Excessive calories from sugar can contribute to weight
problems, and sugar is also well known for its ability to
promote teeth decay. Too many calories from fat have also
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taken their toll from the public"s health. In 1988, the U.S.
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surgeon general issued a report linking high levels of fat intake
to an increased risk for obesity.
Obesity is a risk factor for high bloody pressure, stroke,
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and diabetes. Research has also shown a relationship between
high levels of fat in the diet and cancer. In addition,
scientists have linked some types of fat to high blood cholesterol
levels, which must lead to heart disease. Such reports
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have prompted health experts and nutritionists to recommend
that adults and children over age 2 not only watch
their sugar intake but also to limit their fat intake to a
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maximum of 30% of their complete calories. This has encouraged
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many people to turn to products made with fat and
sugar substitutes. Low-calorie sugar substitutes have been
around for decades, but the recent trend in eating "light" has
created a boom in this branch of food-technology research.
Today, food chemists are seeking for better substitutes by
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modifying existing foods, searching for new compounds
in nature, and concoct entirely new substances. But the
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research process is complicated by our incomplete understanding
of how the human body interacts with the chemicals
we eat.
For example, scientists do not already know exactly
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why some substances taste sweet. Other questions involve
the safe and usefulness of artificial fats and sweeteners.
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