificial sweetener in more than 55 countries under the brand name Assugrin, Sweet’N Low, Sucaryl, and Sugar Twin.
However cyclamate is still been restricted in some countries despite the researches proving its safety. A favorable decision by the FDA on the recent petition can meet the consumer demand by supplying more variety of artificial sweeteners.

Isomalt

Isomalt is a type of sugar alcohol having sugar like properties and provides half the calories of that of sugar.
Isomalt was discovered in 1960s, it is a white, odorless, and crystalline sweetener made from sucrose and has a physical appearance similar to sucrose. Isomalt is made in a two-step process from sucrose. The first step involves enzymatic rearrangement between the links of glucose and fructose in sucrose.
The second step involves addition of two hydrogen atoms to the oxygen atom in fructose portion of sucrose. In this way half of the fructose is converted to mannitol and half of it is converted to sorbitol resulting in two different disaccharide alcohols that is gluco -mannitol and gluco-sorbitol. These molecular changes are responsible for making isomalt more chemically and enzymatically stable than sucrose.
Isomalt stability is used effectively in more than 70 countries worldwide in various foods and beverages like toffees, chocolates, chewing gums, hard and soft candies, nutritional supplements, baked foods, cough drops and lozenges in place of sugar. Isomalt is heat stable and thus can be used in the products that require cooking methods like baking or boiling. In fact DiabetiSweet is a product available in the market containing isomalt in combination with acesulfame K which is sold for baking purpose. It also helps to increase the shelf life of the product and is not involved in the process of browning or caramelizing, it is non hygroscopic and thus can not absorb water nor make a product sticky. Isomalt is used as a flavor enhancer and dissolves gradually in mouth with no significant after taste. Isomalt is often used with other high intensity sweetener to give a synergistic flavor and a sugar like taste. Products where isomalt is used as a sweetener provides low calorie and are ideal for people following a weight loss diet or a low carbohydrate diet. Like other polyols it is partially digested in the gut, thus have a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin levels. It provides only 2 calories per gram this is because of the fact that it has a stable structure which is not easily hydrolyzed by the intestinal enzymes. It can be safely used as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes.
It is also non carriogenic and is tooth-friendly as it is not associated with dental plaques or dental carries; in fact it helps to repair dental carries lesions. Food and Drug Administration has allowed the manufacturers to mention ‘Does not promote dental carries’ on sugar free isomalt containing products. However like other sugar alcohols, isomalt when taken in high concentrations can cause mild gastric problems like flatulence or gas and mild diarrhea.

Lead Acetate

Lead acetate is a chemical compound with a sweet taste.
It is derived by treating lead oxide (PbO) with acetic acid. The resultant red oxide is very toxic like other lead products. Lead acetate is often used printing and dying agent in textile industries, a drier in paints and varnishes and a reagent to make other lead compounds.
It is easily soluble in water and glycerin and is a principle active component in the hair coloring dyes (progressive type) when used in low concentrations. Lead acetate is also known as lead of sugar, lead diacetate, salt of Saturn, plumbous acetate and Goulard’s powder after the name of Thomas Goulard. Historically lead acetate was been used as an aphrodisiac because of the sweet taste it exhibits.
The Romans used to boil grape juice in lead pots, as they had limited sweetening options besides honey. This grape juice boiled in lead pots produced a reduced sugar called defrutum which is concentrated again to sapa. This sugar was in turn used as a sweetener or sugar substitute in wine and to preserve and sweeten fruits. Lead acetate or any of its compounds might possibly leach from this sugar syrup and causing lead poisoning to any one consuming these products with this sweet syrup used as a sweetener. It is believed that Pope Clement II who died in October 1047 was poisoned with lead sugar. Although the toxicology examinations confirms these old rumors, this issue is still not clear if it was lead poisoning that killed the Pope as in those times lead sugar was used as a cure for venereal diseases. Albert Christoph Dies in 1971 swallowed ¾ of an ounce of lead sugar by mistake. Although he recovered from its toxicity (slow and incomplete recovery), he lived with illness until 1822. In Panama, Mary Seacole tropically applied it among other remedies against an epidemic of cholera.
Because of its recognized toxicity, lead acetate is not used anymore as an aphrodisiac. Through out history leas acetate and white acetate have been used in cosmetics. Although in western countries this practice has ceased, it is still used in men’s hair coloring products. Sugar of lead is used as a treatment for poison ivy. Hydrogen sulphide a poisonous gas can be detected with the help of lead acetate paper. A grey precipitate of lead II sulphide is formed on the moistened paper when hydrogen sulphide gas reacts with lead II acetate. It has been reported that like other lead salts lead II acetate can pass the embryo through the placental barrier leading to fetal mortality.

