1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,560 I always thought a low-fat diet was the way to go. 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,160 Saturated fat was always the enemy, 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,880 because it raises your cholesterol. 4 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:16,640 And then there was a big war on this - 5 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:18,280 good old salt, 6 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,200 because it raises your blood pressure. 7 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,120 But now, it seems, something that's been innocently lurking 8 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,200 in our cupboards for centuries is the new public enemy number one. 9 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,040 It's sugar, and you know what? 10 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,360 I don't really know why, 11 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:35,080 so I'm going to go and find out. 12 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,640 'I'm Fiona Phillips and, like most of us, 13 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:41,760 'I love my sweet treats... Mmm. 14 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,520 '..but I want to discover the latest science 15 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,000 'about what sugar is really doing to us...' 16 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,120 This is the part of the brain that reacts 17 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,000 when you have sugary foods and sugary drinks. 18 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,080 '..and why you might be eating far more than you think.' 19 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,440 Oh, that is a lot of sugar. 20 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,960 'I'll be uncovering how you can spot the sugar 21 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,480 'in foods you'd think were sugar-free...' 22 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,240 Nearly nine and a half teaspoons. 23 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,920 - 20 teaspoons in that bottle. - Argh! 24 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,520 '..how clever cookery can get sweet results without adding sugar...' 25 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,920 And it's really delicious! 26 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,680 '..and revealing the sugars 27 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,040 'that even doctors say you can enjoy guilt-free.' 28 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,040 - You do like oranges? - I do, yes. - LAUGHTER 29 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,760 'I'm going to find out the surprising, 30 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,400 'and very sticky, truth about sugar.' 31 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,120 Wow! 32 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,600 'We Brits love our sugar. 33 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,280 'It's one of life's great pleasures. 34 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,760 'And we're getting through over a million tonnes a year. 35 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,120 'That's 15 teaspoons each, a day. 36 00:01:58,120 --> 00:01:59,960 'There's no getting away from it... 37 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:02,120 'that's more than we should be eating. 38 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,200 'I'm meeting up with four rather brave volunteers 39 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:09,920 'in Newcastle. 40 00:02:09,920 --> 00:02:12,760 'I'm going to start by showing them how much sugar each of them 41 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,000 'is getting through every week.' 42 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:16,760 You've got a table each. 43 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:18,400 See if you can pick your table out. 44 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,000 You already have! 45 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,880 Yeah, that's me. Sweets. 46 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:24,320 That's terrible. 47 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,360 'They all suspect that they might have too sweet a tooth, 48 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,120 'and want to do something about it, 49 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,880 'so I'm asking them to cut back to just six teaspoons a day, 50 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,040 'a target the World Health Organization 51 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,480 'believes is the best to aim at. 52 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,200 'First up is Cara Patterson.' 53 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:45,680 Here's Cara's table. 54 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,240 It is predominantly brown. 55 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:50,080 Yes. Chocolate. 56 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,680 Lots of chocolate. I even know that you eat chocolate for breakfast. 57 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,920 I do, yes. Chocolate and coffee. 58 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:00,320 'Cara Patterson splits her time between working at a school 59 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,600 'and being home, looking after her four-year-old son, Noah.' 60 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,840 Sit next to us, Mam. 61 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:07,360 Is that an order? 62 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,640 'She worries that sugar is taking over her life.' 63 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:13,360 I'm definitely addicted to sugar. 64 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,520 I crave it. 65 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,040 The worst time that I want sugar is as soon as I wake up. 66 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,400 Breakfast always contains something sweet, 67 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,640 whether it's cakes, biscuits, chocolate... 68 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,080 Well, Cara, your average daily sugar intake... 69 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,240 was 28 teaspoons. 70 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,640 28 teaspoons a day. 71 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,320 That's not good, is it? 72 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,040 'So Cara's eating nearly five times 73 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,200 'the six teaspoons a day target 74 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,000 'that I want her to aim for. 75 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,240 'This is going to mean some big changes for her.' 76 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,600 Ah. You may well look nervous, Rick. 77 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,640 'Rick Shabilla comes from a Sikh family 78 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,120 'with a history of type-2 diabetes. 79 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,160 'He worries that his love of sugary Indian sweets 80 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,360 'could land him in the same boat.' 81 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,720 They're so colourful and they look so innocent, 82 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,960 but they are little assassins. 83 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,880 You've got your Indian desserts, which we know are very high 84 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,200 - in sugars. - Yeah, and these are normally accompanied 85 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,200 with some ice cream. 86 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,280 - Which would be adding even more sugars. - More. 87 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:29,440 I think, Pauline, you should do the honours, 88 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,560 or would you like to reveal your sugar consumption? 89 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,760 - No, please. - You want Pauline to do it! OK! 90 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,680 - 29 teaspoons per day. - In a day? 91 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:40,360 - A day. - A day. 92 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,320 That's really terrifying, to be honest. 93 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,440 'Like Cara, Rick is also nearly five times 94 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:48,800 'over where I want him to be.' 95 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:55,120 'Audrey Cannon feels her weight is getting out of control. 96 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:57,960 'A life on the road as an acquisitions manager 97 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,040 'has led to a diet of processed food and sugary snacks.' 98 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,720 I'll be going into meetings and things, and coming out of meetings 99 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:06,560 and jumping straight in the car. 100 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,480 It's just as easy for me to eat in the car as it is to stop off 101 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,880 and have something, because I just want to get home, sometimes. 102 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,960 - You're having quite a few supermarket ready meals. - Mm-hm. 103 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:18,800 You've got a chilli beef here. 104 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,200 That contains five teaspoons of sugar, 105 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:22,960 in half the pack, which is a portion. 106 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,480 I wouldn't even think to look at the sugar content. 107 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,640 I would maybe look at the calories or the fat, 108 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,080 but I've never ever thought of looking at sugar. 109 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,480 Your average daily intake was 23 teaspoons. 110 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:34,840 Oh, dear. 111 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:36,280 'So, to be on target, 112 00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:38,000 'Audrey's going to have to cut 113 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,280 'pretty well three quarters of the sugar from her diet.' 114 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,240 'Simon Gallagher loves his fizzy pop...' 115 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:48,600 That's so cold. 116 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:50,080 '..but, at 26 stones, 117 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,440 he's becoming increasingly worried about his health.' 118 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,640 On a normal day, I'd have three or four cans of fizzy drink. 119 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,400 If I'm at home, it can be pretty much any amount, 120 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,720 until I feel... 121 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,960 like, sick, basically, 122 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,440 or until I haven't got any left. 123 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,320 Simon, you're smiling now. 124 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:14,840 Yeah, out of nerves. 125 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:18,280 The problem is that you have a huge amount of sugar. 126 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:20,000 As it stands, you're having 127 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,320 a whopping 39 teaspoons of sugar 128 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,280 - every day. That's... - Yeah, that's a lot. 129 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:30,720 Just to reiterate, 130 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:34,240 this is 57 kilos per year, 131 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,920 or 14,000 teaspoons of sugar 132 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,000 that you're putting into your body. 133 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,800 'Simon is six and a half times over 134 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,560 'and will have to make the biggest changes of all. 135 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,040 'Although current guidelines 136 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,440 'suggest we should aim at less than 12 teaspoons of sugar a day, 137 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,920 'the World Health Organization thinks 138 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,680 'if we can reduce this to six, 139 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,600 'it would have even bigger health benefits. 