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Artificial Sweeteners- An FYI
Health | December 13, 2019
Most of you reading this are aware of the side effects of sugar, from cravings to overeating (amongst many other things). And you may think you’re avoiding them by going for the “alternatives” that marketers claim to be completely different. Newsflash: they’re not. In fact, in some cases, they’re even worse. Here are the top side effects that come from artificial sweeteners that you need to know. If only the truth were so sweet.
Artificial Sweeteners 101
What are artificial sweeteners, anyway? They’re a type of synthetic (aka, imitation) sugar that’s meant to copy the sweetness of sugar but without the calories and carbs. The FDA currently has approved five types of artificial sweeteners:
- Acesulfame (potassium): Used for cooking and baking. 200 times sweeter than table sugar. Found in brands like Sunnet and Sweet One.
- Aspartame: Also 200 times sweeter than sugar. Brands include NutraSweet, Equal, and Sugar Twin. Found in many foods, from sports drinks to diet soda, gum, low-calorie fruit juice, yogurt, and sugar-free candy and dessert.
- Neotame: Up to 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar! Also used for baking and cooking and found under the brand Newtame.
- Saccharin: Includes Sweet’N Low, Sweet Twin, Necta Sweet. 700 times sweeter than table sugar.
- Sucralose: Commonly known as Splenda. Can be used in everything from cooking, baking, and smoothies — 600 times sweeter than table sugar.
These five are also referred to as “nonnutritive sweeteners” because they have no nutritional value; they’re just a tiny bit of carbs, calories, and sweetness, nothing more. And the reason why they taste so sweet is because of our taste receptors. The moment these sweeteners come into contact with them, a signal is sent to the brain telling us that, “Hey, get a load of this stuff! It’s very sweet!” However, unlike natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup, artificial sweeteners lack the molecular structure to be broken down into calories. This is why many of them are marketed as either “low” or “zero” calorie foods. [1] [2] [3]
A few honorable mentions to other sweeteners include Advantame and Aspartame-acesulfame salt. Other artificial sweeteners that are now banned (at least in the US) include Cyclamate and Neohesperidin. [4]
Gut Health
It’s all about the gut! Your microbiome- the home of trillions of bacteria that work day and night to keep you healthy– can quickly fall apart if you’re consuming a ton of artificial sweeteners. Remember what I said about artificial sweeteners being zero-calorie because they lack the structure to be broken down? Well, that’s not the full story. Just because we cannot digest them doesn’t mean our bacteria can’t. While this area of research is still growing, some studies suggest that artificial sweeteners are capable of disrupting our microbiome.
One a small study on humans showed that the artificial sweetener saccharin caused enough disturbance in the gut to affect blood sugar control. And it took only five days to happen. But the story gets interesting. The scientists decided to transfer the bacteria from the participants into mice. Guess what happened? The mice also had poor blood sugar control! While this is just a small study, it opens the door to more research into the impact of artificial sweeteners on the gut. [5]
That being said, there’s just one more study I want to bring up. This one has to do with irritable bowel disease (IBD), specifically Crohn’s disease. According to recent research, sucralose (aka, Splenda), worsens symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Mice with this disease that drank Splenda-spiked water had increased intestinal permeability (or leaky gut), which paved the way for them to be infected by a pathogenic bacteria known as E. Coli. (Remember the romaine lettuce recall? You have E. Coli to thank for that.) According to the study, “This suggests that other dietary habits or additives may lead to similar microbiota alterations. For instance, diet emulsifiers (or food additives) alter the microbiome and increase colitis in mice. Other scenarios could put Crohn’s disease patients at risk of having exaggerated inflammation as well.” [6]
To be fair, in both of these studies, a “comparison” group of healthy, non-diseased patients or mice were used. Both groups that were either “adapted” to consuming artificial sweeteners or had no inflammation or dysbiosis (gut imbalances) did not experience any side effects. However, not many people have healthy guts these days, making them vulnerable to future damage.
