Are Artificial Sweeteners Making us Fat?
A recent study published in the journal Nature has revealed that even artificial sweeteners such as Splenda and Nutrasweet can cause glucose intolerance. Glucose intolerance? Isn’t that what happens when we eat too much sugar and the body stops being able to handle it? Yes.
Except the same end result happened when mice and humans were given artificial sweeteners. The reason seems to be that the bacteria in our intestines changes when we consume these sweeteners. The body produces new strains of bacteria in response to these sweeteners, which it doesn’t recognize as food. These new strains contribute more to obesity and diabetes.
So my takeaway is to stay away from splenda and equal. I have to admit to having indulged in more than my share of diet cokes until a good friend finally set me straight, and I avoid the stuff.
By the way, I don’t put stevia in the same category as the artificial sweeteners, as it has a completely different and more sophisticated molecular structure and has been used in regular diets for centuries. In addition, stevia has actually been shown toimprove glucose tolerance in repeated studies. The evidence is quite robust on this. So if you want sweet taste without the bad, that’s the way to go.