140 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,600 'It's going to be a tough target for my volunteers, 141 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,120 'but I'm hoping the more I can learn about sugar, 142 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,400 'the more I can help them cut back. 143 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,640 'The sugars we need to be looking out for are known as free sugars. 144 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,080 'These include the sugars found in honey, 145 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,280 'syrups and fruit juices. 146 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,560 'But the main culprit 147 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,000 'is refined sugar we add to food.' 148 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,200 'But what does refining sugar actually involve? 149 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,080 'And why does it make it a potential health problem? 150 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,760 'Biologist Dr Marty Jopson is going to help me find out.' 151 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,800 This is one piece of sugar cane. 152 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,320 - I've cut it in half. - Beautiful-looking thing. 153 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:48,080 So it's a huge grass that grows down in the tropics. 154 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:50,640 This stuff is packed full of sugar, 155 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,440 and the way we get it out - the first thing we have to do 156 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,600 is we need to break it down a bit, so here, look. Have a mallet. 157 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,400 Crikey. Where do I start? 158 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,480 Anywhere you want. Start at that end, OK? 159 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:05,400 That's it. 160 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,520 - OK. I think you've enjoyed that far too much. - I did, actually. 161 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,280 - I'll take that away from you! - Burned all my calories off, too. 162 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,720 Now what I'm going to do is give you this bowl. 163 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:15,360 You need to come round there, 164 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,000 catch the juice as it comes out of the mangle. 165 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,800 Here we go. 166 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:21,920 'Easier said than done, Marty.' 167 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,360 Yep, there's some spluttering out already. 168 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:28,280 'All sugars are natural and come from plants.' 169 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,760 - Are you all right, there?! - Yeah, this is, uh... 170 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,600 'Sugar cane and sugar beet are used in sugar production, 171 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,560 'as they have particularly high concentrations. 172 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,480 'All this refining is designed to 173 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,160 'make that concentration even higher.' 174 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:46,800 - I've safely delivered us some sugary juice down here. - OK. 175 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,960 'Carbon dioxide is then used to remove impurities like wax, 176 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:58,400 'gum and fats, 177 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,280 'all with the aim of giving us pure, refined sugar.' 178 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,040 That's it. 179 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,320 And now we just have to boil it down. 180 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,160 So what we have now... 181 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,560 is a thick syrup. 182 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:18,240 We leave that to cool and the sugar will start to crystallise out. 183 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,880 And what you'll end up with is this, 184 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:22,480 which is one I made earlier, 185 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:24,360 - which is... - Refined sugar. 186 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:28,360 - Refined sugar. There's a lot of treacle there, as well. - Yeah. 187 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,280 - But that... - Mmm. 188 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,320 - ..is incredibly sweet. - Mm. 189 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:34,880 However, 190 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:37,200 there's not that much of it, is there, 191 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,880 considering it came from all of this bulk here, 192 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,440 and all the effort it took to get it out! 193 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:43,920 Yes, exactly. 194 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,120 We're going to throw away all of this roughage and fibre, 195 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,720 so what you're left with here is essentially pure calories. 196 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,760 'So the refined sugar that we use at home 197 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,880 'has basically had all the fibre and roughage stripped away, 198 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,000 'to become pure energy. 199 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,440 'And Marty wants to show me just how much energy there is 200 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,600 'in the four grams of sugar that make up a level teaspoon.' 201 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,240 I've taken a teaspoon 202 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,600 - a level teaspoon, mind you - of icing sugar, 203 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,760 and put one in each of these tubes. 204 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:16,640 We've got two teaspoons of sugar. 205 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:18,720 - You take those. - OK. - Put them on first. 206 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:24,920 And what we're going to do... 207 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:26,160 is... 208 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:29,520 blow down these tubes. Blow, mind you. 209 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:32,960 On three. Three, two, one. 210 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:36,600 Wow! 211 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,880 So all that energy 212 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,440 in one level teaspoon of sugar. 213 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:45,200 Exactly. That's the energy you get if you eat it as well. 214 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,160 It's the same amount of energy. 215 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,240 'The flames may look impressive, 216 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,840 'but this energy is the real danger of sugar. 217 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,200 'If you don't burn it off, 218 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,240 'it can make you fat very quickly. 219 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,760 'But I had no idea just how quickly.' 220 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,960 - Imagine, say, you're drinking three cups of tea a day. - OK. 221 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,360 - You put two teaspoons of sugar in every cup... - Yup. 222 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:11,800 ..for 365 days, 223 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,440 and imagine you're also not burning off that, 224 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,560 how much of my lovely fat substitute 225 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:22,360 would you end up in your artificial belly, 226 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,120 if all of your sugar that you put into your tea 227 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,880 was turned into fat and it wasn't burned off? 228 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,160 Six teaspoons a day for a whole year, and I didn't burn it off? 229 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,120 Correct. How many of these? One of these, do you reckon? 230 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,600 - One. Let's try one. - OK, let's do one. 231 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,800 'Sugar is one the cheapest form of calories. 232 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:41,880 'It's not just bad for your teeth. 233 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,320 'If you have too much, your liver will end up 234 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,600 'turning it into fatty acids 235 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,960 'that your body will store as fat.' 236 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,000 It feels really uncomfortable. 237 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,400 So this is the second of my bottles. 238 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,640 OK. 239 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,320 More? 240 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:01,160 - I don't want more, but if... - There is more, I'm afraid. - Oh, my goodness. 241 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,600 Here we go. We're getting there. We're getting there. 242 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,040 So what you've got there is four and a half kilos 243 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,520 of fat - that's over half a stone. 244 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,640 I know - I can feel it! 245 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:21,200 And all because of your six teaspoons of sugar that you were having 246 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,880 every day for a whole year, that were excess to what you need. 247 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:28,320 Having a sweet tooth like that can lead to weight problems 248 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:30,480 which could be seriously dangerous. 249 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,120 'If just a few excess calories from sugar 250 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:38,360 'can cause issues over time, 251 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,920 'what have high-sugar diets done to my four volunteers? 252 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,080 'At Newcastle University, 253 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,520 'Professor Mike Trennel is going to find out.' 254 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,000 One of the problems with sugar is it allows you to 255 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,160 take large amounts of calories on very quickly, 256 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:58,680 which can make you obese. 257 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:02,320 'Mike uses hi-tech equipment to measure the body fat percentage 258 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,040 'of my four volunteers.' 259 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,920 At the moment, 51% of your body is fat. 260 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:11,520 Really? 261 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:12,960 Wow. 262 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,440 That's a lot. It's half of my body weight. 263 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:20,160 'All four have levels that are higher than they should be, 264 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,960 'and it's this body fat that can lead to health problems.' 