While fermented beverages are thought to be conducive to digestion and intestinal health, their purported health benefits could be overwhelmed by their excessively high sugar content, according to a study released by the John Tung Foundation yesterday.
The foundation tested 20 lactic acid beverages last month and this month that are frequently linked to promoting a healthy digestive system and smooth bowel movements, of which 16 were found to contain a higher sugar content than carbonated beverages, at an average of 12 grams per 100cc (g/100cc).
“Drinking a whole 471ml bottle of Bifido Yogurt Drink (比菲多活性乳酸菌發酵乳), which contains 12g of added sugar per 100cc, is equivalent to gobbling down 12.6 cubes of sugar,” foundation food and nutrition division director Sheu Hui-yu (許惠玉) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: Wu Liang-i, Taipei Times
Sheu said the sugar in a bottle of Yakult fermented milk equals about three sugar cubes.
However, the results reflected an improvement over a similar survey in 2006, which found the 16 fermented beverages had an average sugar content of about 13.5g/100cc, Sheu said.
“The recommended daily calorie and sugar intake for schoolchildren is 2,000 calories and 25g respectively, which can easily be exceeded by drinking two 100ml bottles of sweetened lactic acid beverages,” Sheu said.
Consumers who have turned to such beverages to help them lose weight or improve health might end up consuming far more sugar and calories than they realize, Sheu added.
Sheu advised people to opt for yogurts and fermented milk products, as they contain higher milk content and viable probiotic bacterial counts.
Makers of lactic acid beverages often add large amounts of sugar to cover the sour taste, nutritionist Cheng Han-yu (程涵宇) said.
“A healthier option to stimulate bowel movement would be sugar-free fermented milk, or fruits, such as pineapples and apples, drizzled with sugar-free yogurt,” Cheng said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
RSS