Artificial sweeteners may increase risk of obesity and diabetes


caribbean360

At a time when increasing concern about the health hazards of sugar is persuading more people to switch to artificial alternatives, a new study suggests that low-calorie substitutes may actually raise the risk of obesity and diabetes.

The artificial sweeteners in question are aspartame, which is found in Equal and many diet drinks; saccharin, which is found in Sweet’N Low, and sucralose, which is found in Splenda.

While millions of people around the world rely on one or more of these sugar substitutes as a significant part of a calorie restricted diet, a team of Israeli scientists has said that today’s “massive, unsupervised consumption” of artificial sweeteners needs to be reassessed.

In animal studies, the researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science first showed that all three sweeteners made it harder for mice to process sugar, a condition known as glucose intolerance which raises risk of developing diabetes and obesity.

The researchers also linked artificial sweeteners with being fatter and glucose intolerant in a study of almost 400 people.

Volunteers who didn’t normally eat or drink artificially-sweetened foods and beverages began to become glucose intolerant after only four days of consumption, moreover.

Although the numbers affected in the trial were small – just four out of seven men and women – the overall research was considered sufficiently significant to be published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.

Meanwhile, other experiments suggested that artificial sweeteners posed a risk by altering the type of bacteria in the gut responsible for breaking down food.

It appeared that if the bacteria thrived on artificial sweeteners, this could lead to more energy being extracted from food and more fat being stored, increasing the odds of obesity.

“Our relationship with our own individual mix of gut bacteria is a huge factor in determining how the food we eat affects us,” explained lead researcher Professor Eran Elinav.

“Especially intriguing is the link between use of artificial sweeteners, through the bacteria in our guts, to a tendency to develop the very disorders they were designed to prevent.

“This calls for reassessment of today’s massive, unsupervised consumption of these substances.”

Professor Elinav has stopped using artificial sweeteners and has also removed sugar from his diet, but says it is too early to make health recommendations based on his study.

Meanwhile, other health experts urged caution, pointing out that much of the work was done in mice. Some nevertheless stressed that water is the healthiest drink, and sweet or sweetened beverages should be avoided.

The International Sweeteners Association, which represents manufacturers including the maker of Splenda, strongly rejected the Israeli research.