Premium from the FT – Beware sugar substitutes: we truly don’t even know what we don’t know

When it comes to health, mankind often gets it badly wrong before eventually stumbling onto the truth. History seems to be repeating itself with sugar substitutes, which have been embraced by Big Food with a fervor reminiscent of '50s movie stars promoting cigarettes and doctors liberally prescribing OxyContin.

The article below from our partners at the Financial Times should give pause to anyone who believes that "sugar-free" is a healthier option. Perhaps the real issue is the one eloquently articulated by Bill Bryson in his book "The Body: A Guide for Occupants." Simply put, there is much about our bodies that science still doesn't understand, including what is definitively good or bad for them.

I feel similarly about many individuals to whom our nation bestows significant responsibility. Take, for example, the now-departed Transnet CEO Portia Derby, a hopelessly unqualified ANC cadre. Critics like DA shadow minister Ghaleb Cachalia argue that she was "single-handedly responsible for the collapse of South Africa's export sector and for depriving the treasury of much-needed export receipts."

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