![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Artificial-Sweeteners.jpg\" "\\"Artificial")
<\/a>use it to sweeten beverages, desserts, yogurts and puddings.\u00a0 It would cut the amount of calories you consume and it should go a long way to solving the epidemic of the overweight and obese.\u00a0 Sounds good, right?<\/p>\nBut guess what? It isn\u2019t working!<\/p>\n
Artificial sweeteners aren’t only failing to help people lose weight; a new study shows that people who drink diet soft drinks actually gain<\/em>\u00a0weight.<\/p>\n The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.<\/p>\n “What didn’t surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to\u00a0overweight\u00a0and obesity,” Fowler tells WebMD. “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher.”<\/p>\n In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas.<\/p>\n “There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day,” Fowler says.<\/p>\n And the problems don’t end with weight gain: a study conducted at Harvard Medical School using the Framingham Heart Study showed that consuming diet drinks may actually increase<\/em> the risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n Ravi Dhingra, M.D. and her colleagues looked at nearly 6,000 middle-aged men and women who had medical examinations every four years.\u00a0 Those who consumed more than one diet or regular soda per day experienced a 25% increased risk of impaired fasting glucose (prediabetes) and high triglyceride levels.\u00a0 They had a 31% greater chance of becoming obese, a 32% higher chance of low HDL levels (good cholesterol) and a 44% increased risk of metabolic syndrome.<\/p>\n A more recent study suggests that the popular drinks may increase the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, and vascular death. “People who had diet soda every day experienced a 61% higher risk of vascular events than those who reported drinking no soda,” said lead investigator Hannah Gardener, ScD, an epidemiologist from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida.<\/p>\n Previous studies have suggested a link between diet soda consumption and the risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. But this is the first time diet drinks have been associated with vascular events.<\/p>\n So the question is: how does something that has less calories cause you to become obese and put your cardiovascular health at risk?<\/em><\/p>\n Several theories abound, but the overall consensus is that artificial sweeteners may actually encourage you to partake of more servings of food or drinks than would sugar.\u00a0 It appears from studies conducted on animals that sugar substitutes interfere with the body\u2019s natural ability to count calories based on the food\u2019s sweetness.<\/p>\n Additionally, many foods containing sugar substitutes may still be high in fat and total calories.\u00a0 But because we see the sacred “sugar-free,” we eat more of it.<\/p>\n What are these sweeteners and just how sweet are they?\u00a0 Aspartame, commonly known as NutraSweet, is 200 times sweeter than sugar.\u00a0 Saccharin, which is marketed as Sweet \u2018n Low (among others brands) is also 200 times sweeter than sugar.\u00a0One of the more popular sweeteners today is Sucralose, which we see on the shelves as Splenda. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar.<\/p>\n Although all of these sweeteners have been approved for use and determined safe by government authorities, their continued use has been shown to be problematic.\u00a0 It should be noted that the Center for Science in the Public Interest, citing a study done by the National Cancer Institute, still maintains that saccharin in heavy amounts causes cancer of the bladder.\u00a0 Some of these sweeteners are known to cause bloating and stomach discomfort as well as rashes\/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, swelling, muscle aches, headaches (migraines), intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain.\u00a0 This is particularly true of people that have food sensitivities and allergies to begin with.<\/p>\n Many people have chosen to use a more natural product as a sweetener: Stevia.\u00a0 Stevia\u00a0is a\u00a0genus<\/a>\u00a0of about 240\u00a0species<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0herbs<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0shrubs<\/a>\u00a0in the sunflower family. As a sweetener and\u00a0sugar substitute<\/a>, Stevia’s taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of\u00a0sugar<\/a>, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or\u00a0licorice<\/a>-like\u00a0aftertaste<\/a>\u00a0at high concentrations.<\/p>\n With its\u00a0steviol glycoside<\/a>\u00a0extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, Stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for\u00a0low-carbohydrate<\/a>, low-sugar food alternatives. Because stevia has a negligible effect on\u00a0blood glucose<\/a>, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on\u00a0carbohydrate-controlled diets<\/a>.<\/p>\n What we\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0know is that eating real, whole foods is a better way to lose weight and to stay healthy<\/strong>.\u00a0 Whole foods, such as whole grains and breads, tend to fill you up more and lengthen the amount of time before you feel hungry again.\u00a0 Diet products almost always tend to leave you wanting more, and if you want more, you will take more, because after all, it\u2019s meant<\/em> for people who are dieting! \u00a0It’s sugar-free!<\/p>\n So remember: just because a certain food is marketed as a \u201cdiet\u201d product doesn\u2019t mean it will help you lose weight. The complete opposite might be true.<\/p>\n The bottom line: consuming wholesome, healthy foods as opposed to those containing artificial sweeteners will more likely keep you healthier, thinner and free of heart disease.<\/p>\n Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a002-651-8502<\/a> or 050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: 516-568-5027.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The sugar substitute conundrum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":24150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-physical-health"],"yoast_head":"\n
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