{"id":10099,"date":"2010-09-07T09:58:54","date_gmt":"2010-09-07T13:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=10099"},"modified":"2016-01-03T05:54:46","modified_gmt":"2016-01-03T10:54:46","slug":"the-truth-about-sweeteners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=10099","title":{"rendered":"The Truth About Artificial Sweeteners"},"content":{"rendered":"

The market contains a plethora of sugar-free products for diabetics: sugar-free puddings, yogurts, desserts, diet sodas, iced-teas, drinks, and more. But are they really \u201cfree?\u201d<\/p>\n

From Sweet and Low<\/strong>TM <\/sup>(saccharin), to NutraSweet<\/strong>TM <\/sup>(aspartame) to Splenda<\/strong>TM<\/sup> (sucralose) to Acesulfamine K<\/strong>, non-nutritive or fake sweeteners are everywhere. \u00a0\u00a0Neotame<\/strong> is the newest one to hit the market.\u00a0 These products all range from half as sweet as sugar to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar, with the average being 200-500 times sweeter than sugar.<\/p>\n

Many diet programs and health-care professionals highly advocate the use of these sweeteners (and foods containing them) to decrease the amount of sugar and calories a person takes in, and lower blood sugar levels.\u00a0 What is interesting, however, is that the longer these sweeteners have been around, the more obese our nation has become.\u00a0 The reason is this: when you consume alternative sweeteners, you are trying to fool your body.\u00a0\u00a0 But you can’t. The body knows that what you are giving it is fake, so instead of being satisfied, it continues to give the signal that it wants to consume something sweet, compounding cravings someone with or without diabetes might naturally experience.<\/p>\n

In 2008, a study was published in the journal Circulation<\/em> <\/a>which followed the health status of 9,500 men and women, ages 45-64, over a period of nine years. The researchers found that the typical Western diet increased levels of metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. The most surprising results of the study linked drinking a diet soda each day to a 34% increased risk for metabolic syndrome compared to those who drank none.<\/p>\n

Another study<\/a> in Behavioral Neuroscience<\/em> compared rats fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with saccharin to rats that ate regular feed and yogurt sweetened with regular sugar.<\/p>\n

The rats who ate the feed and the saccharin-sweetened yogurt took in 20 percent more calories than the rats consuming regular feed and yogurt sweetened with sugar, and they also gained body fat. Researchers have theorized that taking in large amounts of non-nutritive sweeteners over time conditions the body not<\/em> to associate sweetness with calories, which can then disrupt the body\u2019s ability to assess caloric intake accurately and lead to overeating.<\/p>\n

In countries where much of the food is fresh, and there are fewer processed foods containing non-nutritive sweeteners and fewer low fat or \u201clight\u201d foods, obesity is not an epidemic.\u00a0 The epidemic of obesity in the U.S. is, at least in part, due to the heavy consumption of products which create the illusion that one can eat more and more of them without gaining weight.\u00a0 The human body was made to process real foods that are fresh and whole, not manufactured processed foods.<\/p>\n

So what about sugar alcohols like maltitol or xylitol<\/strong>?\u00a0 Are they “free?”<\/p>\n

The premise behind carbohydrates from fiber or sugar alcohol is that since they are not digested like regular sources of carbohydrate, they have minimal effects on blood sugar levels.\u00a0 Maltitol is one of the primary sugar alcohols found in foods and despite the myth, it does<\/em> increase blood sugar.\u00a0 Carbohydrates are equal to 4 calories per gram and maltitol is approximately 3 calories per gram. Fiber does add bulk to food, but to think it does not<\/em> add any calories or impact blood sugars is a fallacy, and has not been proven by research.<\/p>\n

In order to fool consumers into thinking products are low-carb, the food industry made up the term “net carbs.”\u00a0 What does this mean?\u00a0 To arrive at a net carb number, food manufacturers take carbohydrates coming from fiber or sugars from alcohol sugars, like maltitol, and subtract them from the total amount of carbohydrates. This is misleading since it leads you to believe you are consuming fewer carbohydrates than you actually eat.<\/p>\n

In addition, <\/strong>all alcohol sugars contain laxative side effects, and can contribute to gas, bloating and diarrhea\u2013 definitely not worth it for the sake of sweetness.<\/p>\n

And finally, agave syrup<\/strong>.\u00a0 Agave syrup usually comes from the Blue Agave plant used to make tequila.\u00a0 Agave syrup began to flood the market a few years ago, and you can find it as a sweetener in many health food store products\u2026 but is it really a health product?\u00a0 And how does agave compare to high fructose corn syrup?<\/p>\n

High fructose corn syrup is a cheap way to sweeten foods and it was developed for food companies to cut costs.\u00a0 It is approximately 55-60% fructose, and not the natural kind you find\u00a0 in fruit.\u00a0 When you consume a large percentage of this type of fructose it gets processed directly by your liver, which not only increases your triglyceride levels, but can cause fatty liver, increased hunger levels and a number of other health issues you’d rather avoid.\u00a0 High levels of fructose make your brain deaf to leptin, the hormone responsible for making you feel full.<\/p>\n

With agave, the fructose percentages are even higher.\u00a0 The syrup is 85-90 percent fructose and 10-15% glucose. The agave plant goes through heavy processing in order to concentrate it into a sweet syrup.\u00a0 Rather than being natural as we’ve been led to believe, it is actually a processed food, often produced with few quality controls.<\/p>\n

So, how can you have something sweet from time to time, keep your blood sugars under control, and avoid unhealthy, processed food?\u00a0 Here are some guidelines:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Have a variety of fresh or frozen (unsweetened) fruit with your meals as long as you keep to your carbohydrate limits.\u00a0 Fruit has natural fructose with fiber attached to it which lowers its effect on blood sugars.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Drink water or sparkling water sweetened with a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange for flavor.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Have 2 squares of good quality (over 70%) dark chocolate per day.\u00a0 It contains very little sugar and has minimal effects on your blood sugar.\u00a0 Dark chocolate contains a type of phytochemical called flavonoids which are linked to a reduction in bodily inflammation, and helpful in lowering risks associated with diabetes.<\/p>\n

Staying away from sugar-free products gives the food industry a message that nothing is free, keeps your sugar cravings at bay, and your blood sugars under control.\u00a0 What can be sweeter than that?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you consume alternative sweeteners, you are trying to fool your body. But you can’t. The body knows that what you are giving it is fake…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":10186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1453,1449],"tags":[608],"yoast_head":"\nThe Truth About Artificial Sweeteners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"High levels of fructose make your brain deaf to leptin, the hormone responsible for making you feel full. 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