“…sweeteners could increase antioxidant intake … similar to the amount found in one serving of berries or nuts.”

That was the conclusion of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. (Total Antioxidant Content of Alternatives to Refined Sugar, 2009, pgs 64-71).

Well, that conclusion is what I saw in one media report with the headline “is sugar the newest antioxidant?” 

We talked about how sugar makes you gain ugly belly fat.

But maybe there's an update — let’s look at this study to get the truth.

The researchers compared the antioxidant content of unrefined sweeteners as alternatives to refined sugar.

Unrefined:  raw cane sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, molasses, honey, and fruit sugars like date paste.

Refined: refined sugar (think white table sugar) and corn syrup
In the US, the average intake of added sugars is 130 g/day (or about 31 teaspoons per day).

Using that average intake (130 grams) as the “baseline” measurement, the researchers ranked the sweeteners below from highest to lowest levels of antioxidants:

1.    Blackstrap molasses (highest)
2.    Molasses, dark
3.    Date sugar
4.    Barley malt syrup
5.    Brown sugar, dark
6.    100% Maple syrup
7.    Brown sugar, light
8.    Brown rice syrup
9.    Honey
10.  Raw cane sugar
11.  Agave nectar
12.  White, refined table sugar (lowest)

Take home points:  When eating sugar, substitute those that are higher in antioxidants when possible. 

But of course the less of ALL sugars, the better.

Of course no sugar is a HEALTHY option or meant to replace other high antioxidant foods, like fruits.  

Read more about the dangers of added sugar

And these 3 pieces discuss artificial sweeteners

Are artificial sweeteners healthier than real sugar?

Is stevia a healthy alternative to sugar?

Is sucralose a healthy alternative to sugar?

Posted January 30th, 2010 under Nutrition. Tags: agave nectar, is raw sugar healthy, is stevia a healthy alternative to sugar, sugar and belly fat, sugar makes you fat
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