Saccharin

The oldest artificial sweetener saccharin was discovered by accident by Ira Remsen and Constantin Fahlberg in 1879 at Johns Hopkins University.
Saccharin is approximately 300 times sweet as sucrose and is heat stable. However it has a metallic or bitter after taste that is unpleasing for many individuals. Saccharin is often blended with other high intensity artificial sweeteners to mask the off taste and give sweetness similar to sugar. For example cyclamate is often combined with saccharine in the ratio of 10:1 to compensate for each sugar’s weakness and give a synergistic effect to the product.
The food addictive code or E number allotted to saccharine is E954. Saccharine is stable to acidic and alkaline medium and helps to increase the shelf life of a product as it does not react chemically with other food ingredients. Due to these properties saccharin forms the base for many low calorie sugar free products worldwide. It is widely used as a sugar substitute in baked goods, chewing gums, hard candies, soft candies, canned fruits, dessert toppings, table sweetener, salad dressings and even saccharin toothpaste.
The most popular brand of saccharin available in supermarkets is Sweet’N Low. Saccharine has effectively no food energy and passes the digestive system without being digested and absorbed. Thus saccharine is very important discovery for diabetics as it does not affect blood sugar or insulin levels. People with diabetes can have a wider choice of food to consume and can satisfy their sweet tooth with the help of saccharin based products. Saccharine is tooth-friendly and does not promote tooth decay or dental carries as it is not easily hydrolyzed by the bacteria in the oral cavity. The amount of saccharine required to sweeten a product is very low and thus can be considered calorie free as it does not provide any calories. It can be effectively used by people on low carbohydrate diet or weight loss diet. Saccharine became popular during World War I due to the shortage of sugar in that period. This wide spread use of saccharin continued through out World War II. Saccharin has been studied for its safety since many years. Some studies suggested that saccharin can be carcinogenic when used in high amounts and can increase the rate of bladder cancer in rats. But it was later proved that these effects were due to very large amount of saccharin were given to test subject rats.
These doses were more than hundred times higher than the normal recommended daily doses by humans. After this saccharine safety has been studied largely, but no study proved saccharin relation with any health risks including cancer.

What is Sucralose?

Sucralose is a low caloric artificial sweetener that has a taste like sugar because it is made from sugar.
It is available under the trade name Splenda in the markets. Sucralose is around 320-1000 times sweeter than sugar and can be used as a table sweetener. It is the most heat stable artificial sweetener used in variety of products like desserts, beverages, canned fruits, baked goods, dairy products or syrups and condiments.
It is also stable to a broad range of pH conditions and is used in more than 4,000 food products as a sweetener and the products maintain the sweetness throughout their shelf life even after baking or cooking. The addictive code or the E number used for sucralose is E955. In the processing of sucralose, sugar molecules undergo a patented, multi-step process that selectively substitutes three chlorine atoms for three hydrogen-oxygen groups. This creates a molecular structure that is exceptionally stable.
Chlorine in sucralose may raise questions for some. But chlorine is present in the form of chloride that is an element naturally found in many foods and beverages like natural water, tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, peanut butter, melons and table salt. Sucralose can be consumed in a variety of products without the concern of extra calories from sugar. Sucralose is essentially an inert molecule, doesn’t have any harmful effects and is absolutely safe even if taken on regular basis for life time. Sucralose can be safely consumed by all people without any harmful effects including pregnant women, breast feeding mothers, children and people with diabetes. Our body doesn’t recognize sucralose as a carbohydrate although it is made from sugar and thus is not broken down in the body for calories. Sucralose molecule is not digested in the gastrointestinal tract and is eliminated from the body via feces and urine, unchanged. Although products made from sucralose may contain calories, but sucralose is a calorie free and thus provides no calories. Hence it is used as a sweetener to replace sugar in various products and in turn decrease the total (especially empty calories) calories of the food product.More than 100 scientific studies conducted over 20 years prove the safety of sucralose in various fields.
All studies clearly demonstrate its safety and ensures that it is non carcinogenic. Sucralose is permitted for use in more than 60 countries as many regulatory bodies have declared that it safe. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) of sucralose is 9 mg per kg body weight.

Natural Sugar Substitutes

Life of a person should be full of sweetness, natural sweetness.

Nature has offered a lot of choice for this. Sugar is a favorite and most overused substance world wide. But sugar provides calories and excess sugar consumption is related to many health problems like obesity and anxiety.

It is important to satisfy the sweet tooth, but this can be done by replacing sugar with natural sugar substitutes. Natural sugar substitutes are the ones found naturally in fruits and vegetables or derived by processing the sugar molecule itself. These include brazzein, xylitol, fructose, glycerol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol, glycyrrhizin, lactitol, mabinlin, miraculin, monellin, pentadin, tagatose and thaumatin.

Natural sugar substitutes or natural sweetener provides some amount of calories depending on the sweetener.

-Stevia with fruit ogiliosaccharides (FOS) – Stevia is a sweet herb available in powder and liquid form.
-Xylitol is a low glycemic sugar and can be used for baking and sweetening beverages. Like sugar, it does not cause yeast over growth or blood sugar imbalances.
-Single blossom honey – it is low glycemic but high in calories and carbohydrates so should be used wisely.
-Fructose – is a low glycemic sugar found naturally in fruits, it is required in less amounts as it is sweeter than sugar.
-Sucrose – is a medium glycemic sugar, should be avoided in large amounts.

