European markets almost exclusively relied on Caribbean sugar produced by slave labor until abolitionist campaigns began around 1800. Thereafter, importing Asian sugar and transferring plantation ...production to Asia became a serious option for the Western world. In this book, Ulbe Bosma details how the British and Dutch introduced the sugar plantation model in Asia and refashioned it over time. Although initial attempts by British planters in India failed, the Dutch colonial administration was far more successful in Java, where it introduced in 1830 a system of forced cultivation that tied local peasant production to industrial manufacturing. A century later, India adopted the Java model in combination with farmers' cooperatives rather than employing coercive measures. Cooperatives did not prevent industrial sugar production from exploiting small farmers and cane cutters, however, and Bosma finds that much of modern sugar production in Asia resembles the abuses of labor by the old plantation systems of the Caribbean.
Background: Added sugar and fructose intake during childhood are related to the early development of adverse health outcomes including overweight or obesity and related metabolic diseases, in ...addition to diminished cognitive development and performance. Consumption of added sugars by children <2 years of age is not recommended and is set at <25 grams per day for children >2 years. Data are lacking with reported added sugar and fructose intake throughout infancy and childhood. Methods: Added sugar and fructose intakes were collected from 24hour diet recalls of children (n varied with age from 101 to 208) born to mothers who participated in the KUDOS study, a randomized control trial that evaluated the effect of prenatal DHA supplementation on offspring cognitive outcomes. Dietary data were reported from 6 weeks to 468 weeks (9 years) of age and descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: Added sugar and fructose intakes increased throughout infancy and childhood. There was a gradual increase in added sugar intake during the first year of life, starting at 31.5 ± 29.0 grams/ day at 6 weeks and reaching 46.0 ± 31.4 grams/day at 43 weeks. Added sugar intake continued to increase over childhood, reaching up to 83.0 ± 52.9 grams/day by 468 weeks. Fructose intake sharply increased from 0.04 ± 0.4 grams/day at 6 weeks to 17.4 ± 13.2 grams/day at 78 weeks. Intake then gradually increased over childhood, reaching up to 22.4 ± 13.7 grams/day by 468 weeks. Averaged across time, added sugar and fructose intakes were 52.5 ± 37.9 and 15.3 ± 13.1 grams/day, respectively. Conclusions: Added sugar intake exceeded recommendations. Literature suggests added sugar consumption stems from baby foods, sweet snacks and bakery items (e.g., candy, dessert items), and fruit drinks; and fructose from fruits, fruit juices, sugar-sweetened beverages, and certain grains. Guidelines for early fructose intake may be warranted.
This Special Issue covers an important topic that has relevance not only from a scientific point of view but also from nutritional, policy, and industrial perspectives. We are currently being ...subjected to increasing obesogenic pressures, with sugars being hidden in many foods, creating the perfect environment for the slow but consistent progression of metabolic dysfunction. The consumption and impact of dietary sugars on the gastrointestinal system is discussed, together with the dietary sources of naturally occurring and added sugars, as well as the role of different diets and dietary regimens in preventing post-prandial sugar increases and hyperinsulinemia. The intestinal metabolism of dietary sugars, including the formation and absorption of advanced glycation end products and their impact on gut microbiota, is also considered. In terms of the impact of dietary sugars on other metabolic processes, the increased and sustained consumption of sugars causes long-term alterations in beta-cell function and the hypothalamic pathways controlling energy balance and the development of addictive behaviors, inducing mitochondrial impairment, oxidative stress, and the modulation of inflammatory pathways. Seeking to advance the development of prevention strategies to avoid the negative impact of dietary sugars, we outline the role of exercise in reducing blood markers of glucose dysmetabolism and the importance of preventing excessive sugar consumption in critical phases of development owing to its long-term consequences. Additionally, we discuss pathophysiological processes and mechanisms of disease.
Currently, there is considerable emphasis on the relationship between dietary sugar consumption and various health outcomes, with some countries and regions implementing national sugar reduction ...campaigns. This has resulted in significant efforts to quantify dietary sugar intakes, to agree on terms to describe dietary sugars and to establish associated recommendations. However, this information is infrequently collated on a global basis and in a regularised manner. The present review provides context regarding sugar definitions and recommendations. It provides a global review of the available data regarding dietary sugar intake, considering forms such as total, free and added sugars. A comprehensive breakdown of intakes is provided by age group, country and sugar form. This analysis shows that free sugar intakes as a percentage of total energy (%E) are the highest for children and adolescents (12–14%E) and the lowest for older adults (8%E). This trend across lifecycle stages has also been observed for added sugars. The available data also suggest that, while some reductions in sugar intake are observed in a few individual studies, overall intakes of free/added sugars remain above recommendations. However, any wider conclusions are hampered by a lack of detailed high-quality data on sugar intake, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, there is a need for harmonisation of terms describing sugars (ideally driven by public health objectives) and for collaborative efforts to ensure that the most up-to-date food composition data are used to underpin recommendations and any estimates of intake or modelling scenarios.
Clostridium difficile disease has recently increased to become a dominant nosocomial pathogen in North America and Europe, although little is known about what has driven this emergence. Here we show ...that two epidemic ribotypes (RT027 and RT078) have acquired unique mechanisms to metabolize low concentrations of the disaccharide trehalose. RT027 strains contain a single point mutation in the trehalose repressor that increases the sensitivity of this ribotype to trehalose by more than 500-fold. Furthermore, dietary trehalose increases the virulence of a RT027 strain in a mouse model of infection. RT078 strains acquired a cluster of four genes involved in trehalose metabolism, including a PTS permease that is both necessary and sufficient for growth on low concentrations of trehalose. We propose that the implementation of trehalose as a food additive into the human diet, shortly before the emergence of these two epidemic lineages, helped select for their emergence and contributed to hypervirulence.
ObjectiveSugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are associated with hyperuricaemia and gout. Whether other important food sources of fructose-containing sugars share this association is unclear.DesignTo ...assess the relation of important food sources of fructose-containing sugars with incident gout and hyperuricaemia, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library (through 13 September 2017). We included prospective cohort studies that investigated the relationship between food sources of sugar and incident gout or hyperuricaemia. Two independent reviewers extracted relevant data and assessed the risk of bias. We pooled natural-log transformed risk ratios (RRs) using the generic inverse variance method with random effects model and expressed as RR with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The overall certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system.ResultsWe identified three studies (1 54 289 participants, 1761 cases of gout), comparing the highest with the lowest level of exposure for SSBs, fruit juices and fruits. No reports were found reporting incident hyperuricaemia. Fruit juice and SSB intake showed an adverse association (fruit juice: RR=1.77, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.61; SSB: RR=2.08, 95% CI 1.40 to 3.08), when comparing the highest to lowest intake of the most adjusted models. There was no significant association between fruit intake and gout (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.14). The strongest evidence was for the adverse association with SSB intake (moderate certainty), and the weakest evidence was for the adverse association with fruit juice intake (very low certainty) and lack of association with fruit intake (very low certainty).ConclusionThere is an adverse association of SSB and fruit juice intake with incident gout, which does not appear to extend to fruit intake. Further research is needed to improve our estimates.Trial registration number NCT02702375; Results.