Did you know artificial sweeteners are used to make cows fatter?
Ironic, considering humans tend to consume them in an attempt to stay slim.
In fact, there are now plenty of studies to show that people who consume artificial sweeteners are more likely to gain weight over time than those who don’t.
And weight gain is not the only problem with artificial sweeteners. In today’s post I’ll explain some of the science behind why I always try to help my nutritional therapy clients stop using them.
Artificial sweeteners hurt our microbes.
If you’ve been subscribed to One Minute For Your Health for a while you will know that the bacteria in our gut matter.
They help our immune system function correctly, protect us from allergies, infections and inflammation, digest and produce vital nutrients for us and they can cause or prevent weight gain. They also affect our cravings, our energy levels and our mood.
Foods that support the growth of bacteria that help us are therefore beneficial. Whilst foods that support the growth of bacteria that make us tired, inflamed, moody and gain weight are not beneficial.
Research shows that artificial sweeteners can affect our gut microbes in ways that:
Reduce glucose tolerance (meaning we have worse blood sugar regulation)
Increase inflammation
Increase likelihood of weight gain
Increase the risk of metabolic disease
Artificial sweeteners contribute to bingeing.
Most people use artificial sweeteners as an alternative to sugar sweetened foods and drinks.
This occurs in an attempt to curb sugar cravings and eat less.
Unfortunately, sweeteners (which are much sweeter than sugar by the way), indicate to the brain that a calorie rich meal is on its way. When no calories arrive (because calorie sweetened drinks are usually zero calorie) the brain gets confused and the activated digestive tract begins to send hunger signals.
As a result, it becomes harder to resist those initial sugar cravings or hunger pangs.
So if you want something sweet choose something nourishing that contains proteins, fibre and whole food fats instead of that tempting Coke Zero.
Dried date with peanut butter and dark chocolate anyone?
Artificial sweeteners may be linked with disease.
More scary, but also less conclusive, research than the stuff I’ve already mentioned, shows that artificial sweeteners may be linked with increased risk of diseases like cancer, dementia and brain tumours.
Most of this research was carried out on animals - but it does make me nervous.
Artificial sweeteners are ‘environmental contaminants’.
Emerging research is showing that because artificial sweeteners can’t be properly broken down by our bodies - they persist after we pee them out and can be found as contaminants in tap water, rivers and seas.
Research on this is relatively new and it’s unclear what the implications of this are. I would however like to have the choice of whether or not I use artificial sweeteners.
So the less people use them, the less risk there is of them ending up in our drinking water, the less risk there is of all of our microbes turning against us 😉.
In conclusion.
Whilst sweeteners are often used in an attempt to lose weight, research shows they may have just the opposite effect - and could even cause more damage than simple weight gain.
You are better off choosing nutritious foods with a natural sugar content, than low calorie foods that are artificially sweetened.
Do you use artificial sweeteners?
Comment on this post to let me know your experience with and opinions on artificial sweeteners.
Know someone who swears by sweeteners? Share this post with them so they can make informed decisions about their sweetening choices.
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Links and References:
Suez, J., Korem, T., Zeevi, D., Zilberman-Schapira, G., Thaiss, C.A., Maza, O., Israeli, D., Zmora, N., Gilad, S., Weinberger, A., Kuperman, Y., Harmelin, A., Kolodkin-Gal, I., Shapiro, H., Halpern, Z., Segal, E. and Elinav, E. (2014). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature, [online] 514(7521), pp.181–186. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793?tdc_uid=921043 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2020].
Gut Microbes. (2015). Non-caloric artificial sweeteners and the microbiome: findings and challenges. [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2015.1017700 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2020].
Nettleton, J.E., Reimer, R.A. and Shearer, J. (2016). Reshaping the gut microbiota: Impact of low calorie sweeteners and the link to insulin resistance? Physiology & Behavior, [online] 164, pp.488–493. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938416301640 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2020].
Bian, X., Chi, L., Gao, B., Tu, P., Ru, H. and Lu, K. (2017). Gut Microbiome Response to Sucralose and Its Potential Role in Inducing Liver Inflammation in Mice. Frontiers in Physiology, [online] 8. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00487/full [Accessed 30 Nov. 2020].
Tandel, K. (2011). Sugar substitutes: Health controversy over perceived benefits. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, [online] 2(4), p.236. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/ [Accessed 30 Nov. 2020].
Praveena, S.M., Cheema, M.S. and Guo, H.-R. (2019). Non-nutritive artificial sweeteners as an emerging contaminant in environment: A global review and risks perspectives. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, [online] 170, pp.699–707. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0147651318313368 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2020].
Book Recommendation: The Clever Guts Diet: How to revolutionise your body from the inside out. Dr Micheal Mosley.
Read more about me at www.efiaskitchen.com
Picture taken in Sjælland on our July bicycle trip around the island - when a herd of baby cows chased us onto the beach.