let me share with you some informations about artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners, also commonly known as sugar substitute have attracted millions worldwide. They promise you sweetness like sugar but no or very few calories. With an USP like this, who wouldnt get drawn? Weight watchers, diabetics and in general people welcomed it with open arms, resulting in sugar substitute industry boom.
But like any extraordinary thing that is too good to be true, sugar substitutes have their dark side. They have been associated with increased risk of life threatening conditions like cancer, Obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic syndrome etc. Let us explore and understand the so called miracle food a little more.
What are Sugar Substitutes?
Artificial Sweeteners are compounds that are used as a replacement to table sugar (Sucrose) to sweeten foods and beverages. They are many times sweeter than sugar and hence are needed in very small quantity to give same sweetness as sugar. Thus they bring in effective sweetness with fewer or practically zero calories.
Study-
Our palate senses sweetness from the substitutes and cannot differentiate between sugar and sweetener, so we feel that we are consuming something sweet. Although, our brain is smarter than that and seems to have a way to tell the difference. According to a study conducted in University of California at San Diego, it was found that even though both sugar and sweeteners activated the same taste bud receptors on the tongue, sugar activated a stronger response of satisfaction and satiety in brain. Thus people relying on sweeteners might actually show the following symptoms-Indulge in calorie rich food eventually to attain satiety.
May loose partial sense of when to stop eating. Since, use of sweeteners seems to undermine brain's ability to track calories.
Therefore, the entire incentive of calorie reduction is lost eventually.
The Market
The most common types of Sugar sweeteners are Aspartame, Saccharin, Cyclamate and polyols and these are sold under different brand names. Each of these classes of sweeteners is associated with their own set of problems.
Saccharin - Is commonly sold as Sweet and Low. It has been linked with the development of bladder cancer in rats. People allergic to Sulpha drug have reported itching and hives on consumption of Saccharin.
Aspartame- Normally available as Nutra sweet and Equal. One of the primary components of Aspartame is Phenyl alanine and hence is not suitable for patients with Phenyl ketonuria. Aspartame is known to change the normal ratio of amino acids in blood and hence interferes with the normal functioning of the body. It comes as no surprise that aspartame is associated with 92 different health conditions today.
Cyclamate- Although banned in the US, it is widely used in 52 other countries. It is strongly linked with an increased risk of bladder cancer and liver damage.
Polyols- These are naturally occurring products, found in fruits. They are not extremely low in calories and are less harmful then the artificial ones but due to their laxative properties are associated with common bowel problems.
Sugar substitute industry is currently growing at an impressive rate of 8 and is set to grow even further. Obviously the promise of weight loss without having to do away with dessert is sure to fascinate people worldwide. Unfortunately, there is no short cut to sweetness, what initially appeared as an alternative to sugar is turning out to be a menace. Thus exercise your judgment before gorging on that heavenly piece of Chocolate Truffle cake baked with Splenda!!!
For our health naturel food is the solution so please take care of your health
thank you for reading