Overeating
Even though I recommend avoiding artificial sweeteners, I cannot argue against the research. Contrary to popular belief, artificial sweeteners do not directly cause weight gain. What they can do is indirectly lead to it. Because of the intensity of their sweetness (combined with their zero-calorie value), people think they can get away with overeating once their cravings for sweetness go up. Think about it. Artificial sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar. In the right amount, they’ll inspire you to seek out more sources of sweetness. Like with alcohol, your body starts to grow a “tolerance” to sweetness. To get the same kick, you’ll want to have more. And that’s where things quickly go downhill! So, no, artificial sweeteners aren’t going to make you gain weight overnight. They’ll encourage the habit of seeking out more foods that, in excess, lead to overeating, more calories, and, yes, weight gain. [1] [7] [8]
Yay or Nay?
What else is there to say about artificial sweeteners? Aside from a few possible side effects like headaches and upset stomach, artificial sweeteners are, for the most part, safe. The reason why many experts and I avoid them is because of the foods they’re put in. Processed foods like diet products and desserts all contain tons of carbs, sodium, trans fats, and preservatives. These are what contribute to inflammation, weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and gut problems down the line. So, while artificial sweeteners are not the devil, I’d rather you stick to real, whole foods. And if you do want to get your sweet on, go for these natural substitutes.
Let me know what you think, though. Do you enjoy artificial sweeteners? Or is there a reason why you don’t have them?
Sources:
[1] https://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/article.htm
[2] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2006.tb00081.x/abstract
[3] https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states
[4] https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e214/45ce2ab73c6ce6e1753bc3fdadcc0042c1f8.pdf
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25231862
[6] https://casemed.case.edu/cwrumed360/news-releases/release.cfm?news_id=1101&news_category=8
[7] https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/how-fake-sugar-can-lead-overeating
[8] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
Private Member |
We tend to put away whatever comes with sugars or substitutes. I’d rather have a tsp of real and raw honey if needed than any more chemicals in my system if I can avoid it
That said, I do occasionally, ie when on holiday or Xmas time, eat restaurant foods and obviously although they let you know some ingredients, you never know what is in it, also with Xmas food, I do have one or two Xmas cakes, or my mom’s best sour cabbage and mushroomyeast rolls yum yum or on holiday a cone with jam and clotted cream, but then again…. It happens all in all perhaps 15 days in a year, the rest 350 days those are totally avoided from my diet
However, why I say this is, that even during those celebration times i tend to watch how much yummies I eat, because ifi let myself indulge in those for more than two days in a row- addiction kickis in! Well yes, that’s how fast I get addicted…. So two days in a row fine, third day holiday or Xmas whatevers there I’m done
Ittook me some time to figure out that I have such addictive personality ( i successfully turned that to addiction toworkoits)
I wonder if anyone else has noticed that about themselves??
Btw whenever I feel the urge to eat at night, I honestly go and put on zuzkas workout, any of them, I don’t even do it, I just watch and even a minute into looking at her reminds me how great I feel when I workout, how much effort I put into staying healthy and fit and how much I want my body to look a little bit like zuzkas
It helps me everytime! The cravings for a snack or two are gone in a minute, I wouldn’t even reach for a cucumber then, just wait until morning breakfast 🤷😍😍🤗
Private Member |
ft. lauderdale, fl, usa
Love your solution to late night cravings! I’ll start applying your technique when I’m craving sweets!
Private Member |
👍👍haha let me know if it works for you as well as for me😁
Private Member |
st. peter, minnesota, usa
Aspartame causes my oral tissues to break out with a bunch of little canker sores. It turned out that a yogurt I was eating at lunch in college contained it. Because of that, I have been avoiding artificial sweeteners and reading labels for the last ~25 years.
Private Member |
Interesting post. Is there any way to determine if you have “adapted” to consuming artificial sweeteners? Or, if you can counter their side effects with healthy eating? For example, drink Diet Coke – eat apple, natural nut butter, and flaxseeds. ha!