Artificial sweeteners are not capable of helping us lose weight

The effect of sweeteners on health is an important issue to study by many people who are using it.

Many people believe that if we use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, we will still be able to taste the sweetness in our food without worrying about excess calories, weight gain or other health problems. .

However, according to a series of scientific evidence of non-nutritive sweeteners published on July 17, things are not so simple.

According to NPR, after evaluating two different types of scientific research, the study's authors concluded that there is no solid evidence that sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose help people control weight. mine. In addition, observational data also show that people who regularly use these sweeteners are often more likely to suffer from future health problems , although those studies cannot prove problems. That problem is caused by sweeteners.

The effect of sweeteners on health is an important issue to study by many people who are using it. Another study published earlier this year found that one in four children in the United States and 41% of adults are consuming them, most of them use at least once a day. There are even more people who unconsciously consume these substances because they exist in some products like barley or yogurt.

Picture 1 of Artificial sweeteners are not capable of helping us lose weight

The effect of sweeteners on health is an important issue to study.

"We really care about the everyday people consuming this product, not because they need to lose weight but because they think this is a healthier option for many years," Meghan Azad, The author of the review is also a scientist at the University of Manitoba. "While there is much research to be done, from what we know today, there is no clear benefit of using artificial sweeteners for weight loss, but there is a risk. muscle causes weight gain, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases ".

The review published on July 17 in the Canadian Medical Association Review reviewed 37 different studies. Seven of them are randomized trials with about 1000 participants, the rest are observational studies that monitor the health and habits of more than 406 thousand people in the long run.

Both types of research have advantages and limitations. In seven trials, people were randomly divided into two groups that were given sweetener and unused, from which the researchers compared the two groups and could confirm whether it was beneficial. or bad. But due to the high cost and effort, such randomized trials are often short and not tested on many people.

Those tests also do not reflect how people actually behave in everyday life. Observational studies can track more people over a longer period of time and really reflect how people live. But they only found the relationship between habits and health issues, but they are not direct evidence to draw conclusions.

Most participants in randomized trials are implementing a weight loss plan, the results show that there is no significant effect of the use of sweeteners on body mass index. Observational studies have found a small increase in BMI related to the use of sweeteners, and the largest consumers of artificial sweeteners are more likely to have type 2 diabetes. 14% more than those who consume the least. The most users are 32% more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than the least users.

The Calorie Control Council, a commercial group that includes producers of artificial sweeteners, notes that randomized trials have not yet confirmed these associations with diseases. They also said that obesity is complicated, with many causes and requires "personal, multifaceted and multi-disciplinary approaches using a variety of tools".

The available evidence suggests that sweeteners can help with weight loss if they are used carefully with a 1: 1 ratio when replacing sugary foods and beverages as part of a weight loss program. Allison Sylvetsky Meni, associate professor at the Department of Nutrition and Health at the Milken Institute of Public Health at George Washington University."But often sweeteners are not used as such." Sylvetsky Meni is not related to this study, but she is the author of the study of human use of sweeteners.

Picture 2 of Artificial sweeteners are not capable of helping us lose weight

Artificial sugar products such as Sweet'n Low may increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

There are many theories about why artificial sweeteners do not promote weight loss or good health. For example, they may make people like to eat sweets more, making you consume more sugary foods. In addition, the sweetness does not go with calories can confuse the body and change the way to treat the real sugar, as the results show in experiments with animals. Sweeteners can also alter microorganisms, making the metabolism worse.

Azad and Sylvetsky Meni say more research is needed, including looking at different types of sweeteners instead of grouping them together. And tests that reflect how people consume sweeteners in some foods are also needed.

Azad said that when the benefits of using unproven sweeteners and harms remain, those who choose sweeteners think that this is a healthier alternative to sugar. Stop using. Sylvetsky Meni did not think that drinking a two-glass diet of soda was bad, but it was a very different message than the immediate introduction that sweeteners are good for weight loss or healthier, she said. In addition, she also said that you should reduce sweetness in food and drinks instead of having to worry about choosing products containing real sugar or artificial sugar. In other words, you should get used to fruit juice, black coffee or fruit yogurt instead of sugar-containing products, both natural and man-made.

Update 15 December 2018
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