265 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:27,840 Gaining weight can link to heart disease, diabetes, 266 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,720 and other long-term conditions. 267 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,840 'And further tests show that my volunteers 268 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:35,520 'are already in danger.' 269 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:38,240 The background of high sugar, 270 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:42,120 high body fat - it's going to place more and more stress 271 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:46,400 on your liver, on your muscles, but mainly on the pancreas. 272 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,400 And over time, if you don't do something, you will be having to 273 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,840 take insulin through an injection, which is what happens with people 274 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,080 when they have type-2 diabetes for a long period of time. 275 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,920 'And, for Simon, excess fat has led to 276 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,880 'signs of a potentially fatal disease.' 277 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:10,360 Now when your liver has too much food inside of it, 278 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,720 it starts to have this long silent scream, 279 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,560 which is indicating to us that you have a condition 280 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:19,120 called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 281 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,000 And unless you do something, it's very likely that you are going to 282 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,920 go on to develop type-2 diabetes. 283 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:30,240 Then I'll do something. 284 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:32,920 'Sugar doesn't directly cause conditions 285 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:35,840 'like type-2 diabetes and liver disease, 286 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:37,760 'but because it's so energy rich, 287 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,200 'along with other carbohydrates and fat, 288 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,560 'it is one of the things most likely to increase your body fat 289 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,640 'and it's this fat that will do the damage.' 290 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,200 'Time for my four volunteers to start cutting back.' 291 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,000 I'd like you to try and get down to 292 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,280 six teaspoons of sugar a day, 293 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,120 which, for some of you, is going to mean 294 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,040 losing 80% of what you are consuming sugar-wise, at the moment. 295 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,320 It's a tough challenge, do you think you can do it? 296 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:10,400 - Yes. - Absolutely. 297 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,160 That's very positive. Good. 298 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,960 'While they're finding out the reality of cutting back, 299 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,120 'I'm going to be looking at three of the main sources 300 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:23,360 'of refined sugar in their diet to see what they're up against.' 301 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:27,400 Sweet treats - for most of us these are the biggest challenge. 302 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,880 I want to uncover the science behind why we crave them. 303 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:36,320 Savoury foods - why is the food industry putting sugar in products 304 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,760 that we'd assume are completely sugar-free? 305 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:43,000 And what is it that fizzy drinks do to our appetite 306 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,600 that makes some scientists say they're the biggest problem of all? 307 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:53,080 - - Sugar 308 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:57,400 309 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,080 'We eat more biscuits than any other country in Europe 310 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,960 'and sweet treats are where we Brits get most of our sugar from.' 311 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:08,560 312 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:10,400 313 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,400 'So for our volunteers these have to be the first things to go. 314 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:24,960 'But how tough will that be? 315 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:29,320 'It's the Sikh equivalent of Christmas Day 316 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,640 'and there's a big celebration in the local temple, 317 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,400 'a source of great temptation for Rick.' 318 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,640 This is Guru Nanak Dev ji's Gurpurab, 319 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,520 which is a celebration of the birth of our first guru. 320 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:46,440 This is our Christmas, if you will, 321 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:50,520 so there is a lot of sugary sweets and treats to celebrate this event. 322 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:55,280 This is torture. 323 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,000 That's "sugar" written in pretty much pure sugar, 324 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,720 deep-fried and then dipped in syrup. 325 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:09,360 It doesn't get any better, 326 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:12,240 but also doesn't get any more cruel than that. 327 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,320 'But Rick is being a good boy. 328 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:18,280 'So far he hasn't put anything sweet on his tray. 329 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,880 'But does that change the celebration? 330 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:26,120 'Like Christmas Day without the pudding?' 331 00:17:26,120 --> 00:17:29,280 It is actually quite a... It's quite a big deal. 332 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,360 It's been quite challenging. 333 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:33,280 The guys teasing me doesn't help. 334 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,120 'Meanwhile, Cara is really struggling. 335 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:46,600 'Her husband Rob is refusing to dump the sweets treats.' 336 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,640 Right, I'm just going to shove all my stuff over there 337 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:55,320 so you've got...your stuff and I've got the stuff with less sugar in. 338 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:59,200 'So they're arranging their cupboards into his and hers. 339 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,920 'For someone who craves sugar, this is asking for trouble. 340 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,320 'But Cara is determined to fight temptation. 341 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,720 'She really wants to kick her sweet habit 342 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,560 'for the sake of her son, Noah.' 343 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:13,040 He's the ultimate motivation 344 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:17,120 because I want to be around for him as he gets older. 345 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,840 I don't want to be a burden. I want to be able to do things with him. 346 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:25,640 I don't want sugar to be haunting us in 20 years' time. 347 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,640 'But there is one thing that's holding Cara back - 348 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:33,360 'cravings that she just can't beat.' 349 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:36,760 Did cave in last night and had a bar of Galaxy. 350 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,120 Erm... 351 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:40,840 No-one knows. 352 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:43,840 'But why do some of us, like Cara, 353 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,240 'get really strong cravings for sugar? 354 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,800 'I'm taking her to Reading University to find out. 355 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,960 'Neuroscientists here have been studying 356 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,280 'what happens to the brain when you eat sugar. 357 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,560 'And to see what is going on in Cara's head, 358 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,760 'she's being put into an MRI scanner that monitors brain activity. 359 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,240 'Cara is given sugar in the form of a sweet drink 360 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:14,200 'and changes in her brain are picked up by the scanner.' 361 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,800 OK, so, Cara, this is an image of your brain that we just took 362 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,400 when you were in the scanner. 363 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:25,680 This is a structural image, and on this 364 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:27,000 we can see parts of the brain 365 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,360 that we know to be involved in the reward system. 366 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:31,480 So for example, here we have the striatum, 367 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,880 and this is a part of the brain that reacts 368 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,160 when you have very pleasant experiences, 369 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:38,360 like when you eat things that you really like, 370 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:40,960 like sugary foods and sugary drinks. 371 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,440 And so, if we look at this image over here, 372 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,400 this time you can see the actual activity in this part. 373 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,320 So that is the reward centre. 374 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:52,960 And that's the brain saying, "Ooh, this is really, really nice. 375 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:54,960 "Wouldn't mind some more of that." 376 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,800 So Cara can happily keep feeding herself sweet things 377 00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,960 and the brain will make her feel better. 378 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:02,680 What do you think, seeing this all mapped out? 379 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:03,880 It is really interesting 380 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:08,040 because often I crave, like, sweet things. 381 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,360 But a lot of the time, no matter how much I eat of them, 382 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:13,960 the craving's still there and I still want more. 383 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,320 Yeah, we are hard-wired 384 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:19,000 and biologically driven to seek out energy-dense foods. 385 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:24,200 So all of us have a primeval urge to seek high-energy foods? 386 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:26,520 - And our brains are telling us that? - Yeah. 387 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:31,840 Everybody likes sugary, sweet things because it's a natural drive. 