Year-End Cake 'Sugar' Bombing Alert... "Fresh Cream Over Castella"

Cake Sugar Content, Half of the Recommended Daily Intake
Sugar Levels Ranked: Castella, Roll Cake, Chocolate

As the year-end approaches and cake sales increase, special caution is needed as excessive sugar intake can harm health.

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On the 28th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced that the average total sugar content in 100g of cake products is 22.2g, accounting for 44.4% of the recommended daily sugar intake of 50g from processed foods.

The total sugar content per 100g by cake type was ▲Castella (33.7g) ▲Roll cake (24.6g) ▲Chocolate (23.1g) ▲Cheesecake (15.3g) ▲Fresh cream cake (14.5g), in that order.

Total sugar content per 100g by cake item.
[Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]

Excessive sugar intake can seriously harm health. Excessive sugar consumption shrinks the hippocampus, the center of memory, increasing the risk of vascular dementia. Overconsumption of sugar disrupts neurotransmitters that control mood and behavior and triggers neuroinflammatory responses, raising the risk of depression. Depression increases the risk of dementia by 2 to 3 times.

Additionally, excessive sugar intake raises the risk of obesity. Beyond acquired diabetes, it also increases the risk of various cancers. Recently, sugar consumption has increased, especially among children and adolescents, with trends like the 'Tanghulu craze,' leading to a gradual rise in obesity and overweight rates. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate and an important energy source for the body, but excessive sugar intake causes fat accumulation.

Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Service reported that the number of adolescent diabetes patients in 2020 was 9,849, about 2,000 more than in 2019 before COVID-19. Since poor eating habits and lack of physical activity are the top causes of adolescent diabetes, special attention to sugar intake is necessary.

○ Healthy Sweet Potato Cake Recipe Suggested by MFDS to Reduce Sugar (Sugar Down)

- Ingredients: Chestnut sweet potato (65g), yogurt (18g), kiwi (7g), pineapple (7g), Castella (2g), blueberry (5g)
- Wash the sweet potato thoroughly, peel it, and steam it.
- Mash the steamed sweet potato and mix it with yogurt.
- Grind the Castella through a sieve to make powder.
- Cut the kiwi and pineapple into appropriate sizes.
- In a mousse mold, spread the mixture of steamed sweet potato and yogurt evenly, add kiwi, blueberry, and pineapple, then spread yogurt on top and add sweet potato again to level it.
- Sprinkle Castella powder and top with kiwi, blueberry, and pineapple.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.