Artificial sweetener or sugar substitute is calorie free but provide the sweetness of sugar. They are many times sweeter than sugar, thus a small quantity is enough to equate large quantities of sugar. People with diabetes mellitus have difficulty in metabolizing sugar in blood. Natural or an artificial sweetener is a wise choice for them as they can enjoy the sweet taste of the food without leaving any sugar in the blood to metabolize. As artificial sweeteners provide zero calories it is used by many individuals to have control over their weight or used as a part of weight loss plan.

Sugar substitutes are not fermented by the micro flora of the dental plaque and thus are non-carriogenic. There are various studies conducted to assess the safety of artificial sweeteners due to the concerns of it being carcinogenic and causing other health problems. But all the studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are safe to use for healthy population. However people with phenylketonuria (PKU) should use aspartame with caution as they can not metabolize it. One should keep in mind that a sugar free product does not mean a caloric free product. Natural sugar substitutes can be used over sugar confidently as it has many other benefits, but should be used sensibly with restrain.

Brazzein

Brazzein is a natural sugar substitute isolated form the plant Pentadiplandra brazzeanafrom West Africa. This plant was discovered by Marcel and Anette Hladik in 1985 while studying the eating pattern of apes in Gabon. The fruit of this plant is 500x-1000x sweeter than sucrose and was traditionally consumed by apes and people of Gabon for many years. These people called the fruit ‘L'oublie’ which means ‘to forget’ in french, as it was believed that this fruit is so sweet, after eating you tend to forget everything. Most of the sugar substitutes are carbohydrates, but unlike those brazzein is a naturally occurring protein based potential economic sweetener.

In fact brazzein is the smallest and the sweetest molecule of protein discovered so far. There is an increased demand of a non-caloric protein-based sweetener with favorable taste. The composition of brazzein consists of a single chain with 54 amino acid residues. It has much less calories compared to sugar and is also considered safe for people with diabetes.

Brazzein is very special for the industrial food manufacturers as it is exceptionally heat stable with pH range of 2.5 - 8. The sweetness of brazzein can be attributed to even distribution of the bridge between its four intramolecular disulfide bonds and lack of free sulfhydryl groups. With a long history of consumption, brazzein has excellent sweet potency, solubility and thermostability. Brazzein tastes purely sweet without any other secondary taste like bitter, sour or salty. But unlike a very high intensity sugar substitute, the sweetness of brazzein is not lingering in the mouth and readily washed off from the tongue. Brazzein when blended with other sweeteners, often improves the mouth feel and works well in citric acid and phosphate beverages. To provide a synergy that is qualitative and quantitative brazzein is often combined with aspartame and acesulfame-K. This blend helps to improve the taste, flavor, mouth feel and reduces the possible side effects of other sweeteners. Brazzein is often expressed in fruits, vegetables and yeast to increase their sweetness. Often brazzein is engineered in grains like wheat to make pre sweetened grains or flours. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brazzein was first isolated as an enzyme by Professor Bengt G. Hellekant and Ding Ming.

With ordinary milling, brazzein can be commercially extracted from genetically modified maize. Approximately 1-2 kg of brazzein can be derived from one ton maize. Brazzein is an economical alternative for the food industry because of its natural properties.

Erythritol

Erythritol is a natural sugar substitute and a polyol that is a sugar alcohol.

It is virtually non-caloric yet 70% sweet as table sugar. Erythritol has been a part of human diet since ages. At low levels erythritol is naturally found in grapes, pears and melons and found at higher levels in fermented products like wine.

Daily in our regular diets knowingly or unknowingly it is estimated that we consume approximately 30-100 mg of naturally occurring erythritol. Erythritol has been used as a sugar substitute in many products in Japan since late 1980’s. Recently it is approved for use in Canada and U.S.Under the requirements of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for labeling, erythritol has a caloric value of 0.2 calories per gram in U.S. but Japan labels it as 0 calories (calorie free). Unlike other sugar alcohols erythritol is absorbed well in the blood stream (due to its small molecular size and structure) in small intestines and excreted in the urine unchanged with in 24 hours. As it is not absorbed in the large intestine (as most of it, around 95% is absorbed in the small intestine) it does not have any laxative effects. It is also more difficult for intestinal bacteria to digest it, so is unlikely to cause any other gastric side effects like gas or bloating like other common sugar alcohols. In general it is free of any side effects, but one should remember that if consumed in large quantities, which the body can not absorb easily, then it may cause laxative effects (1 gm per kilogram body weight is well tolerated by adults). Erythritol is safe for people with diabetes as it does not affect the blood glucose or insulin levels and can be easily replaced for sugar to make food formulated specially for people with diabetes. Erythritol is tooth friendly as unlike other sugar alcohols it is resistant to metabolism by oral bacteria that produces acid by breakdown of sugars and alcohol that may lead to loss of tooth enamel and cavities. Erythritol is a non-cariogenic polyol sweetener approved by American Dental Association and FDA and claimed that its use does not promote tooth decay.Erythritol has a clean and crisp taste, very similar to sugar, but when compared to sugar it lingers poorly in the mouth and when consumed in high concentration has a slight harsh after-feel. Due to this effect it is often combined with high intensity sweeteners like sucrose.

