Some of the artificial sweeteners in the foods we eat can affect our health in more than one way.
Many of the bakery products, beverages, processed foods, desserts, ice cream, candy, and baking ingredients that we have in stock in our kitchen can be loaded with artificial and natural sweeteners at the same time. In addition, they usually have unrecognizable names.
While some sweeteners are innocent, others are not at all .
Among the most harmful we have saccharin , sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame
potassium or acesulfame K. These in particular can affect general health and
our weight.
Effects of sweeteners on weight control
Artificial sweeteners have become popular because consumers
want to cut calories without giving up the foods they like. However, these can
derail a healthy diet.
This is because the zero calorie content in sweeteners makes
it more difficult to metabolize food properly and therefore control body
weight.
So where is the benefit of sweeteners for our diet? Why does
the opposite of the results we seek happen? The answer is that our body is
programmed to associate sweetness with high-calorie foods .
Thus, for example, when we eat sweets the signals tell the
brain what is happening, being able to put a limit on the intake. When the
sweet taste matches the calories, the calories are metabolized and the area of
the brain associated with the reward is satisfied.
However, when we eat foods that contain artificial
sweeteners with no calories, the metabolism is cheated. As a result, the body
understands that it needs more calories. Therefore, the desire to eat more food
is intensified. This produces a counterproductive effect on our diet, inducing
an increase in body weight.
When sweet taste and calories don't line up, either by
default or excess, the body's metabolism is tricked into not registering the
calories consumed. This is what produces an imbalance in body weight control.
Studies on sweeteners and appetite
An investigation in the medical journal Yale Journal of
Biology and Medicine , concluded that sweeteners, precisely because they are
sweet and zero calories, increase anxiety and dependence on sugar.
Other research, published via The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition , showed that, through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
observation, five men had decreased signaling in the hypothalamus, also known
as the brain's appetite regulator.
The dangers of aspartame
Pepsi Diet came on the market 50 years ago with the intention of getting consumers to link sugar-free soda to weight loss. However, over the years concerns have arisen about whether they are safe or not.
Aspartame is perhaps the best known artificial sweetener and
also the one with the worst press . It is an alternative to sugar, a fatty acid
created from aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Upon entering the body, aspartame
turns into phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol immediately. Later,
during its metabolization, methanol is transformed into formaldehyde,
considered carcinogenic by the WHO since 2004.
In recent decades , many studies have been carried out on
the possible effects of this substance in the body . In some cases, its
consumption has been linked to an increase in cases of brain tumors.
Other studies suggest some of the harmful effects derived
from the intake of this sweetener. For example, on neurological functions ,
relating it to Alzheimer's and dementia, and on cardiovascular function ,
relating it to an increased risk of suffering a heart attack.
Also read: 4 ways to stop eating refined sugar
Stevia, a healthier alternative to sugar
It is the newest on the market, although it is not really
that novel. It is a sweetener from the stevia plant. In Paraguay and Brazil,
stevia has been used in medicine for centuries. In Japan it has been sold as a
sweetener for more than four decades.
Among its advantages, it has no calories and sweetens several times more than sugar . It is original from subtropical areas of Latin America. Its sweetening component , steviol glycoside, is extracted from its leaves by soaking them in water. This component passes through the body without being absorbed.
Its main disadvantage is that it leaves a bitter aftertaste.
Because of this, they sometimes sell it mixed with artificial sweeteners. Even
so, the advantages of this product mean that it can be one of the best
alternatives to sugar, especially in relation to weight loss. There are studies
that indicate a possible negative effect of steviosides on fertility levels,
however in others no difference was found.
In short, the best option to promote proper weight loss is
to get used to not taking sugar. Leave out less healthy products such as:
Industrial sweets.
Refreshments.
Pastries.
Chocolates
It will be the best way to lose weight without having to
face the negative effects of sweeteners.
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