Will artificial sweeteners really help you lose weight?
Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
When people go on a diet, one of the first things they cut back on is sugar...and rightfully so. Diets loaded with sugary foods are packed with empty calories and leave little room for foods with actual nutrients. Often, though, dieters trade in their sugar for artificial sweeteners, thinking they're doing themselves a favor by cutting the calories but still getting the sweet taste.
Like the saying goes, however, there's no free lunch, and artificial sweeteners come with their own set of consequences. For instance, did you know that people who use artificial sweeteners are no less likely to develop diabetes than those who use regular sugar? Experts believe it's because people who choose artificial sweeteners tend to eat more sweets as a matter of course. In fact, a 2004 study found that the calorie-free nature of sweeteners like Nutrasweet and Splenda may cause the body to crave more sugar. The sweet taste of artificial sweeteners tell the body to expect calories, and when none are received, the body gets confused. Concerns over the safety of these products has arisen as well.
So it appears, if you're trying to lose weight, sugar may not be any worse than artificial sweeteners. In the summer, watermelons and cherries help keep my sweet tooth at bay, but during the winter it's harder to find fresh fruits that satisfy me. What about you? How do you feed your sweet tooth when you're trying to take off pounds?
Like the saying goes, however, there's no free lunch, and artificial sweeteners come with their own set of consequences. For instance, did you know that people who use artificial sweeteners are no less likely to develop diabetes than those who use regular sugar? Experts believe it's because people who choose artificial sweeteners tend to eat more sweets as a matter of course. In fact, a 2004 study found that the calorie-free nature of sweeteners like Nutrasweet and Splenda may cause the body to crave more sugar. The sweet taste of artificial sweeteners tell the body to expect calories, and when none are received, the body gets confused. Concerns over the safety of these products has arisen as well.
So it appears, if you're trying to lose weight, sugar may not be any worse than artificial sweeteners. In the summer, watermelons and cherries help keep my sweet tooth at bay, but during the winter it's harder to find fresh fruits that satisfy me. What about you? How do you feed your sweet tooth when you're trying to take off pounds?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
diet-john 3-05-2007 @ 1:40PM
At some level, I do worry about the safety of these sweeteners, but in looking to shave corners off my diet, they're so alluring that I admit to not being very pro-active about it. In fact, I'm probably not even as passive as that -- it's probably more accurate to say that I turn a blind eye toward it.
It shouldn't be that way. I used nutrasweet for several years, but eventually suspected it was not sitting well with me (possibly causing headaches). I eventually heard about similar effects in other people, and I was happy to switch over to Splenda and found that the headaches did go away. Not proof, but still convincing to me. You'd think I would learn.
I don't have a better answer for satisfying the sweet tooth that rules me, and despite the concerns, I can't come up with any calorie calculus that says I'm not better off drinking very satisfying splenda-sweetened soft drinks and coffee than the sugar-sweetened variety! Sadly, I'm firmly in the grip of this product family, and the Sam's Club size box of Splenda packets is likely to remain on my shopping list until either something obviously horrible starts happening to me, or the next best thing comes along.
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April 3-25-2007 @ 1:34AM
Diet John, Care about yourself enough to do the research on Splenda and then switch to Stevia, which will not give you brain tumors, and is actually healthy (contains fiber), which would help you lose weight. Good luck!
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