Fructose

What is fructose?

Fructose is a low glycemic simple sugar (monosaccharide) used by the body as a source of energy and is one of the three most important blood sugars along with glucose and galactose.

Fructose is a naturally occurring sweet sugar (twice as sweet as sucrose). Fructose is found naturally in combination with sucrose or glucose in honey, fruits mainly melons and berries, root vegetable such as sweet potatoes, beets, onions and parsnips. Sucrose is a disaccharide consisting of glucose and fructose and fructose can also be derived from sucrose by digestion.

The low glycemic index of fructose can be attributed to its structure (5-member hemiketal ring) and lengthy and unique metabolic pathway that involves multi-step enzymatic process in the liver. However fructose when given alone in pure form increases blood glucose levels in a similar amount of glucose. Pure crystalline fructose has a fruity aroma and tastes similar to cane sugar.

GULT-5 transporter is required for the absorption of fructose in the body; in case of its deficiency excess fructose is carried in to the lower intestine and acts as a nutrient for existing gut flora. This results in fructose malabsorption, bloating, loose stools, excessive flatulence and even diarrhea depending on the amounts consumed and other factors. Excess consumption of fructose is been related to obesity (central obesity), elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels that can ultimately cause metabolic syndrome. Unlike glucose fructose is processed in the liver, when amount of fructose exceeds the limit of the liver to process it, the excess of it is converted to fat and transported in the blood stream as triglycerides. Moreover the excess consumption can be due to the fact that the calorie from fructose does not make a person feel satisfied. This is a possible reason why fructose is related to weight gain. Dietary fructose is often avoided if plasma triglyceride levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. High fructose added in the processed products is due to the easy accessibility and inexpensive high fructose corn syrup. Studies show that high fructose corn syrup has similar properties to sucrose and have essential identical physiological effects.
Fructose also chelates minerals like copper, zinc and chromium in the blood. Since these micronutrients are present in small quantities, chelating effects may lead to deficiency disorders, immune system impairment, fructose intolerance or even insulin resistance (a major factor for type-2 diabetes).These effects of fructose doesn’t happen with consumed in normal amounts in natural form that is fruits and vegetables, but the problem occurs when the consumption exceeds the limit which body can handle.

Glycerol

What is glycerol?

Glycerol is a chemical compound with the formula HOCH2CH(OH)CH2OH and is sweet tasting sugar alcohol with three hydrophilic alcoholic hydroxyl groups.
Glycerol is also known as glycerin by commercial products and is widely distributed in nature in the form of esters known as glycerides. Since glycerol forms the backbone of a triglyceride molecule it is a by product obtained from fats and oils in the process of saponification or transesterification. It is a sweet, syrupy, colorless or yellow liquid and is used as a sweetener, solvent, antifreeze and plasticizer.
It is also used in the manufacture of liquid soaps, dynamite, cosmetics, ink and lubricants. In medical and pharmaceutical preparations glycerol is used to improve smoothness, lubrication and as humectant. Glycerol is used with the motive of food production for many foods and beverages.
Its unique properties like sweetener, humectant and solvent may help to preserve foods. It is used as a flavoring agent (such as vanilla), softening agent (for candies, cakes, meats and cheese), thickening agent, emulsifier and in manufacture of polyglycerol esters. Glycerol is often used in baked products because of its moisturizing properties as it prevents crystallization when added in candies and icings. Approximately glycerol is 60% as sweet as sucrose and serves 27 calories per teaspoon. It almost serves the same energy as sucrose but it does not raise blood sugar levels nor does it serves as a feed for the bacteria in oral cavity. Thus it is tooth friendly and does not cause plaque or dental cavities. Glycerol is used as a solvent, substitute to alcohol to create a therapeutic herbal extraction that is approximately 30% less absorbed by the body. Glycerol is also used as an ingredient in laxatives in the form of liquid enema (it induces hyperosmotic effect by irritating the bowel), cough syrups, elixirs and expectorants. Glycerol is also used in personal care products like tooth paste, shaving creams, hair care products, skin care products and soaps. Soap with glycerol is specially used by people with sensitive skin as it has moisturizing properties and prevents skin dryness.
It is also possible to make glycerol soap at home. Glycerol is also known as E number E422 as a food addictive. It should not be consumed in concentrated or undiluted form as in that form it tends to draw water from the body tissues and may cause gastric distress and blistering in the mouth. Glycerol these days is increasingly used in feeding animals.

