Many people consume artificial sweeteners, especially in “diet” soft drinks, thinking it will help them reduce calories and lose weight. However, numerous studies over the years have challenged this conventional wisdom. In fact, the latest evaluation of the data indicates that consuming artificial sweeteners actually promotes weight gain.
There are six approved artificial sweeteners in use in the United States: sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, neotame and advantame. Although these sweeteners do not impact blood sugar levels directly, data from several population-based studies have found that consumption of artificial sweeteners, mainly in diet sodas, is linked to development of weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and even type 2 diabetes.
There is also a growing amount of scientific data that shows that these artificial sweeteners are not inert ingredients that do not affect human metabolism or body processes. In fact, there are valid mechanisms that now explain why these artificial sweeteners promote poor health outcomes.
An article published in the medical journal Physiology & Behavior on June 19, 2015, detailed how artificial sweeteners promote metabolic dysregulation. Three key mechanisms were highlighted:
- Artificial sweeteners interfere with learned responses that contribute to controlling appetite and blood sugar levels.
- Artificial sweeteners increase the number and activity of receptors that transport glucose from the gastrointestinal tract, thereby stressing blood sugar control mechanisms.
- Artificial sweeteners disrupt the human gut microflora in a manner that promotes insulin resistance and glucose intolerance.
Of these mechanisms, the one that is most intriguing is perhaps the impact that artificial sweeteners have in alteration of the gut bacterial flora (human microbiome) in a manner that ultimately leads to insulin resistance. With insulin resistance comes reduced activity of intracellular enzymes throughout the body that ultimately lead to loss of appetite control, weight gain, increased abdominal obesity, and the subsequent development of the metabolic syndrome and eventually type 2 diabetes.
Animal studies have convincingly shown the link to the artificial sweeteners causing their adverse effects on insulin sensitivity by including a group also receiving an antibiotic with the artificial sweeteners.
Human clinical studies with moderate exposure to artificial sweeteners (dose equivalent to human subjects consuming approximately 2–3 diet soft drinks per day) show them to disrupt the gut microflora and cause increased fasting blood sugar levels presumably in the same manner as the animal studies.
How does the change in gut microbiome lead to insulin resistance? Researchers have been able to show the change in gut flora leads to an increased absorption of glucose from the diet. That alone may explain the development of insulin resistance, but there are undoubtedly other mechanisms involved (please see my newsletter, Probiotic Supplementation Promotes Weight Loss for more information).
My takeaway message from the data on artificial sweeteners is that they are indeed adding fuel to the fire. Stay away from them.
What about natural low or zero calorie sweeteners? They do not appear to negatively affect the gut flora. In fact, they appear to support a healthy microbiome, especially the polyols like xylitol. Here is a quick overview of natural sweeteners to use in place of artificial sweeteners:
Stevia: Extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, stevia glycosides are 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Preliminary studies show that stevia may have blood sugar lowering and blood pressure lowering effects. It does exert a mild to unpleasant aftertaste depending upon purity.
Luo han guo (monk fruit): The fruit extract from this plant native to southern China is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used as a natural sweetener in China for nearly 1,000 years. Has less of an aftertaste than stevia.
Xylitol and other polyols (maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol): Polyols are roughly 60% as sweet as sucrose. They are poorly absorbed from the intestinal tract so larger amounts, for example, a single intake of more than 10 to 30 g, or a total daily intake of more than 40 to 80 g, may produce a laxative effect. Polyols are often combined with stevia or monk fruit extract to reduce aftertaste as well as to provide some bulk.
