Are sweeteners safe and healthy?
甜味剂是否真的安全又健康？
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?
对我们许多人来说，我们与糖的关系是一见钟情，这种喜爱通常会持续一生。但是我们要为这种令人上瘾的甜蜜爱情付出什么代价呢？是腐烂的牙齿？飙升的体重？上涨的血糖？或者甚至是2型糖尿病？
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?
也许是时候戒了？说起来容易做起来难。有什么可以作为替代的吗？许多人的答案是甜味剂，但这比糖更健康吗？
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.
甜味剂通常是具有类似于糖的味道且低热量或无热量的物质。据估计，超过四分之一的英国家庭购买人工甜味剂以减少糖的摄入量。
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.
欧洲食品安全局已经批准了一些食品制造商关于甜味剂如木糖醇、山梨醇和三氯蔗糖的健康声明。这些健康声明包括了预防蛀牙和控制血糖水平。
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."
据英国国家卫生服务中心报道，食用甜味剂是安全的，尤其是对于那些糖尿病人来说。英国饮食协会发言人秀内·夸克表示：“作为一名营养师，我支持并提倡在烹饪和饮食中使用甜味剂。”她还说，“没有证据表明低热量甜味剂，如糖精、阿斯巴甜和三氯蔗糖，对人体有害或不利。”
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.
但许多人仍担心使用甜味剂会带来长期影响。《肥胖几率：糖的苦涩真相》(Fat Chance：The Bitter Truth About Sugar)一书的作者罗伯特·拉斯蒂格博士不赞成用甜味剂替代糖，因为“这一做法缺乏证据支撑”。根据拉斯蒂格博士的说法，像欧洲食品安全局这样的组织只会测试某物对人体短时间内是否有害，也就是所谓的急性毒性研究。但我们仍然不知道长期影响是什么。
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."
营养学家艾玛·卡德在英国国家医疗服务体系的网站上说：“虽然目前研究工作还不够，但甜味剂在不增加额外热量的情况下仍然是糖类的有用替代品。”
词汇表
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
低热量的，低卡路里的
calorie-free
无卡路里的
artificial sweeteners
人造甜味剂
cut one's sugar intake
减少糖的摄入量
health claim
健康声明
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
天门冬氨酰苯丙氨酸甲酯（一种甜味剂）
endorse
支持，赞同
dearth
缺乏，不足
acute toxicity
急性毒性
小e英语卢翻译！