Artificial Sweeteners: Calorie and Health Issues

Sweeteners Reduce Calorie Intake and Help Weight Loss

Because most sweeteners contain zero calories, consuming these food products instead of sugar helps us to cut calories and lose weight. For this reason, artificial sweeteners may definitely be helpful for weight loss.

Sweeteners Improve Healthy Glycemic Control

Refined sugar impacts directly on blood-glucose levels, and, when consumed to excess, may have adverse health effects on blood-glucose levels and insulin sensitivity. By reducing refined sugar intake, artificial sweeteners may therefore help to improve glycemic control and general health.

But Sweeteners Don't Reduce Our Sweet Tooth

Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame-K is 200 times sweeter than sugar. So this type of sweetener can only increase our sweet tooth and increase our taste for sweet things.

Sweeteners May Slow Down Digestion, Increase Appetite

Research by the American Cancer Society indicates that regular users of artificial sweeteners tend to gain weight - not lose it. Researchers believe this is because artificial sweeteners may slow down digestion and increase appetite.

Cancer Fears

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals and should be consumed with care. Some food scientists and diet experts worry about long-term carcinogenic effects. The US Center for Science in the Public Interest has called for a ban on at least one major artificial sweetener due to fears it may be linked with cancer.

Some Refined Sugar May Assist Healthy Diet-Compliance

There is strong evidence to suggest that weight loss diets containing very small amounts of sugar have low rates of diet-compliance. It's possible that, by overly restricting sugar-intake, we may make healthy eating more difficult.

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