Regular consumption of zero-calorie artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or acesulfame potassium can may increase the risk of diabetes and obesity, finds a new study.
Increased awareness of the health consequences of eating too much sugar has fueled a dramatic uptick in the consumption of zero-calorie artificial sweeteners in recent decades. However, new research finds sugar replacements can also cause health changes that are linked with diabetes and obesity, suggesting that switching from regular to diet soda may be a case of 'out of the frying pan, into the fire.'
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial Sweetener is a sugar substitute with fewer or no calories. High-intensity sweeteners are many times sweeter than sucrose.
Advertisement
‘Consuming artificial sweeteners can cause negative health outcomes which increases the risk of diabetes and obesity.’
Tweet it Now
Artificial sweeteners are one of the most common food additives worldwide, frequently consumed in the diet and zero-calorie sodas and other products. While some previous studies have linked artificial sweeteners with negative health consequences, earlier research has been mixed and raised questions about potential bias related to study sponsorship.
This new study is the largest examination to date that tracks biochemical changes in the body--using an approach known as unbiased high-throughput metabolomics--after consumption of sugar or sugar substitutes. Researchers also looked at impacts on vascular health by studying how the substances affect the lining of blood vessels. The studies were conducted in rats and cell cultures.
![Study Casts Doubt on Artificial Sweeteners]( "Study Casts Doubt on Artificial Sweeteners")
Almost half of the reviews of artificial sweetener studies had authors that did not disclose their conflicts of interest.
"Despite the addition of these non-caloric artificial sweeteners to our everyday diets, there has still been a drastic rise in obesity and diabetes," said lead researcher Brian Hoffmann, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University. "In our studies, both sugar and artificial sweeteners seem to exhibit negative effects linked to obesity and diabetes, albeit through very different mechanisms from each other."
Hoffmann presented the research at the American Physiological Society annual meeting during the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego.
The team fed different groups of rats diets high in glucose or fructose (kinds of sugar), or aspartame or acesulfame potassium (common zero-calorie artificial sweeteners). After three weeks, the researchers saw significant differences in the concentrations of biochemicals, fats and amino acids in blood samples.
The results suggest artificial sweeteners change how the body processes fat and gets its energy. In addition, they found acesulfame potassium seemed to accumulate in the blood, with higher concentrations having a more harmful effect on the cells that line blood vessels.
"We observed that in moderation, your body has the machinery to handle sugar; it is when the system is overloaded over a long period of time that this machinery breaks down," Hoffmann said. "We also observed that replacing these sugars with non-caloric artificial sweeteners leads to negative changes in fat and energy metabolism."
So, which is worse, sugar or artificial sweeteners? Researchers cautioned that the results do not provide a clear answer and the question warrants further study. It is well known that high dietary sugar is linked to negative health outcomes and the study suggests artificial sweeteners do, too.
"It is not as simple as 'stop using artificial sweeteners' being the key to solving overall health outcomes related to diabetes and obesity," Hoffmann added. "If you chronically consume these foreign substances (as with sugar) the risk of negative health outcomes increases. As with other dietary components, I like to tell people moderation is the key if one finds it hard to completely cut something out of their diet."
Source: Eurekalert
Study Casts Doubt on Artificial Sweeteners' Health Claims
Almost half of the reviews of artificial sweetener studies had authors that did not disclose their conflicts of interest.
Advertisement
"Despite the addition of these non-caloric artificial sweeteners to our everyday diets, there has still been a drastic rise in obesity and diabetes," said lead researcher Brian Hoffmann, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University. "In our studies, both sugar and artificial sweeteners seem to exhibit negative effects linked to obesity and diabetes, albeit through very different mechanisms from each other."
Hoffmann presented the research at the American Physiological Society annual meeting during the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego.
The team fed different groups of rats diets high in glucose or fructose (kinds of sugar), or aspartame or acesulfame potassium (common zero-calorie artificial sweeteners). After three weeks, the researchers saw significant differences in the concentrations of biochemicals, fats and amino acids in blood samples.
The results suggest artificial sweeteners change how the body processes fat and gets its energy. In addition, they found acesulfame potassium seemed to accumulate in the blood, with higher concentrations having a more harmful effect on the cells that line blood vessels.
"We observed that in moderation, your body has the machinery to handle sugar; it is when the system is overloaded over a long period of time that this machinery breaks down," Hoffmann said. "We also observed that replacing these sugars with non-caloric artificial sweeteners leads to negative changes in fat and energy metabolism."
So, which is worse, sugar or artificial sweeteners? Researchers cautioned that the results do not provide a clear answer and the question warrants further study. It is well known that high dietary sugar is linked to negative health outcomes and the study suggests artificial sweeteners do, too.
"It is not as simple as 'stop using artificial sweeteners' being the key to solving overall health outcomes related to diabetes and obesity," Hoffmann added. "If you chronically consume these foreign substances (as with sugar) the risk of negative health outcomes increases. As with other dietary components, I like to tell people moderation is the key if one finds it hard to completely cut something out of their diet."
Source: Eurekalert
Do Artificial Sweeteners Add Fat To Your Body?
Low calorie sweeteners increases fat producing genes and promote fat accumulation in regular users.
Advertisement
Artificial Sweeteners can Increase Appetite and Result in Weight GainArtificial sweeteners regulate appetite and alter taste perceptions. It also promoted hyperactivity, insomnia, and poor sleep quality. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Diet & Nutrition News
For people posting food images on social media platform like Instagram, adding warm tones like red, yellow and orange can make healthy food images more eye-catching on social media
How to meet dietary needs in long-term care homes? Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help you.
Adding plant food sources to your diet and avoiding too much alcohol, salt, or sodium consumption can save you from chronic diseases.
Eating peanuts and peanut butter rich in polyphenols can improve vascular health in youngsters and healthy people.
Let's eat a rainbow for healthy weight loss: Adding colors to your plate by including bright colored fruits and vegetables can help you lose weight in a healthy way.