More people are adopting no sugar diets fuelled by increasing awareness of the consequences of sugar to our health.
As a result, people are consuming more zero-calorie artificial sweeteners, perhaps thinking that it is a better alternative to sugar.
But is it really a good alternative to sugar?
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Artificial sweeteners are one of the most common food additives in the world. It is often found in zero-calorie drinks and other products.
Previous studies have linked artificial sweeteners to negative outcomes but this link has been unclear.
A new research finds that artificial sugar replacements can cause health changes that are linked to diabetes and obesity.
This new study tracks biochemical changes that take place in the body by using an approach known as high-throughput metabolic which takes place after consumption of sugar or sugar substitutes.
This study is the largest examination of its kind to date and it also looks as vascular health by investigating how substances affect the lining of blood vessels.
The research team fed a group of rats either a diet high in glucose or fructose, or aspartame or acesulfame potassium (common zero-calorie artificial sweeteners).
The results suggest artificial sweeteners change how the body processes fat and gets its energy.
They also found acesulfame potassium seemed to accumulate in the blood, with higher concentrations having harmful effects on the cells that line blood vessels.
The researchers found that in moderation the body can handle sugar but when the body gets overloaded over a long period of time the processes that handle sugar break down.
Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners leads to negative changes in fat and energy metabolism according to observations of the study.
Even though more people are consuming artificial sweeteners now there is still a drastic rise in obesity and diabetes. Both sugar and artificial sweeteners have negative outcomes for our health but through different mechanisms.
So it’s not a case of which one is better as both sugar and artificial sweeteners have the same negative effects on our health.
Researchers suggest that consuming sugar in moderation is the key if one cannot completely cut it out from their diet. Other alternatives to sugar may help such as using plant extracts but it is always best to be informed about sugar and sugar alternatives and how it affects your body and your health.
Source: Experimental Biology 2018
