Unmasking the Bittersweet Truth of Hidden Sugars in Foods

Overview

Childhood obesity and diabetes are on the rise in the United States and some of its major contributors are inactive lifestyles and unhealthy diets. There are hidden sugars in common foods that are consumed by children every single day. The body uses glucose from sugars found in food as fuel for brain cells and other important organs in the body. When there is too much glucose in the bloodstream, it can lead to diabetes. This can ultimately lead to other health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage, and vision loss. This experiment looks to determine how much glucose concentrations will spike from hidden sugars found in food products that are consumed daily. The enzyme invertase will be used to demonstrate how sucrose is converted into glucose and fructose, and the amount of glucose that was converted in each of the food products will be measured using glucose test strips. Honey, the mango jam and the 7-Up soda had the highest glucose concentration at baseline. After the addition of the invertase enzyme, the 7-Up and Mountain Dew soda, honey and mango jam had the highest glucose concentration reading of all the food products tested. After calculating the difference in glucose reading before and after the invertase enzyme, the Mountain Dew soda, the orange juice box, the granola bar and the maple syrup had the biggest change in glucose concentration from baseline. It is not surprising that honey and maple syrup have such a tremendous spike in glucose concentration after the addition of the invertase enzyme as they are considered sugar additives, often used to sweeten up food products to be more palatable. A deeper analysis of the contents of each of the food products showed that sucrose is just one of many sources of sugar in food products consumed by children. Sodas commonly use high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener and juice boxes often use juice concentrates as a source of sugar rather than including the word “sugar” on their labels. A single serving of soda can contain as much as 9-11 teaspoons of table sugar. Common lunchbox products such as granola bars contain numerous sources of sugar such as tapioca syrup, dextrose and brown rice syrup on top of its sucrose. Condiments such as mustard and peanut butter that naturally have a low glycemic index, making them safe to eat by diabetics without concern for a spike in blood glucose. However, the spike in glucose concentration after the invertase enzyme shows that these items contain substantial added sugar by the manufacturer to entice a child’s palate. This experiment shows that children in the United States are exposed to a tremendous amount of hidden sugars from their diet on a daily basis, which can lead to obesity and diabetes. This can lead to an adulthood complicated by numerous incurable health problems. The first step in preventing these health complications is education so that both parents and children can make healthier food choices daily.

Awards (1)

• Category Award: HM

Competition history

• CSEF 2023 Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology · Entry J0513

Resources

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