LoGiCane

Published by: The Canberra Times

Sugar is generally not good for you, but an Australian innovation means it is about to become not so bad.

The world's first ''low-GI'' sugar will be launched today, and a nutritionist says it is healthier than white sugar. Professor Jennie Brand-Miller from the University of Sydney said, ''We're not trying to say eat more sugar. But a replacement of current sugar intake by this one would sound like a good idea.''

Manufactured by CSR and marketed under the LoGiCane logo, the new formulation of sugar was developed with the aid of $5.4million in grants from the Australian and Queensland governments.

Independent tests have put the sugar's glycaemic index at 50, compared with a GI average of 65 for white sugar. The glycaemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates in food using a 100-point scale according to its differing effect on blood glucose levels.

Foods with a high GI like white bread, potatoes and jelly beans are converted to glucose quickly by the body, and Professor Brand-Miller said those spikes in blood glucose levels could damage vital tissues and organs over time.

Low-GI foods such as rolled oats, apples and yoghurt are converted much more slowly and have been shown to reduce glucose levels in people with diabetes while aiding in efforts to keep a healthy weight.

''There's a lot of evidence in the medical literature, which is mounting and mounting, to that effect,'' Professor Brand-Miller said.

''A low-GI diet can help the average person avoid some of the chronic diseases which affect us in increasing amounts Type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.''

The refining process of low-GI sugar was also changed to ensure it retained the micro-nutrients antioxidants, potassium, calcium, magnesium and more present in the original sugar cane.

AAP