The weight of evidence is mounting that artificial sweeteners are not the solution for weight problems. We share our body with bacteria. Lots of bacteria. In fact, if we go by the number of cells, we are more bacteria than human. We have known for a long time that the bacteria in our digestive tract are not just inactive inhabitants, they dine on the remnants of our food, producing a variety of compounds that have biological activity. The well known effect of beans is due to bacteria producing gas from carbohydrates that occur naturally in the beans. But now thanks to some elegant research at Israels famed Weizmann Institute, we learn that the bacterial composition in our gut may play a role in diabetes as well as obesity. And that bacterial composition may be affected by saccharin, aspartame and sucralose, common artificial sweeteners. Ive never been a fan of artificial sweeteners, not because of any concern over health issues, but because they have not been able to stem the tide of obesity. My explanation was that they didnt really reduce caloric intake because people who sweetened their coffee artificially rewarded themselves with the dessert they would not have had if they had used sugar in their coffee. But now it seems there is more to the story. As described in the paper in Nature, one of the premier scientific journals in the world, artificial sweeteners upset the bacterial balance in our gut which in turn affects the way glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream. The result is increased glucose intolerance, a prediabetic condition. While the research is compelling, demonstrating an effect both in mice and humans, it needs to be replicated. In science, a single study, no matter how well designed and carried out, doesnt carry enough weight to initiate dramatic changes. Certainly this study should not be interpreted as a call to replace artificially sweetened foods and beverages with their sugar sweetened counterparts. But when it comes to soft drinks, why not just trade all of them for water?
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 02:58:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015