388 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:35,240 What differentiates people who over-consume those foods 389 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:36,840 from people who don't, 390 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:41,480 we don't know what the biological differences are behind that yet. 391 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,360 So are sweet things habit-forming then? 392 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:47,640 If you have more brain activity underlying this craving 393 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:51,440 or this reward-seeking behaviour, then you're going to repeat it, 394 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,560 and that makes sense, so that is like a habit, yes. 395 00:20:57,920 --> 00:20:59,720 So, there you have it. 396 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,600 That is why sugar is so hard to give up. 397 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:06,320 We are hard-wired to enjoy it, to seek it out. 398 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:08,960 And that was OK in ancient times, I guess, 399 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,520 when food shortages meant that high-energy, sugary foods 400 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,400 were literally the difference between life and death, 401 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,280 but things have changed now 402 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:21,320 and sweet, cheap, sugary foods are all around us 403 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:22,840 and that is not good for us 404 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:25,880 and, frankly, our DNA really isn't helping. 405 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,400 'But if your brain is egging you on to have a sweet treat, 406 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,480 'are there any that are better than others?' 407 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,640 I am confused as to whether any of this stuff 408 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,760 might be better for you than ordinary white sugar. 409 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:44,600 Right, well, let's have a look. 410 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:45,720 Here we go. 411 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,560 'You'll often hear that honey is good for you. 412 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,160 'That brown sugar is healthier than white. 413 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,920 'And that maple syrup is not part of the sugar debate. 414 00:21:57,920 --> 00:21:59,400 'But what's the truth?' 415 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,440 So essentially, all of these are the same. 416 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,200 They are all from natural sugars from plants, 417 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:07,880 refined in different ways. 418 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,400 So it doesn't make any difference which one you use, 419 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:11,800 it's all just sugar. 420 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:12,960 I did not know that. 421 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,480 I thought that if I put a teaspoon of honey in my tea, 422 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,920 it would be much better for me than a teaspoon of white sugar. 423 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,080 'Brown sugar simply has a bit of molasses in it 424 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:26,160 'and has roughly the same calories as white, refined sugar. 425 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,200 'And a level teaspoon of honey in your tea 426 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:33,120 'will actually have more calories than a level teaspoon of sugar, 427 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:35,920 'because it has more nutrients and is denser. 428 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:39,680 'So there's no getting away from it. 429 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,520 'None of these forms of sugar are particularly good for you. 430 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:45,400 'But there is some better news. 431 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,240 'One of the surprising truths about sugar 432 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:52,640 'is that, if you do want a sweet treat, 433 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,440 'scientists say that fruit is the answer. 434 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,240 'That's because the naturally occurring sugar fruit contains 435 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:04,600 'comes with so much goodness, like vitamins, minerals and fibre, 436 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:08,400 'that it doesn't count towards your recommended daily allowance.' 437 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,720 But sugar in supermarkets isn't just limited to sweet treats. 438 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,920 It's actually in quite a few savoury products as well. 439 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:21,360 And often with a lot more sugar than you'd think. 440 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,920 I've got a bowl of pad thai noodles here. 441 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:31,720 It's a savoury dish, obviously so... 442 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,160 What do you reckon, sugar-wise? 443 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:37,160 - About that much, I think. - If you'd like to spoon in what you think. 444 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,760 - Two teaspoons of sugar in that dish? - Yes. 445 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,400 OK, you're a little bit under there because in fact there are... 446 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:51,680 Oh, stop! 447 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,720 - ..nearly nine and a half teaspoons of sugar. - What? 448 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:58,960 - That has nine and a half? - Uh-huh. 449 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:00,840 I'm eating those things! 450 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:02,960 That's probably more than a dessert. 451 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,680 'It's not just ready meals that can have added sugar. 452 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,720 'What about one of the healthier, 453 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,720 'apparently savoury, breakfast cereals?' 454 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:17,440 - So bran flakes, dry, not very appetising. - No! 455 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,240 But how many teaspoons of sugar, 456 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,720 if you would expect any at all to be in there? 457 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:23,960 Er, OK. 458 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:30,520 - One teaspoon? - Just the one, yeah. 459 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:35,680 Just the one. OK. I can tell you that there are in fact... 460 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:39,840 - Oh, my God. - ..three teaspoons. 461 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,000 That's horrendous! 462 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,800 Because I have that because I think that's the healthier choice. 463 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,640 'And it doesn't end there. 464 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,240 'This pack of sweet and sour chicken with rice 465 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,480 'contains 12 and a half teaspoons of sugar.' 466 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:01,400 'And there's over six teaspoons of sugar in this can of baked beans. 467 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:05,240 'Ideally, that would be your entire sugar intake for one day. 468 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,480 'I'm really surprised how much sugar 469 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,280 'is in some of our supposedly savoury foods. 470 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,680 'I want to know why manufacturers are adding it. 471 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,520 'So I'm visiting an international research facility in Surrey 472 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,120 'where scientists are employed by manufacturers 473 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:29,840 'to help them create the perfect products.' 474 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,200 So what have we got here, Alice? I presume it's soup. 475 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:36,440 It's tomato soup 476 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,320 and we've got two different recipes of tomato soup here. 477 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,160 One's got no sugar in it and just a little bit of sugar in the other. 478 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,640 So I'd like you to taste them, see what you think. 479 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:48,200 OK. Right, so I'll start with this one, I think. 480 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,040 Hmm. Not sure about... 481 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:03,280 - Mmm. - That one? - Yes, that was a "Hmm..." This was an "Mmm." 482 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:05,920 Well, that one has a little bit of sugar in it, 483 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,280 which I think is interesting, because just a tiny amount 484 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:12,280 can change the taste profile and make it taste a bit better sometimes. 485 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:14,320 It actually tastes delicious 486 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,680 and it brings out the taste of the tomatoes to me. 487 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:18,960 That's good. That's good, it's tomato soup. 488 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,000 But is that a good thing? 489 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,960 Isn't that what the manufacturers are doing, 490 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:28,920 making people like it with sugar in so they eat more, they buy more, 491 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,920 but they're also getting bigger as well. 492 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:33,200 Well, they do want to make things that people like, 493 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,000 at the end of the day. 494 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,880 'In fairness to the manufacturers, many are already making attempts 495 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,560 'to reduce the amount of sugar in their products 496 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:45,400 'and it certainly isn't just the case of the more sugar you put in 497 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:46,960 'the more you'll sell. 498 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,880 'Scientists here are experts at finding the precise degree 499 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,920 'of sugariness which will appeal to customers, 500 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:56,800 'the so-called bliss point.' 501 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,160 Today we've got nine testers who are here behind us. 502 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,200 - Sitting behind these...? - All sitting behind these little screens. 503 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:09,440 And we have five different recipes of tomato soup, 504 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,920 going from those that have very little sugar in them, 505 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,000 to a little bit more, and a little bit more, 506 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,600 and actually to a stage where some consumers might find it too sweet. 507 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,000 And the purpose of this exercise 508 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:27,560 is to find that recipe that the majority of them will like. 509 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,800 So what other products would you test in terms of its sweetness 510 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,280 - or added sugar? - Oh, a huge range of products. 