Glycyrrhizin

Glycyrrhizin is an active principle of the plant licorice (glycyrrhiza glabra) and extracted from licorice root.
It is 30-50 times sweeter than sucrose. Standardized extracts of licorice available in the market have 20% glycyrrhizin. Chemically glycyrrhizin is a triterpenoid saponin and a sulphated polysaccharide. It is considered to the active constituent of the drug and the standardization of licorice is based on glycyrrhizin content.
The standardized extracts of licorice sold in the market contain 20% of glychrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin is sweet but different than sugar as the onset is lower than sugar and the taste lingers in the mouth for sometime after consumption. Although glycyrrhizin is heat stable, it has a typical flavor from licorice that makes it unfavorable as a direct sugar substitute.
It is not used as a sole sweetener but in U.S. glycyrrhizin is classified as ‘generally recognize as safe’ as a flavoring agent. It is also used as a flavoring agent in many candies, tobacco products and pharmaceuticals. Glycyrrhizin is often used in combination with other sweeteners in Japan where there were concerns over safety of artificial sweeteners and a trend to choose plant derived sugar substitutes. But due to some of its side effects Japanese government has asked the citizens to limit its consumption to 200 mg per day.Glycyrrhizin and other products with this component have a long history of medicinal value and are used in the treatment of peptic ulcer especially glycyrrhetinic acid (triterpene derivative). Glycyrrhizin has a protective effect on the liver as it may have inhibitory effect on immune mediated cytokines in the liver. The compositions of licorine root containing glycyrrhizin have been reported to decrease serum testosterone levels in males (the active component of licorice, glycyrrhizic acid interferes with the enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of androstenedione to testosterone). Glycyrrhizin also has anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, but more scientific researches are required regarding its safety and effectiveness in these areas. Glycyrrhiza has many potential side effects like hypertension, hypokalemia and fluid retention or edema.
Glycyrrhizin inhibits the enzyme which converts cortisol to cortisone in the kidney; as a result cortisol levels increase with in the collecting duct of the kidney. This cortisol acts like aldosterone and increases sodium re absorption leading to edema. This can be avoided by removing glycyrrhiza from licorice – the resulting compound deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) does not contribute to any metabolic disadvantage and can be used in the treatment of ulcers.

Lactitol

Lactitol is a disaccharide sugar alcohol (polyol) used as a replacement bulk sweetener.
It is derived from natural milk sugar lactose (manufactured by reducing the glucose of lactose) with approximately 40% of the sweetness of sugar. Compared to a typical carbohydrate that provides 4 calories per gram, lactitol provides 2.4 calories per gram. The clean sweet taste of lactitol is similar to the taste profile of sucrose.
It is a low calorie sweetener produced by two manufacturers Danisco and Purac Biochem and they market it in both anhydrous and monohydrate form. Due to its stability, solubility, and similar taste to sucrose it is used in variety of low fat and low energy foods such as chocolates, sugar free candies preparation, chewing gums, baked goods and sugar substitutes. Unlike lactose, lactitol is not hydrolyzed by the enzyme lactase for its metabolism.
It is in fact neither hydrolyzed nor absorbed in the small intestine but is metabolized in the large intestine by the bacteria’s and is converted to biomass, organic acid, carbon dioxide and small amount of hydrogen. The further metabolism of organic acid results in a caloric distribution of 2 calories per gram. Lactitol like other sugar alcohols (sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol and xylitol) is approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as ‘generally recognized as safe’. Most of the countries around the world have approved the use of lactitol in many food products. FDA has also approved it as a food addictive and is not associated with tooth decay or causing increases in blood sugar levels. Lactitol is a white crystalline powder with clean sweet taste and no noted after taste. Lactitol is non hygroscopic that is it does not absorb water in the products when used and help to increase the shelf life by maintaining the quality of a product for example it helps to maintain crispiness and freshness of cookies and chewing gum. It is heat stable, stable in acidic and alkaline conditions and has similar solubility to glucose. Moreover due to its mild sweetness and low calories it can be combined with other high intensity sweeteners and be used as a replacement bulk sweetener.
As lactitol is fermented in the large intestine it has beneficial effects on the colonic micro flora. Lactitol functions as a prebiotic as an increase in the prebiotic bacteria along with a decrease in pH of the colon resulting in significant reduction of potential pathogens in the colon. As lactitol contributes almost half the calories of sucrose, has a low glycemic index and does not induce an increase in blood sugar or insulin levels it is considered safe for consumption for people with diabetes. Compared to sugar it helps control blood sugar levels, insulin levels, body weight and lipids in the body of a person with diabetes.

Maltitol

What is maltitol?