Pepino MY. Metabolic effects of non-nutritive sweeteners. Physiol Behav. 2015 Jun 19. pii: S0031-9384(15)00372-8. [Epub ahead of print]
Dr. Michael Murray
Watu wengi hutumia virutubisho vya bandia, hasa katika vinywaji visivyo na sukari, wakifikiri kwamba vitasaidia kupunguza kalori na kupunguza uzito. Hata hivyo, uchunguzi mwingi uliofanywa kwa miaka mingi umepinga maoni hayo ya kawaida. Kwa kweli, tathmini ya hivi karibuni ya data inaonyesha kwamba kula vitamu bandia kwa kweli huendeleza kuongezeka kwa uzito. Kuna aina sita za sukari za bandia zinazotumiwa nchini Marekani: sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, neotame na advantame. Ingawa sukari ya sukari ya damu haathiri moja kwa moja, data kutoka kwa masomo kadhaa ya idadi ya watu imegundua kuwa matumizi ya sukari ya bandia, hasa katika soda za lishe, inahusiana na maendeleo ya kuongezeka kwa uzito, ugonjwa wa kimetaboliki, na hata ugonjwa wa kisukari wa aina ya 2. Pia kuna idadi kubwa ya data za kisayansi zinazoonyesha kwamba virutubisho hivi vya bandia si viungo visivyo na athari kwa kimetaboliki ya binadamu au michakato ya mwili. Kwa kweli, kuna utaratibu halali ambao sasa unaelezea kwa nini vitamu hivi vya bandia huendeleza matokeo mabaya ya afya. Makala iliyochapishwa katika jarida la matibabu la Physiology & Behavior Juni 19, 2015 ilionyesha jinsi sukari bandia inavyoendeleza dysregulation ya kimetaboliki. Utaratibu kuu tatu ulionyeshwa: - Vipodozi vya bandia huingilia majibu yaliyofundishwa ambayo huchangia kudhibiti hamu ya kula na viwango vya sukari ya damu. - Vyakula vinavyopendeza huongeza idadi na utendaji wa vipokezi vinavyosafirisha glukosi kutoka kwenye mfumo wa tumbo na matumbo, na hivyo kushinikiza utaratibu wa kudhibiti sukari ya damu. - Vipodozi vya bandia huvuruga microflora ya matumbo ya binadamu kwa njia ambayo huendeleza upinzani wa insulini na kutovumilia glukosi. "Kutokana na utaratibu huu, moja ambayo ni labda intriguing zaidi ni athari kwamba sweeteners bandia kuwa katika mabadiliko ya gut bakteria ""mimea"" (microbiome binadamu) kwa njia ambayo hatimaye inaongoza kwa upinzani wa insulini." Insulin upinzani huja na kupungua kwa shughuli ya enzymes intracellular katika mwili wote, ambayo hatimaye kusababisha kupoteza hamu ya kula, uzito, kuongezeka kwa tumbo unene, na baadaye maendeleo ya ugonjwa wa kimetaboliki na hatimaye aina ya 2 kisukari. Utafiti wa wanyama umeonyesha uhusiano wa dawa za kulevya na athari zao mbaya kwa unyeti wa insulini kwa kujumuisha kikundi ambacho pia kinapokea dawa ya kuua viini na dawa za kulevya. Utafiti wa kliniki wa binadamu na mfiduo wa wastani wa vitamu vya kibinadamu (kiwango sawa na watu wanaotumia karibu 2 hadi 3 vinywaji vya lishe kwa siku) huonyesha kuwa huathiri microflora ya matumbo na kusababisha kuongezeka kwa viwango vya sukari ya damu ya haraka, labda kwa njia sawa na masomo ya wanyama. Mabadiliko katika microbiome ya matumbo husababishaje upinzani wa insulini? Watafiti wameweza kuonyesha mabadiliko katika mimea ya matumbo husababisha kuongezeka kwa kunyonya glukosi kutoka kwa chakula. "Hiyo peke yake inaweza kuelezea maendeleo ya upinzani wa insulini, lakini bila shaka kuna utaratibu mwingine unaohusika (tafadhali angalia jarida langu, ""Msaada wa Probiotic Husaidia Kupunguza Uzito"" kwa habari zaidi)." Ujumbe wangu kutoka kwa data juu ya tamu za bandia ni kwamba kwa kweli wanaongeza mafuta kwenye moto. Weka mbali nao. Vyakula vyenye kalori chache au vyenye kalori chache vinaweza pia kutumiwa kama vitamu. Haionekani kuwa na athari mbaya kwa mimea ya matumbo. Kwa kweli, zinaonekana kuunga mkono microbiome yenye afya, hasa polyols kama xylitol. Stevia ni aina ya sukari inayotumiwa kwa ajili ya kula chakula, ambayo hutolewa kutoka kwa mmea wa Stevia rebaudiana, ambayo ni tamu zaidi ya mara 300 kuliko sukari. Uchunguzi wa awali unaonyesha kwamba stevia inaweza kupunguza sukari ya damu na kupunguza shinikizo la damu. Ina ladha laini hadi isiyo ya kupendeza ikitegemea usafi wake. Luo Han Guo (mti wa mtawa) ni mti wa asili wa China, ambao ni tamu zaidi kuliko sukari na umekuwa ukitumika kama tamu ya asili kwa karibu miaka 1000. Ina ladha ndogo kuliko stevia. Xylitol, maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, na erythritol ni aina ya polietilene ambayo ni tamu kama sukari. Kwa sababu ya kuingizwa kwa kiasi kikubwa katika mfumo wa matumbo, kwa mfano, ulaji wa mara moja wa zaidi ya 10 g hadi 30 g, au ulaji wa jumla wa kila siku wa zaidi ya 40 g hadi 80 g, inaweza kusababisha athari ya laxative. Polyols mara nyingi huunganishwa na stevia au monk matunda dondoo kupunguza aftertaste kama vile kutoa baadhi ya wingi. Pepino wangu. Athari za kimetaboliki za vitamu visivyo vya lishe. Physiol Behav. (Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: Surat al-Baqarah: [Epub kabla ya kuchapishwa] Dk. Michael Murray