By offering the taste of sweetness without any calories, artificial sweeteners seem like they could be one answer to effective weight loss. The average 12-ounce can of sugar-sweetened soda delivers about 150 calories, almost all of them from sugar. The same amount of diet soda—zero calories. The choice seems like a no-brainer.
The American Heart Association (AHA) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) have given a cautious nod to the use of artificial sweeteners in place of sugar to combat obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, all risk factors for heart disease.
The FDA has approved five artificial sweeteners: saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame, and sucralose. It has also approved one natural low-calorie sweetener, stevia. One concern is that people who use artificial sweeteners may replace the lost calories through other sources. This can happen because we like to fool ourselves: “I’m drinking diet soda so it’s okay to have cake.”
It’s also possible that these products change the way we taste food. “Non-nutritive sweeteners are far more potent than table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. A miniscule amount produces a sweet taste comparable to that of sugar without comparable calories. Overstimulation of sugar receptors from frequent use of these hyper-intense sweeteners may limit tolerance for more complex tastes.
That means people who routinely use artificial sweeteners may start to find less intensely sweet foods such as fruit less appealing. The use of artificial sweeteners can make you shun healthy, filling, and highly nutritious foods (like vegetables) while consuming more artificially flavored foods with less nutritional value. Like any other topic in the world, you will find artificial sweeteners have its myths. Below are the more popular ones:
1. ARTIFICIAL
SWEETENERS ARE SAFE Just because,
there’s no cancer connection doesn’t mean they’re safe. When diet soda is
warehoused, it may not be refrigerated. Under warm conditions, aspartame
decomposes and formaldehyde forms. If you’re drinking canned soda, the cans may
be lined with Bisphenol (BPA), which has been known to mimic the hormone
estrogen and interfere with nervous and reproductive system development.
To avoid BPA, buy your soda in a bottle. Look for
the number 1 or 2 on the bottom of the bottle to be sure you’re not consuming
BPA. Please note that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises that small
amounts of formaldehyde and BPA can be consumed without harming your health.
2.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
CAUSE CANCER
Research
doesn’t show that artificial sweeteners cause cancer; it’s a misconception
people have because it’s a chemical. You should know that some people can be
very sensitive to artificial sugars. Aspartame and sucralose have been known to
trigger migraines and aggravate Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
3.
Diet sodas are better for ME than regular ones You can save about 100 calories per serving and reduce your sugar intake by picking diet versions, but they offer no nutritional
value. Habitual diet soda drinkers have more widespread activity in the reward
processing regions of the brain when they consume other sweet foods and drinks
than those who don’t regularly opt for these beverages.
That means they’re more likely to overindulge in treats when
they have them, which can pose a threat to maintaining a healthy weight.
Try giving up chemical-filled diet beverages of all kinds for healthier
options, like natural fruit-flavored seltzers, antioxidant-rich teas or water,
which can bring your body far better hydration
and other benefits.
You may have heard about a study showing that diet soda
helps people lose weight better than water. Keep in mind: that research was
funded by the American Beverage Association.
Drinking
diet soda may actually cause weight gain.
While this is still being researched, some believe that diet soda causes
your brain to crave calories, leaving you eating more instead of less. There
can also be a “halo effect.” Many people think that drinking diet soda leaves
room to eat more. The calories you save by drinking diet soda don’t
counter-balance a high-calorie meal.
4.
If cookies are made with artificial sweeteners, I can eat more of
them It’s important to remember that
sugar is only one caloric component of baked goods. Flour, oils, nuts and other ingredients can add up, too.
When sugar is removed, fat is often added to improve the final product’s
taste. If you’re eating more than you would if the cookies contained sugar
that’s a bad thing.
Some packaged cookie manufacturers also use sorbitol to
sweeten sugar-free cookies; consuming too much of this natural sugar alcohol
(found in blackberries, nectarines, apples and other fruits) can cause gas,
cramps, or other digestive distress.
5.
My body can effectively get rid of the chemicals in sweeteners Your body’s amazing detox capabilities have their limits. Artificial sweeteners introduce yet
another load of chemicals that your liver has to detoxify. This can burden your
system, particularly if you consume sweeteners regularly. Interestingly,
saccharin ends up in your bladder in the same form, since your body doesn’t
have a detox pathway for it. And the constituents of aspartame pass into
the brain because they also naturally occur in food, but the concentration in
sweeteners is many times higher.
6.
Non-caloric sweeteners derived from stevia are the best choices This is an important one to understand. Stevia is an herb
harvested from the leaf or root of the yerba dulce shrub, which grows in South
America and Southeast Asia. Raw stevia is not the same as stevia-based products.
These are often bleached, and include fillers and a highly
altered version of stevia (so much so that these options aren’t the same as the
natural form at the molecular level). The closest you can come to natural, pure stevia is the healthiest
option. Look for a version with the fewest ingredients possible. It works
well in warm liquids and baking. You may find finely ground versions best for
dissolving in cold drinks.
“Artificial sweeteners may trigger cravings
for other sweet foods. When your body is not fed nutrients, it asks again and
again for more food, triggering heavy-duty cravings for fattening, sugary
foods. Artificial sweeteners also mess with your metabolism. “(Suzanne
Somers) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
3 Myths about Artificial Sweeteners” by
Virtua
·
“4 Myths About Artificial
Sweeteners” by CanyonRanch
·
“Artificial sweeteners: sugar-free, but at what cost?” by Holly Strawbridge
This topic was suggested
by my wife.
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