Maltitol is a sugar alcohol and is commonly used as a natural sugar substitute.
Except for browning it has very identical properties to sucrose and has 75 - 90% sweetens of sucrose. Compared to other carbohydrates which give 4 calories per gram, maltitol gives 2.1 calories per gram thus due to its fewer calories it is often used to replace table sugar (sucrose).
Commercially maltitol is known as Maltisorb and Maltisweet (trade names), it is basically a disaccharide and produced from corn and its products. Maltose obtained from the starch of corn undergoes hydrogenation to give maltitol.
Compared to other sugar alcohols, maltitol is very subtle and has similar effects to sucrose; its high sweetness also allows it to combine with other high intensity sweeteners and use in low calorie food products as a sugar substitute. Maltitol is most commonly used in the production of sweets like chocolates, chewing gums, sugarless hard candies, ice creams and baked goods. Although maltitol has lesser effect on blood sugar levels (as it somewhat gets slowly absorbed than sucrose thus more suitable for people with diabetes) and also is not associated with tooth decay (as it is not metabolized by oral bacteria), but it is known to cause gastric distress if consumed in large quantities. As it is absorbed slowly in the gut it has a laxative effect and sometimes can cause bloating or flatulence if consumed in high amounts. Thus people with gastric problems like anal leakage should use fibrous foods or other sugar alcohols along with maltitol wisely to avoid any complications. Even after liquifying intense heat application, maltitol does not get brown or caramelize.
As maltitol has exceptional sugar like properties it is often used in large quantities by the food manufacturers, thus consumers often end up consuming maltitol far more than any other sugar alcohol or substitute. It is true that maltitol is a low calorie sweetener but one should keep in mind that it provides around 2 calories per gram and the products in which it is used are not necessarily calorie free or fat free. Moreover maltitol syrup has a glycemic index of 52 which is close to that of a table sugar which has glycemic index of 60. The powdered form of maltitol has a glycemic index of 36, which is still higher when compared to other artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. Thus people with diabetes should keep this in mind before consuming maltitol as a sweetener or table sugar.

Mannitol

Mannitol is a sugar alcohol or a polyol originally isolated from manna.
It is also commonly referred as Mannite or Manna sugar and similar to xylitol or sorbitol. Commonly a substance such as sodium bicarbonate is added to adjust its pH as it tends to lose a hydrogen ion in aqueous solution and causes the solution to become acidic. Mannitol has a negative heat solution and thus can give a cooling effect or fresh feeling to the product; it is commonly used in breath freshening candies.
Mannitol can be used by diabetics as a sweetener as it does not affect the blood sugar and insulin levels. People with diabetes can thus have a wide variety of foods to choose and satisfy their sweet tooth. Mannitol is occasionally used as an adulterant or cutting agent for illicit drugs like heroin or methamphetamines.
When mannitol is used for this purpose it is often referred as baby laxative in many films or television shows depicting drug culture. Mannitol is sometimes sold as laxative for children (in larger doses more than 20 gm it acts as a laxative), as due to its sweet taste children consume it easily. Clinically mannitol is used as a treatment to reduce marginally raised intracranial pressure until more definitive treatment is given (the use of mannitol in this area is currently under controversy). It is believed that mannitol is filtered by glomerulus of the kidney when administered intravenously but there is decrease in water and sodium reabsorption due to its osmotic effects (as it is incapable of being reabsorbed from the renal tubule). Thus mannitol decreases the extra cellular fluid volume by increasing water and sodium excretion. Mannitol can temporarily shrink the tightly coupled endothelial cells that make up the blood brain barrier, thus it helps to open the blood brain barrier and in turn helps in the delivery of various drugs directly to the brain (helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease). Mannitol cannot cross biological membranes as it is a non permeable molecule. As it is readily absorbed in blood it is sometimes used to encapsulate a sharp object while it’s passing through the venous system (by the time it reaches its destination the sharp object will be exposed). During a cardiopulmonary bypass mannitol is commonly used in the circuit prime of a heart lung machine.
While a patient is on a bypass, the presence of mannitol helps to preserve renal function during the times of low blood flow and pressure. This is done by preventing the endothelial cells in the kidney to swell, which may have otherwise reduced the blood flow and resulted in cell damage. Mannitol is also used for the diagnostic test for airway hyper responsiveness and is being developed by Australian pharmaceutical company for the treatment of bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis.