511 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,240 Everything from yoghurts, or cheese or milk, 512 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,840 to ready meals or drinks or confectionary. 513 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:47,000 So, Alice, our tasters have emerged from their hatches. 514 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:48,800 They've tasted their soups. 515 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,120 What happens next? 516 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:52,920 OK, so we're here in our viewing facility. 517 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,840 We can see them but they can't see us. 518 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,360 This is a one-way mirror. 519 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:01,480 So we can listen in on the sorts of things that they're saying 520 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:03,480 about our tomato soups 521 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:07,880 and, in a moment, they'll vote on which one they think 522 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,640 has got just about the right level of sweetness in it. 523 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:14,720 So let's start off with sample 341, please. 524 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,080 Can you raise your hand if you preferred that sample? 525 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:23,000 Oh, that's interesting. Nobody has voted for the one with no sugar. 526 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,040 And 646, please? 527 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,360 Four votes for the 3% sugar. 528 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:31,480 That's the mid-range, isn't it? 529 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,440 And finally what about 763? 530 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,040 And two votes for the 6% sugar. 531 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:39,920 So the 3% is the winner. 532 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:41,480 That's the one they prefer. 533 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,720 And that information for the manufacturer of a savoury food 534 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:48,640 - is priceless really. - Absolutely. Yes. 535 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:54,320 Well, I have to say, I'm really surprised 536 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,040 that there's so much science 537 00:28:56,040 --> 00:29:00,920 behind the exact amount of sugar that's being put into our foods. 538 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,400 Of course, ultimately, it's done to make the food taste nicer 539 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,280 so we buy it and it's good for business. 540 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,200 So the question we need to ask ourselves, really, is, 541 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,880 if manufacturers started taking sugar out of foods, 542 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,040 would we still buy their products? 543 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,560 'All this sugar in savoury food is making life difficult 544 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,520 'for acquisitions manager Audrey Cannon. 545 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,360 'With such a busy lifestyle, 546 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:31,520 'she's come to depend on fast food and ready meals. 547 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,440 'But, with a history of heart disease in the family, 548 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,000 'she's determined to kick the habit.' 549 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:38,320 I've just got in from work 550 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,600 and normally I would cook some processed food. 551 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:43,800 Such as these barbecue wedges. 552 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,640 And, as you can see, they've got a lot of barbecue sauce, 553 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:48,320 but when I checked on the label, 554 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,800 they had three spoonfuls of sugar in. And I was astounded. 555 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:52,920 I didn't realise. So I'm going to make my own. 556 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,480 'Trying to get her sugar consumption down 557 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,280 'means Audrey is completely rethinking her food choices.' 558 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,000 It's been a big wake-up call to see how much sugar is in what 559 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,040 I feel are healthy foods. 560 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:10,760 'But it's made the weekly shop a real headache.' 561 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,800 I haven't really found it difficult in what I'm eating, the difficulty 562 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,880 has been in what to buy, and looking at the sugar content as I've 563 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:20,720 been going round the supermarket - that's been the biggest challenge. 564 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,880 'Audrey is not the only one to struggle with food labelling. 565 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:26,440 'I do too. 566 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,760 'So how can we know when a product is high in sugar?' 567 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:35,360 Right, there's a lot of shopping here. 568 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:38,520 The traffic light system, which is the front of pack system, is great, 569 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:40,120 because you can see at a glance 570 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,240 if something is red, amber or green for different nutrients. 571 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:47,120 So take for example these sweet and sour chicken dishes - 572 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,600 all of these are red for sugars on the front. 573 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:54,760 High sugar value means it has got over 22.5g 574 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,840 in 100g of product. 575 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:59,320 'Traffic lights make it easy. 576 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,600 'But manufacturers aren't legally obliged to use them. 577 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:06,560 'Some don't and some also choose to indicate the sugar content 578 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:11,000 'of a portion rather than per 100g.' 579 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:15,280 If you take for example this pack of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, you do 580 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,280 have some nutritional information on the front of the packet, but it's 581 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:22,160 not colour coded so you can't see at a glance how much sugar is in that. 582 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,120 'With products like this, consumers have to examine the pack 583 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:28,040 'to find the information 584 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,680 'that some dieticians argue is the most useful.' 585 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,680 If you really want to see how much sugar is in this, you can look at 586 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:39,760 the back of the pack, and here we can see that for sugars it is 35g. 587 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:45,360 So that's high-sugar, because it contains more than 22.5g per 100g, 588 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,240 so it's a sugary cereal. 589 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:51,680 'This type of supermarket homework is particularly revealing 590 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:55,080 'with savoury products you might have thought were sugar-free.' 591 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:59,800 You'll see how much sugar it contains - 22.8g per 100g. 592 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,080 So it is a high-sugar product. 593 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,240 Something that you would have on your chips 594 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,880 which you wouldn't associate with sugar. 595 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:08,960 Yes, something you'd think of as savoury. 596 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:13,120 'With some products labelled per 100g and some per portion 597 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:16,960 'and not everyone using the traffic light system, I want to know why 598 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:21,480 'food manufacturers aren't making sugar content much easier for us. 599 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:25,080 'So I'm off to see the Food and Drink Federation, 600 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:27,800 'which represents the industry.' 601 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:32,360 Do you think if all food producers were made to adhere to 602 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:36,080 the traffic light system it would help? Because that to me 603 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:39,200 is clearer than all the other systems that exist. 604 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:43,440 I don't think there is a single solution to a problem 605 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,440 such as obesity, that is so complex. 606 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,040 But the traffic light system would help, because 607 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,600 if you see red next to sugar content that would make me put it down. 608 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:55,440 The information that is available on pack, 609 00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:00,080 whether it's through the Reference Intake values, whether it's 610 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,800 through the traffic light system, is clear and is accurate. 611 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:08,320 Do you not think it would not be a whole lot clearer if the packet 612 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:13,040 showed how many teaspoons of sugar? Then everyone would understand it. 613 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:19,200 The reason for the amount of sugar to be labelled per 100g 614 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,920 or per portion in grams, 615 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:25,600 is in the Food Information for Consumers Regulation, 616 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:28,360 where all nutrients are treated the same 617 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,480 and a gram is a very well recognised unit. 618 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:34,600 When if you talk about teaspoons or tablespoons, 619 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,400 would you think four, five, six grams? 620 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:47,080 Well, it very firmly seems as though all the regulation, 621 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:49,680 all the information on the packets, most of which most of us 622 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:53,760 can't make much sense of, is all there for a reason. 623 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,480 It's to educate us and make sure we make the right choices. 624 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,480 But in the end the responsibility is all left to us 625 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,320 and I don't think, with the amount of sugar 626 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:08,160 they're putting in some foodstuffs, that that...is right. 627 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:09,600 I really don't. 628 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,960 I think that more onus should be taken by the manufacturers. 