The Bitter Truth About Artificial Sweeteners
For years now people have been consuming artificial sweeteners under the impression that they are doing something good their health. And I get it, twenty years ago I was all in on the craze. I lived and died by Splenda. A sweetener that could offer the sweetness of sugar without any calories? What could possibly be bad about that? …Sadly now we know, many things. Artificial sweeteners seem like they are the answer to effective weight loss. But sadly you can’t get something for nothing, and research is now finding that artificial sugars may be worse for your health than real sugar. Lets take a closer look at why exactly this is…
1. Artificial sweeteners increase your risk for diabetes and obesity.
One study done on rats that were fed artificially sweetened food found that their metabolism slowed down and they were triggered to consume more calories and gain more weight than rats fed sugar-sweetened food. How can this be?
Over-consumption of artificial sugars alters the body’s ability to process real sugar, through changes in the gut microbiota and insulin levels. This leads to overconsumption of food and weight gain. Studies show that consumption of sugar substitutes increase your risk for weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
2. Artificial sweeteners rewire your brain chemistry and metabolism.
Another pathway through which aspartame and other fake sweeteners make you pack on the pounds is through stimulating your taste buds and tricking them into think you’re eating real sugar. Artificial sweeteners can literally rewire you brain chemistry. They can be 1000 times sweeter than sugar, so your body becomes confused and revs up production of insulin, your fat-storage hormone. Your metabolism slows down, you become hungry more quickly, you’re prone to eat way more food (especially carbs), and of course the inevitable result is increased belly fat.
3. Artificial sweeteners are highly addictive.
Another reason artificial sweeteners are so bad for our health is because they are highly addictive. In an alarming study, rats offered the choice of cocaine or artificial sweeteners always picked the artificial sweetener, even if the rats were previously programmed to be cocaine addicts.
4. Artificial sweeteners can cause damage to the gut micro-biome
A new peer reviewed study out of the Weizman Institute of Science found that artificial sweeteners hasten the development of glucose intolerance and metabolic disease; and they do it by changing the composition and function of the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota react differently to artificial sweeteners than to real sugar. This study demonstrated that gut microbiota become less able to break down real sugars the more that they are exposed to artificial sweeteners. It’s important here to understand that being glucose intolerant and not being able to break down sugars is a bad thing, because this change in the microbiota can change the amount of nutrients that our bodies are able to take out of the food we eat. This means that we might not get the vitamins and minerals that we need, even when we do eat the right foods. This disruption in our gut can impact our immune and hormone function and lead to countless other metabolic issues including insulin resistance.
You may be asking at this point, are there any artificial sweeteners that are safe to consume? The answer is yes, but. A couple of okay options are Stevia and Monk Fruit. Both stevia and monk fruit are far less processed than most other artificial sweeteners. Stevia also has a low glycemic index and, in the doses tested, is not cytotoxic nor has acute or chronic effect on blood sugar. For these reasons Stevia and Monkfruit are better options. However, buyer beware because most Stevia products found on grocery store shelves, such as Truvia and Stevia in the Raw, don’t contain whole stevia leaf. They’re made from a highly refined stevia leaf extract. In fact, many stevia products have very little stevia in them at all. So it’s important to look at the ingredients to ensure there aren’t any other added fillers or artificial sweeteners. And to ensure you are purchasing a 100% Stevia product. The same goes for Monk Fruit. Some artificial sweeteners to avoid at all costs include Aspartame (Equal & Nutrasweet), Sucralose (Splenda), and Xylotol and other sugar alcohols.
My ultimate recommendation is to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible or all together. If you do chose to use artificial sweeteners, opt for Stevia or Monk Fruit and consume it sparingly.