Natural Sugar Substitutes

Life of a person should be full of sweetness, natural sweetness.
Nature has offered a lot of choice for this. Sugar is a favorite and most overused substance world wide. But sugar provides calories and excess sugar consumption is related to many health problems like obesity and anxiety.
It is important to satisfy the sweet tooth, but this can be done by replacing sugar with natural sugar substitutes. Natural sugar substitutes are the ones found naturally in fruits and vegetables or derived by processing the sugar molecule itself. These include brazzein, xylitol, fructose, glycerol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol, glycyrrhizin, lactitol, mabinlin, miraculin, monellin, pentadin, tagatose and thaumatin.
Natural sugar substitutes or natural sweetener provides some amount of calories depending on the sweetener.
Stevia with fruit ogiliosaccharides (FOS) – Stevia is a sweet herb available in powder and liquid form.
Xylitol is a low glycemic sugar and can be used for baking and sweetening beverages. Like sugar, it does not cause yeast over growth or blood sugar imbalances.
Single blossom honey – it is low glycemic but high in calories and carbohydrates so should be used wisely.
Fructose – is a low glycemic sugar found naturally in fruits, it is required in less amounts as it is sweeter than sugar.
Sucrose – is a medium glycemic sugar, should be avoided in large amounts. Artificial sweetener or sugar substitute is calorie free but provide the sweetness of sugar. They are many times sweeter than sugar, thus a small quantity is enough to equate large quantities of sugar. People with diabetes mellitus have difficulty in metabolizing sugar in blood. Natural or an artificial sweetener is a wise choice for them as they can enjoy the sweet taste of the food without leaving any sugar in the blood to metabolize. As artificial sweeteners provide zero calories it is used by many individuals to have control over their weight or used as a part of weight loss plan.
Sugar substitutes are not fermented by the micro flora of the dental plaque and thus are non-carriogenic. There are various studies conducted to assess the safety of artificial sweeteners due to the concerns of it being carcinogenic and causing other health problems. But all the studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are safe to use for healthy population. However people with phenylketonuria (PKU) should use aspartame with caution as they can not metabolize it. One should keep in mind that a sugar free product does not mean a caloric free product. Natural sugar substitutes can be used over sugar confidently as it has many other benefits, but should be used sensibly with restrain.

Sorbitol

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol (polyol) that is also known as glucitol.
It is slowly metabolized by the body and is a bulk sweetener found in numerous food products. Sorbitol is obtained by changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group by reducing glucose. Sorbitol has 1/3rd fewer calories and is about 60% sweeter than sucrose. Besides being used in processed foods, sorbitol is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Sorbitol is often referred as a nutritive sweetener as it provides 2.6 calories per gram verses the average 4 calories per gram of a carbohydrate. Sorbitol occurs naturally in many foods including fruits and berries especially from the trees of the genus Sorbus. It is also commercially produced by hydrogenation of glucose. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has affirmed sorbitol as ‘Generally Recognized as Safe’ (GRAS) and approved its use in various countries.
It has an E number E420 as a food addictive and is group under ‘other natural agents’Sorbitol is used as an inactive ingredient in various cough syrups. Sorbitol when consumed in higher amounts 10-50 gm or more can cause gastro-intestinal problems like abdominal pain, flatulence/gas formation and mild to severe diarrhea. It can also aggravate conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and fructose malabsorption. Sorbitol is used as a sugar substitute in various foods like ice creams, sugar free chewing gums, sugar-free candies, frozen desserts, baked foods and diet drinks. Sorbitol is heat stable and is chemically unreactive and very stable. It also does not participate in maillard reactions, as a result is used in products like cookies where a brown appearance is not desired. Sorbitol is non-carriogenic and does not contribute to dental plaques or dental carries as it is resistant to metabolism by bacteria in the oral cavity. For sugar free foods that contain sorbitol or other sugar alcohol the FDA has approved its use and can mention ‘does not promote tooth decay’ on the health claim labeling. In oral suppression or suppository form sorbitol can be used as a non-stimulant laxative. Drugs with sorbitol stimulate the bowel movements by drawing water in to the large intestine. This can be helpful especially in old age, as sorbitol use is determined to be safe in elderly. As sorbitol is absorbed slowly in the body it does not cause significant rise in blood glucose and insulin levels.
Thus products with sorbitol as a sweetener can be consumed by people with diabetes wisely. Although our body produces sorbitol naturally, yet it is poorly digested and may cause cell damage. Excess sorbitol accumulated in the eyes and nerves is related to diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy (excess glucose that goes through polyol pathway).

Tagatose

Tagatose is a functional sweetener and has a very similar structure to fructose.
Tagatose is a naturally occurring monosaccharide that can be found in some dairy products in small amounts for example milk sugar extract, but it can be commercially produced from lactose. Lactose is first hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose; galactose in turn is isomerized by calcium hydroxine under alkaline conditions to get D-tagatose. This is then purified to get a solid tagatose with the help of crystallization, chromatography and demineralization.
It is 92% as sweet as sucrose and has a similar texture to sucrose but has only 38 % (provides 1.5 calories per gram) of the calories. Tagatose has been since 2001 and the Food and Drug Administration has approved it in the year 2003 as a food addictive and GRAS ‘generally recognized as safe’. Unlike sucrose tagatose metabolism is different in the body and has minimal effects on blood sugar and insulin levels.
Only 15-20 % of tagatose is absorbed in small intestine and although it has a similar structure to fructose it is incompletely absorbed in the body. Rest of the ingested tagatose is fermented by the microflora in the colon producing short chain fatty acids that are completely absorbed and metabolized. Tagatose has great taste, low carbohydrate impact and high functionally. Because of these properties it is used in wide range of foods to improve quality of the product. Tagatose can be used in diet soft drinks, health bars, ready-to-eat cereals, frozen yoghurt or non fat ice cream, hard confectionary, soft confectionary, frosting and chewing gums. Tagatose can be used as a flavor enhancer and can also be used in combination with other high intensity sweeteners like aspartame, acesulfame-K or sucralose. This combination in fact helps to reduce bitterness in a product and even speeds up the onset of sweetness. It is ideal for the regular soft drinks as when combined with other high intensity sweeteners it creates a synergetic flavor enhancing effect. Tagatose is pH stable, heat stable and also stable in acidic medium and enhances specific flavor in various applications.
It is ideal for use in frostings due to its crystallization properties. Although tagatose is heat stable, it tends to caramelize when subjected to certain temperature. Thus its use is not appropriate in the baked products where browning is undesirable. Although safety of tagatose is studied in humans, some sensitive individuals may have mild gastrointestinal discomfort. Tagatose is tooth-friendly and does not promote plaque formation or tooth decay as unlike other sugars it is not fermented and is resistant to the micro flora in the mouth.