629 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:18,720 'Added sugar in processed food 630 00:34:18,720 --> 00:34:21,760 'means the best way ready-meal aficionado Audrey 631 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,240 'can get her sugar intake down to just six teaspoons a day 632 00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:27,960 'is to cook everything from scratch. 633 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:34,280 'But, after a day on the road, it's a daunting prospect.' 634 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:39,880 The time's about half past six and I've just got in from work 635 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:44,480 and I've now got to think about what I'm going to have for tea. 636 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,120 So I'm feeling a bit sort of frustrated 637 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:49,680 that I can't just come in and cook something easy, 638 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:54,560 I've got to prepare and think about it and have plenty of ingredients in the house, 639 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:59,120 when really all I want to do is come in, have my tea and sit and chill. 640 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:03,640 'But is there a way for Audrey to have the taste advantages 641 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:06,720 'of sugar in savoury food in a healthier way 642 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,080 'and without too much hard work? 643 00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:13,560 'I've set nutritionist Christine Bailey this challenge.' 644 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:17,840 Audrey, you're partial to the odd ready meal, aren't you? 645 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:19,960 So what tips have you got first of all 646 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:23,040 about supermarket ready meals, what to avoid? 647 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,520 Well, as you know, a lot of them contain sugar, but particularly 648 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:30,400 I would say the shop-bought sauces, things like the tomato ketchups, 649 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,680 the sweet chilli sauce, baked beans and sweet and sour sauce. 650 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:37,320 'The answer it seems is fruit. 651 00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:41,160 'Remember, sugar in fruit doesn't count towards your daily allowance. 652 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,400 'So we're cooking a sweet and sour sauce using the natural sweetness 653 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:49,280 'of chunks of pineapple to replace refined sugar. 654 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:55,360 'And, to give it more kick without the calories, just add spices.' 655 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:59,120 So we're going to actually add... I've got here some chilli, 656 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,320 some garlic, you're doing the ginger. 657 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,240 I'm going to use some onion as well. 658 00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:08,760 And I'm also going to add some Chinese five spice, which has 659 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,160 a lovely sort of Oriental flavour to it. 660 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:14,960 Throw in some onion, pepper 661 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:19,040 and soya sauce and we have a low-sugar sweet sauce 662 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,520 to which we could later add a bit of chicken or maybe prawns. 663 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:26,880 Mmm, that is delicious. 664 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:30,720 You could use that as a ketchup alternative. 665 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:34,240 Audrey, you and your busy life, this is simple, isn't it? 666 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:37,800 It is, because I could have this ready and then just cook the chicken when I get home. 667 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,120 - Just boil some rice, easy. - Or you could bulk-cook it, couldn't you, 668 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:45,280 - and put batches...freeze it, whip it out when you get home. - Yep. 669 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:48,160 'For Audrey it's problem solved.' 670 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,760 - Mmm! - Nice, eh? - Gosh, that tastes sweet as well. 671 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:54,000 No wonder you're smiling! 672 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,520 - I can't wait to get home and try it. - It is really delicious. 673 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:06,680 There's another source of sugar, though, that many of us enjoy. 674 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:09,520 It's this, fizzy drinks. 675 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:13,040 Is drinking sugar the same as eating it? 676 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:16,200 Well, according to some scientists the answer is no. 677 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:21,080 'Drinks can have a shocking amount of sugar in them and they are one of 678 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:25,960 'the quickest and easiest ways to see your sugar consumption soar.' 679 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:31,320 I've got a bottle of ginger beer here for you. 680 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:32,760 Ooh, my favourite. 681 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:34,720 - It's your favourite, is it? - Yes. 682 00:37:34,720 --> 00:37:39,480 I want you to put the number of teaspoons 683 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:43,480 you think are in this ginger beer into that little pot, please. 684 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:52,960 That's eight teaspoons? 685 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:54,880 - Eight. - That is a lot. 686 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,000 - I know, but... - But it's nowhere near, actually. 687 00:37:58,000 --> 00:37:59,520 You're kidding! 688 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:03,360 HE LAUGHS I have that every week. 689 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:06,720 It's no laughing matter. 690 00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:07,760 It is! 691 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:11,520 Oh! You're kidding! 692 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:13,080 I'm not kidding. 693 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:16,960 - 20 teaspoons in that bottle. - Ugghhhh! 694 00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,080 Don't pass out on me, please. 695 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:20,920 Fantastic! 696 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:23,280 That's not fantastic! 697 00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:26,640 'And that's not all. 698 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,200 'This 1.5 litre bottle of strawberry-flavoured water 699 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:34,040 'contains 18 teaspoons of sugar. 700 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:40,640 'This 750ml bottle of elderflower sparking water, 13 teaspoons. 701 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:46,600 'And this half-litre bottle of sports drink, 15 teaspoons of sugar. 702 00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:50,320 'Most orange juice doesn't have any added sugar 703 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:54,400 'but it still counts towards your daily allowance. 704 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:57,120 'When you juice a fruit you're getting most of the sugar 705 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,360 'without much of the fibre or bulk. 706 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:02,920 'So a glass of juice can be packed with far more sugar 707 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:04,640 'than you might think. 708 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,040 'But how aware of we are this?' 709 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:12,760 I would like you to ladle into my little bowl there 710 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:16,800 the number of teaspoons of sugar you think might be in this drink. 711 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:18,240 OK. 712 00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,640 Well, definitely this one. 713 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,160 I want to say it's healthy because it's juice 714 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:24,920 but I know there is sugar in juice. 715 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:29,520 Two teaspoons of sugar. 716 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:33,560 Four, four and a half, five? 717 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,280 OK, two. 718 00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:38,000 I can tell you it is... 719 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,520 Oh! 720 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:44,000 - No! - I'm afraid so. 721 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,760 Come on! 722 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:48,360 Oh, dear! oh, dear! 723 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:50,920 There's about... 724 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:53,880 just over eight teaspoons in there. 725 00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:55,800 Gosh, that's an awful lot. 726 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,120 Unbelievable. 727 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,320 - Would you pick that up now, do you think? - No chance! 728 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:05,960 'But when it comes to sugar, what is the difference between 729 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,040 'eating oranges and drinking orange juice? 730 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,560 'Well, it has a lot to do with the amount of sugar you can consume 731 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,000 'in a very short time. 732 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,520 'I'm back to meet Marty to find out more.' 733 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:22,280 Meggy, in front of you you have a litre of orange juice, which is 734 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:26,520 made from 12 oranges, and in front of you, Kanika, we have 12 oranges. 735 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,560 And what we want you to do is we want you to eat or drink 736 00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:33,960 what is in front of you, as much as you can... It's not a race. 737 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:36,440 We just want you to eat or drink 738 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:39,600 until you feel... you've had enough. OK? 739 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,000 - Are you ready? - Yes. - Away you go. 740 00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:48,400 - You do like oranges? - I do, yes. 741 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:03,160 - I can't do any more, actually. - You're done? - You're full, yeah? 742 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:06,800 - And Meggy's still going. - Meggy's still going. 743 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:11,400 So, Meggy, you have drunk three- quarters of a litre of orange juice. 744 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:13,520 And Kanika, you've had... 745 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,040 - One and a half. - One and a half oranges. 746 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:18,320 So what does that mean? 747 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:20,560 What does that actually mean? 748 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:25,960 Well, Meggy, you have just drunk approximately 18 teaspoons of sugar. 749 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,480 - Wow. OK. - OK? 750 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:30,640 Whereas you have had three, 751 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:34,600 maybe three and a half, teaspoons of sugar in that. 752 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,040 And the reason that you've managed to eat less 753 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,560 is because the orange is full of fibre as well, 754 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:43,320 it is chock full of fibre and it's got two things it does. 755 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:45,320 First of all it keeps you satisfied, 756 00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:48,520 it fills you up much more than the orange juice does. 757 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:52,800 The thing is, you can't eat as much oranges as you can orange juice. 