Brown sugar beverages are hottest new fad at coffee shops in S. Korea
- 5 years ago
There has been a "brown sugar" rush here in Korea,... with nearly every cafe offering coffees and teas infused with brown sugar.
But is this okay for our health?
Oh Soo-young has this story.
The flavor of the season is brown sugar.
Since earlier this summer,... coffee and beverages infused with brown or black sugar have been popping up in cafes across the country,... even inspiring brown sugar-flavored breads and snacks in convenience stores.
But the brown sugar rush has experts worried that the trend is causing people to consume too much of the substance.
A medium iced brown sugar beverage of 400 to 480 millilitres contains between thirty to 59 grams of sugar,... compared to around 25 grams in a cup of caffe mocha.
The World Health Organisation says that our consumption of added sugar shouldn't go over five to ten percent of our daily calorie intake.
That amounts to six to 12 teaspoons.
According to health authorities,... those who consume more than the recommended sugar intake have a more than 40 percent higher chance of developing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and fat around your middle.
"When we chew and digest carbohydrates, they are broken down and absorbed slowly as glucose, our bodies' main source of energy. But sugar, and brown sugar which is very trendy right now, is absorbed quickly without the digestive process as they're made up of monosaccharides and disaccharides. So they can raise blood sugar levels very quickly and spark various addiction symptoms or ill effects. Sugar is also low in nutrients but high in calories."
With the brown sugar trend spilling over to snacks and other confectionary,... experts say the public should keep their sugar intake under check,... especially as the past four years have seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in the number of young people developing diabetes,... twice as high as the rate of increase seen in forty to fifty year olds.
To curb the cravings,... experts say there's no other way but to cut down on snacking and flavoured drinks,... and save sweet treats for a special day.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
But is this okay for our health?
Oh Soo-young has this story.
The flavor of the season is brown sugar.
Since earlier this summer,... coffee and beverages infused with brown or black sugar have been popping up in cafes across the country,... even inspiring brown sugar-flavored breads and snacks in convenience stores.
But the brown sugar rush has experts worried that the trend is causing people to consume too much of the substance.
A medium iced brown sugar beverage of 400 to 480 millilitres contains between thirty to 59 grams of sugar,... compared to around 25 grams in a cup of caffe mocha.
The World Health Organisation says that our consumption of added sugar shouldn't go over five to ten percent of our daily calorie intake.
That amounts to six to 12 teaspoons.
According to health authorities,... those who consume more than the recommended sugar intake have a more than 40 percent higher chance of developing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and fat around your middle.
"When we chew and digest carbohydrates, they are broken down and absorbed slowly as glucose, our bodies' main source of energy. But sugar, and brown sugar which is very trendy right now, is absorbed quickly without the digestive process as they're made up of monosaccharides and disaccharides. So they can raise blood sugar levels very quickly and spark various addiction symptoms or ill effects. Sugar is also low in nutrients but high in calories."
With the brown sugar trend spilling over to snacks and other confectionary,... experts say the public should keep their sugar intake under check,... especially as the past four years have seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in the number of young people developing diabetes,... twice as high as the rate of increase seen in forty to fifty year olds.
To curb the cravings,... experts say there's no other way but to cut down on snacking and flavoured drinks,... and save sweet treats for a special day.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.