你喜歡吃甜食嗎？你擔心糖的攝入量過高嗎？你也許聽過甜味劑這個東東但對它真的了解嗎？甜味劑真的像傳說中那樣又甜又健康嗎？在英國，甜味劑產業估值約為六千萬英鎊。但甜味劑能有效幫助緩解英國肥胖人數增長的趨勢嗎？《隨身英語》帶你看看專家的解讀。

課文內容

Vocabulary: Sweetener 詞匯 : 甜味劑

For many of us, the relationship we have with sugar is love at first taste, and that love usually lasts a lifetime. But what price do we have to pay for this truly addictive, sugary love? Rotten teeth? Heavier bodies? Raised blood sugar levels? Or even type 2 diabetes?

Time to quit perhaps? Easier said than done. What’s the alternative? Many would suggest using sweeteners as a substitute. But are sweeteners healthier than sugar?

Sweeteners are usually low-calorie or calorie-free substances that have a similar taste to sugar. It is estimated that more than a quarter of British households buy artificial sweeteners to help cut their sugar intake.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved some of the health claims food manufacturers have made about sweeteners such as xylitol, sorbitol and sucralose. These include preventing tooth decay and controlling blood sugar levels.

According to the National Health Service in the UK, sweeteners are safe to use and are especially helpful for those who are diabetic. Sioned Quirke, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association says, “As a dietician, I support and promote the use of sweeteners in cooking and diet." She also says that "There is no evidence to suggest that low-calorie sweeteners, such as saccharin, aspartame and sucralose, are harmful or bad for you.”

But many have concerns over the long-term effects caused by using sweeteners.  Dr Robert Lustig, author of 'Fat Chance: The Bitter Truth About Sugar' would not endorse sweeteners as an alternative to sugar because, “We have a dearth of data”. According to Dr Lustig, organisations like EFSA only require studies which test if something will poison a person in a short period of time, otherwise known as acute toxicity studies. But we still don’t know what the long-term effects are.

Dietician Emma Carder says on the NHS Choices website, “While more research is needed, sweeteners continue to have a useful role in offering a sweet taste without adding extra calories.”

詞匯表

sugary 甜的
rotten 非常糟糕的、不好的
blood sugar levels 血糖水平
type 2 diabetes 2型糖尿病
a substitute 替代物，代用品
low-calorie 低熱量的，低卡路里的
calorie-free 無卡路里的
artificial sweeteners 人造甜味劑
cut one’s sugar intake 減少糖的攝入量
health claim 健康聲明
xylitol 木糖醇
sorbitol 山梨糖醇
sucralose 三氯蔗糖
tooth decay 蛀牙
diabetic 糖尿病的，糖尿病患者
saccharin 糖精
aspartame 天門冬氨酰苯丙氨酸甲酯（一種甜味劑）
endorse 支持，贊同
dearth 缺乏，不足
acute toxicity 急性毒性

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false? Sweeteners can be used to treat type 2 diabetes.

2. True or false? According to dietician Sioned Quirke, studies have shown that low-calorie sweeteners are good for people.

3. What health claims about sweeteners did the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approve according to this article?

4. What are the long-term effects caused by using sweeteners?

5. According to the author, why do British people use sweeteners?

2.  請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。從每個表格中選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I just love cheesecake! I have to eat at least one every day - I think I am __________!

addict                          additive                   addicting                  addicted

2. Some people believe using natural ingredients as a _________ for sugar helps maintain a healthy diet.

substitute                     subtitle                    alternate                  alternated          

3. Food manufacturer have _________ that using sweeteners can help people lose weight.

say                              arguing                   claimed                    reported    

4. Sweeteners are said to be useful for people who are _________.

diachronic                     diabetic                  diacritic                    diabetes

5. I have a _________ tooth.

sugary                          sweet                     sugar                       candy

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false? Sweeteners can be used to treat type 2 diabetes.
False. Sweeteners can be used to help people with diabetes.

2. True or false? According to dietician Sioned Quirke, studies have shown that low-calorie sweeteners are good for people.
False. Dietician Sioned Quirke did not say sweeteners were good for people. She said there was no evidence to suggest that low-calorie sweeteners are harmful or bad for people.

3. What health claims about sweeteners did the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approve according to this article?
The European Food Safety Authority approved claims like preventing tooth decay and controlling blood sugar levels.

4. What are the long-term effects caused by using sweeteners?
We do not know what the long-term effects are.

5. According to the author, why do British people use sweeteners?
British people use sweeteners to help cut their sugar intake.

2.  請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。從每個表格中選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I just love cheesecake! I have to eat at least one every day - I think I am addicted!

2. Some people believe using natural ingredients as a substitute for sugar helps maintain a healthy diet.

3. Food manufacturer have claimed that using sweeteners can help people lose weight.

4. Sweeteners are said to be useful for people who are diabetic.

5. I have a sweet tooth.