758 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:56,040 - I mean, you couldn't eat 12 oranges in a day. - No. 759 00:41:56,040 --> 00:41:59,360 And the second thing it does is it actually makes the sugar that 760 00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:03,480 you have eaten release very slowly into your blood. 761 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:08,320 OK, so there are benefits. Despite the fact that fruit has sugar in it 762 00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:10,400 there are benefits to eating fruit. 763 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:14,360 Definitely. Fruit is full of fibre, vitamins, it's great for you. 764 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:18,040 Fruit juice on the other hand, in moderation it's good for you, 765 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:20,440 but just be aware of the sugar that's in it. 766 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:24,480 'So, without realising it, not only has Meggy managed to drink 767 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:28,200 'five times the sugar that Kanika has eaten, 768 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:32,440 'it will get into her blood stream super-fast, causing a sugar rush. 769 00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:43,160 'The Copper Box Arena in London's Olympic Park. 770 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:47,480 'Two netball teams are helping us with a fascinating experiment which 771 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:49,760 'gets to the very heart of the truth 772 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:52,320 'about sugary drinks - their effect on appetite. 773 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:58,440 'Some drinks can have as many calories in them as a meal. 774 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:00,720 'But will these liquid sugar calories 775 00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:02,760 'fill you up like eating food will? 776 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:09,000 'Dr Jason Gill from the University of Glasgow Medical School 777 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,000 'is going to help me find out.' 778 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:14,560 So what's the experiment about, Jason? 779 00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:17,240 OK, the experiment today is all about sugar in drinks. 780 00:43:17,240 --> 00:43:21,280 We have two netball teams here. We're going to give one of them a drink with sugar after the game 781 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:24,560 and give the other group a sugar-free version of the same drink. 782 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:28,840 And then we're going to give them an all-you-can-eat buffet and see how much they choose to eat at that. 783 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:32,520 OK, I would guess that the team that's given the drink 784 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:35,520 with sugar in would therefore eat less food. 785 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:38,920 That's what you'd think. We'll see whether that is actually the case. 786 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:41,760 Do they eat fewer calories because they've already consumed 787 00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:43,880 - some calories in their drink beforehand? - OK. 788 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:48,720 So we've got the red ones for the red team 789 00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:51,680 and the blue ones for the blue team, and all I want you to do 790 00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:55,520 is take a bottle and drink all of it before you leave the court. 791 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:57,520 So, if you'd like to help yourself. 792 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:05,360 'What the red team doesn't know is that they're guzzling sugary 793 00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:08,920 'blackcurrant squash, which is packed full of calories. 794 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:13,520 'The blue team, equally unknowing, are drinking no calories at all. 795 00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:17,360 'But will the red team, consuming all those extra calories 796 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:20,400 'through drink, eat less than the team that has had zero? 797 00:44:26,120 --> 00:44:30,080 'When the girls have had their fill they're asked to leave the room. 798 00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:35,920 'And while they're out we carefully weigh everything left on the table 799 00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:40,160 'to calculate the amount of calories each team has consumed. 800 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,360 'They're in for a shock.' 801 00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:46,600 We gave you these two drinks beforehand 802 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:50,200 but you didn't know that this drink had sugar in it 803 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:53,440 and this drink was a sugar-free version of the same drink. 804 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:56,000 LAUGHTER 805 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:58,280 And then we had you at this buffet 806 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:00,800 and we weighed out all the food beforehand and weighed out what 807 00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:04,600 you had at the end and we calculated how many calories you consumed. 808 00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:09,960 And this table consumed 1,000 calories more in total 809 00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:12,560 than this table. LAUGHTER 810 00:45:16,720 --> 00:45:19,360 And that is entirely because of the sugar content in the drink, 811 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:20,840 that's the difference? 812 00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:23,160 Yeah, the difference is the sugar in the drink. 813 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:25,680 So when you drink the sugar in the drink, you consume 814 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,760 the calories easily, but your body doesn't really sense them very well 815 00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:30,320 so they don't make you feel full, 816 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:33,400 so when you go to eat you don't eat any less food because the calories 817 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:36,000 don't make you feel full from the drink you had beforehand. 818 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:38,520 So what does that mean in terms of obesity? 819 00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:41,240 Well, we know that sugar-sweetened drinks are a big determinant 820 00:45:41,240 --> 00:45:43,320 of obesity - the fact that you're drinking 821 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:46,200 lots of these drinks is one of the big things responsible 822 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:49,560 for the fact that we're all getting fatter, particularly children. 823 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:53,640 'People who have lots of sugar 824 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:56,720 'in their diets do tend to put on weight. 825 00:45:56,720 --> 00:45:59,480 'And that's partly because the calories in sugary things, 826 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:03,920 'especially sugary drinks, aren't the best for making you feel full. 827 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:06,560 'So you're more likely to carry on eating 828 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:09,760 'and therefore take on more calories. 829 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:15,680 'Simon used to down up to seven cans of fizzy drink a day 830 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:19,640 'and the calories in them have been a contributing factor to him 831 00:46:19,640 --> 00:46:22,400 'developing fatty liver disease. 832 00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:26,880 'He's been trying to go cold turkey and not drink any fizzy pop 833 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:31,240 'at all, but he appears to be having withdrawal symptoms.' 834 00:46:31,240 --> 00:46:33,320 I have been a bit more tired than usual 835 00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:36,640 but I expect that's probably more likely to do with the fact that 836 00:46:36,640 --> 00:46:42,080 I'm not wired permanently from sugar, which I was, clearly. 837 00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:46,600 I feel a little bit on edge at the minute. 838 00:46:46,600 --> 00:46:48,080 Twitchy, sort of... 839 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:50,560 Yeah. 840 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:54,200 My attention span isn't as.. 841 00:46:55,240 --> 00:46:56,880 ..good... 842 00:46:56,880 --> 00:47:00,240 'And Simon isn't alone with his habit. 843 00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:05,440 'Your average Brit gets through 50 litres of sugary drink in a year. 844 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:08,400 'So I'm back at Leatherhead Food Lab 845 00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:10,880 'to see what that really means 846 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:13,760 'and whether there's an alternative. 847 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:19,320 'This is what 50 litres of water looks like. 848 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:21,960 'And this is the amount of sugar you have to add 849 00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:24,640 'to make it as sweet as your average soft drink - 850 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,960 'nearly 5.5 kilos.' 851 00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:29,600 SHE GASPS 852 00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:31,440 Crikey. 853 00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:37,160 Oh, my goodness me, all that sugar. 854 00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:51,040 - Yeah, that is sweet. - Very sweet. 855 00:47:51,040 --> 00:47:52,480 Hmm. 856 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:55,640 I feel it sticking to my teeth, yes, that is sweet. 857 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:03,640 'We're going to swap that tub of water for another one. 858 00:48:03,640 --> 00:48:07,240 'Now let's try an experiment.' 859 00:48:07,240 --> 00:48:09,960 OK, so we have the same amount of water here 860 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:15,000 and I'm going to put in 10g of this artificial sweetener, 861 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:18,360 Sucralose, so I'll chuck it in and we'll see what it tastes like. 862 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:19,680 Chuck it in. 863 00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:27,760 OK, all of it's in. That's mixing up. 864 00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:31,800 Right, Alice, it's time for us to taste this strange concoction now. 865 00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:33,280 That's yours. 866 00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:37,800 Right. 867 00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:44,800 - Gosh, that's definitely as sweet as the sugar one. - Yeah. 868 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:48,400 And yet all that sugar that went into the other one, 869 00:48:48,400 --> 00:48:51,880 5.4 kilos, and 10 grams of your artificial sweeteners. 870 00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:53,640 10 grams of the Sucralose. 871 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:58,880 That's because it's 500 times sweeter than the sugar that we used. 872 00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:01,600 But the only thing that would make alarm bells ring 873 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:05,200 with a lot of people is it's an artificial sweetener. 874 00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:08,360 Along with artificial sweeteners comes all sorts of stories, 875 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:10,360 links to ill-health... 