Stevia

Stevia also known as sweet leaf or sugar leaf is a South American herb used as a sweetener.
Stevia when used as a sweetener has a slow onset and a longer duration than sugar. At high concentrations some of its extracts might have bitter or licorice like after taste.
Stevia extract have up to 300 times sweetness of sugar. Stevia is an attractive natural sweetener option for diabetics as it has negligible effect on the blood sugar level and even enhances glucose tolerance.
It has also gained attention due to its positive effects in the treatment of obesity and high blood pressure with the help of carbohydrate controlled diets and low sugar food alternatives. However due to some health and political controversies stevia is not readily available on the shelves of the superstore in many countries as the Food and Drug Administration has turned down the request of its use in foods in U.S. Although it is not used as a food addictive in most of the countries, it is widely used as a dietary supplement (FDA has little control in this field) in many countries and in Japan it is widely used as a natural sweetener. Stevioside and rebaudioside are the two glycosides responsible for the sweet taste of stevia. They were isolated in 1931 by a french chemist and are 250-300 times sweeter than table sugar sucrose, also they were heat stable, pH stable and non-fermentable and thus can be used in many stevia recipes that are low in carbohydrates. Stevia and stevia leaf has been consumed for many years without any scientific research for its safety and effectiveness (in Japan it is used for more than 30 years with out any reported averse effect). Stevia when consumed in small amounts (1 or 2 serving per day in tea or coffee) is considered safe, however when consumed in larger amounts (if allowed to use it as a food addictive in diet sodas or other products) it might pose a public health threat.
Stevia may affect the male reproductive organ system by reducing the sperm count, increased proliferation of the cells in the testicles and may even cause infertility problems. Stevia is also associated with cancer as it is believed that it may get converted in to a mutagenic compound and may promote cancer. It may even interfere with the energy metabolism in the body. However to prove these effect more human based scientific researches are required. It is very important to derive the standard safety dose of stevia and clear these health controversies before it is approved to be used as a food addictive or a sweetener in products widely used by people.

Xylitol

What is xylitol?

Xylitol is a natural sugar substitute and is also known as brich sugar or wood sugar.
Xylitol is naturally present in various fruits and vegetables that include oats, corn husks, different berries and mushrooms. It can also be extracted from corn, corn fiber, plums and raspberries. Xylitol provides roughly same sweetness as sucrose but has low food energy (provides 2.4 calories per gram).
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and was first derived form brich trees in 19th century in Finland, which is considered as its home country. Today corn fiber extracts are popular as a source of xylitol. Xylitol like other sugar alcohol has less impact on blood sugar and insulin levels and is marketed as ‘safe for diabetics and people with hyperglycemia’. Also it is absorbed slowly in the body and provides 40% less food energy when compared to the table sweeteners.
It has zero net effective carbohydrates and virtually no after taste. Xylitol gum and xylitol mints are very popular in Finland and it is used in almost all the chewing gums. Xylitol sugar is a tooth-friendly natural sugar and does not promote plaque formation or dental carries, on the other hand xylitol actively helps to repair the minor tooth cavities caused by dental carries. It is believed that this effect may be due to chemical properties that attracts and starves the harmful microorganisms in the oral cavity, allowing the mouth to remineralize damaged teeth or the minor cavity with less interruption. Xylitol is however not appropriate for making yeast based breads as it exhibits this same effects. U.S. Food and Drug Administration have allowed xylitol based products to make medical claim that they are not involved in the process of dental carries. Xylitol unlike other sugars improves bone density and prevents weakening of the bones, thus may have a potential as a treatment for osteoporosis. Unlike glucose, galactose and sucrose xylitol consumption may prevent proliferation and help control oral infections of candida yeast.
Xylitol chewing gum may also be beneficial to prevent ear infections. Xylitol prevents the growth of bacteria in the eustachian tube (a tube that connects nose and ear) and the action of chewing and swallowing helps in the disposal of earwax. Like other sugar alcohols xylitol when consumed at high doses might have a mild laxative effect. Many people have consumed xylitol for long period of times in high quantities as much as 400 gm per day with no known toxicity. However when consumed greater than 100 mg per kg body weight can be life threatening and is associated with hypoglycemia. This can manifest in depression, loss of coordination, collapse or seizure.