876 00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:11,880 Well, it is a sweetener, 877 00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:17,360 but all sweeteners are rigorously tested and very tightly regulated. 878 00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:19,680 They are tested and tested and tested 879 00:49:19,680 --> 00:49:23,080 and it takes years to develop a sweetener for use in food. 880 00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:27,200 So we have to be very sure that they are safe to use in food 881 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:29,960 before we'd be allowed to use them. 882 00:49:29,960 --> 00:49:32,680 'Artificial sweeteners undergo meticulous testing 883 00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:35,680 'by scientists, which is then reviewed 884 00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:38,240 'by the European Food Safety Authority 885 00:49:38,240 --> 00:49:40,600 'before they can be used in food and drink. 886 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:44,680 'And leading scientific groups like Cancer Research UK 887 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:48,240 'say there's strong evidence that they are safe for humans. 888 00:49:49,600 --> 00:49:51,520 'Although the debate rages on, 889 00:49:51,520 --> 00:49:54,320 'the science seems to indicate that the 20,000 calories 890 00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:58,240 'consumed by the average Brit in a year from sugary drinks 891 00:49:58,240 --> 00:50:01,040 'are much more likely to cause you health issues 892 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:04,360 'than a tiny amount of replacement sweetener. 893 00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:14,880 'Our four volunteers are reaching the end of their low-sugar diet. 894 00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:18,360 'And they're coming up with their own solutions. 895 00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:23,040 'Former fizzy-drink junkie Simon has been trying out fruit teas 896 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:27,080 'and flavouring water with large chunks of fruit. 897 00:50:29,160 --> 00:50:32,880 'Eventually, through trial and error, he's made the breakthrough.' 898 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:39,200 Lemon, mint - it is really, really refreshing. 899 00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:44,080 It tastes like a sensation compared with normal water. 900 00:50:44,080 --> 00:50:46,800 'Just by cutting out the fizzy drinks 901 00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:49,200 'Simon has dramatically reduced 902 00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:53,440 'his sugar intake and he thinks he can feel the benefits already.' 903 00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,400 When your pants are falling down in public, that's a good sign 904 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:02,320 that you've lost weight, and that has happened. 905 00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:07,160 'Audrey has become the home-cooking queen, preparing everything 906 00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:10,960 'she eats from scratch and using the internet to track down more 907 00:51:10,960 --> 00:51:15,080 'sugar-free fast food, like do-it-yourself hummus.' 908 00:51:15,080 --> 00:51:17,400 Basically, you just open a can of chickpeas, 909 00:51:17,400 --> 00:51:19,880 add a few things to it and put it in a blender. 910 00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:23,200 Totally home-made hummus. 911 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:25,000 And it's absolutely delicious. 912 00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:28,160 - What do you think? - Looking slim. - No sugar. 913 00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:30,120 'Rick is doing well. 914 00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:34,680 'He has completely stopped eating sugary treats during the day 915 00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:38,480 'but is consoling himself with a bit more night-time cheer, 916 00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:41,640 'relaxing down the pub over a couple of pints 917 00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:46,000 'and hoping he'll still make the grade.' 918 00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:47,880 Are you eating your rice? 919 00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:51,040 'And self-confessed sugar addict Cara? 920 00:51:51,040 --> 00:51:54,600 'She's cut out the biscuits, the cake and sweets 921 00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:56,600 'through sheer willpower.' 922 00:51:56,600 --> 00:52:00,280 There is going to be things that come up, like Noah's birthday, 923 00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:03,280 when I'm going to have cake and I'm going to have sweet stuff, 924 00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:05,200 but I can deal with those days now, 925 00:52:05,200 --> 00:52:09,600 whereas before it would have been every day rather than just one day. 926 00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:17,280 'After six weeks, our low-sugar experiment is over 927 00:52:17,280 --> 00:52:20,640 'and my volunteers are back at Newcastle University 928 00:52:20,640 --> 00:52:23,720 'for the same series of tests they had at the start. 929 00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:28,760 'Rick has gone from eating 29 teaspoons of sugar a day 930 00:52:28,760 --> 00:52:32,640 'to seven, narrowly missing out on his six-a-day target 931 00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:35,680 'but still well within current guidelines.' 932 00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:37,360 Step on the scale for me. 933 00:52:37,360 --> 00:52:42,400 'Cara, however, is down from 28 teaspoons a day to just three. 934 00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:48,360 'Audrey, from 23 teaspoons to a quarter of a teaspoon. 935 00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:54,640 'And Simon has gone from a massive 39 teaspoons of sugar a day 936 00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:57,200 'to just a quarter of a teaspoon. 937 00:52:59,520 --> 00:53:04,160 'All four were at risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. 938 00:53:07,240 --> 00:53:11,760 'So what has their new low-sugar regime done to their health? 939 00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:19,280 'Cara and Audrey's results are very similar.' 940 00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:22,600 The headline of it all is that you've lost 941 00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:27,120 - just over six kilos in weight, or just over a stone. - Right. 942 00:53:27,120 --> 00:53:30,840 So you've lost about five kilos, which is nearly a stone, 943 00:53:30,840 --> 00:53:32,960 - so well done! - Thank you. 944 00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:36,120 The changes that you have made to your diet by reducing sugar 945 00:53:36,120 --> 00:53:39,960 have substantially reduced your risk of conditions like heart disease 946 00:53:39,960 --> 00:53:43,520 and type-2 diabetes, as well as the wonderful things 947 00:53:43,520 --> 00:53:45,000 it's done for your metabolism. 948 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:49,040 When you first came through we were looking quite a lot at 949 00:53:49,040 --> 00:53:53,440 how your body was processing the sugar, and I'm pleased to be able to 950 00:53:53,440 --> 00:53:56,520 tell you that, from the blood sugar results that we've taken, you've 951 00:53:56,520 --> 00:54:01,440 improved hugely, which is relieving a lot of the stress on your pancreas. 952 00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:05,600 'So Cara and Audrey have dramatically improved their health 953 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:07,840 'by cutting back on sugar. 954 00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:11,880 'Rick, however, despite not eating any Indian sweets, 955 00:54:11,880 --> 00:54:14,320 'hasn't lost any weight at all.' 956 00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:17,320 Rick, you have substantially reduced the amount of sugar 957 00:54:17,320 --> 00:54:21,520 you take in from 29 spoonfuls down to seven, 958 00:54:21,520 --> 00:54:25,680 but at that same time you have increased your alcohol intake 959 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:29,280 and so any benefits that you would have had from reducing your sugar 960 00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:32,240 are taken away because you're taking in more alcohol. 961 00:54:32,240 --> 00:54:34,600 Got it, yeah. 962 00:54:34,600 --> 00:54:38,160 'The volunteer Mike was most concerned about was Simon. 963 00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:42,960 'He was showing signs of potentially fatal fatty liver disease. 964 00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:45,760 'His challenge was the greatest of all.' 965 00:54:47,360 --> 00:54:51,760 You've managed to lose just over six kilos, which is just over a stone. 966 00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:53,560 - Good. - Well done. 967 00:54:53,560 --> 00:54:57,920 Now, I'm pleased to tell you that the markers we had for 968 00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:02,240 - fatty liver disease have gone down by 40 to 70 per cent. - Good. 969 00:55:02,240 --> 00:55:04,400 That's more than good! 970 00:55:04,400 --> 00:55:06,520 Yes, that was the most concerning thing. 971 00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:08,600 And I couldn't be prouder of you. Well done. 972 00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:10,080 Thanks very much. 973 00:55:19,080 --> 00:55:21,160 'It's been a huge challenge. 974 00:55:23,080 --> 00:55:26,600 'But for all four of our volunteers 975 00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:31,120 'it's just the start of a whole new lifestyle.' 976 00:55:31,120 --> 00:55:32,920 I'm really proud of myself 977 00:55:32,920 --> 00:55:36,920 and I'm definitely going to continue with it. 978 00:55:36,920 --> 00:55:40,360 I feel now that I've kind of sickened myself with sweet stuff. 979 00:55:40,360 --> 00:55:42,000 It seems bizarre 980 00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:45,840 but is it worth risking my health for a bar of chocolate? 981 00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:54,960 Yes, you can socialise, be a Sikh, be an Indian, be a Geordie 982 00:55:54,960 --> 00:55:56,960 and cut out the sugar. 983 00:55:56,960 --> 00:55:59,560 You've just got to be a little bit more aware 984 00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:02,800 and not give in to the peer and social pressures that are there, 985 00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:05,120 which is something I really need to do. 986 00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:10,840 Obviously I have a long way to go but, because the first steps are 987 00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:14,480 the most difficult ones, I'm already moving that way so I'll continue. 988 00:56:15,640 --> 00:56:20,520 If you come back in a year's time I'll be half the man I am now. 989 00:56:21,600 --> 00:56:23,880 I've actually gone down two dress sizes. 990 00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:26,760 I don't mind going shopping and buying new clothes. 991 00:56:26,760 --> 00:56:29,200 I have no problem putting them in the charity bag 992 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:31,360 because I'm never going to wear them again 993 00:56:31,360 --> 00:56:33,600 because I'm never going to be like that again. 994 00:56:37,320 --> 00:56:41,120 The truth about sugar is that it can pile on the pounds 995 00:56:41,120 --> 00:56:42,840 frighteningly quickly. 996 00:56:42,840 --> 00:56:46,240 And all that extra weight can lead to a whole host 997 00:56:46,240 --> 00:56:48,760 of very serious health problems. 998 00:56:48,760 --> 00:56:53,680 It isn't the only culprit - too much of most foods will make you fat. 999 00:56:53,680 --> 00:56:57,160 But I think sugar is the thing many of us tend 1000 00:56:57,160 --> 00:57:01,880 to binge on. Your body craves it and it often doesn't fill you up. 1001 00:57:03,440 --> 00:57:06,800 While most things, we know, are OK in moderation, 1002 00:57:06,800 --> 00:57:11,560 with sugar we really do seem to be hard-wired for excess. 1003 00:57:11,560 --> 00:57:17,600 So, sorry, but this time you really can't have your cake and eat it. 1004 00:57:21,680 --> 00:57:24,880 'Next time, the surprising truth about calories. 1005 00:57:24,880 --> 00:57:29,360 'We'll reveal why the numbers on the packet are often wrong. 1006 00:57:29,360 --> 00:57:31,920 'And how you can cut calories 1007 00:57:31,920 --> 00:57:35,880 'without cutting out your favourite treats.' 1008 00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:40,640 1009 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:49,840 1010 00:57:49,840 --> 00:57:55,800