What to know

Sugar Vs Artificial Sweeteners: Which Pose a Bigger Threat

artificial sweeteners have been found to promote obesity and diabetes and could be more dangerous than sugar

While many people are choosing foods and drink containing sweeteners to lose weight, sugar might actually be healthier.

Some countries have even gone as far as to introduce a sugar tax to help improve their citizens’ health. But why is sugar getting all the bad rep when sweeteners are just as dangerous?

The most common sweeteners found in our food are saccharin, sucralose and aspartame, which are purely synthetic chemicals, and stevia and xylitol, which are refined from chemicals found in plants.

Since – generally speaking – sweeteners don’t have any real nutritional value, they are truly zero calories. But zero calorie doesn’t always mean healthy – and it doesn’t either mean that they will help you lose weight.

A new study, presented at the Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, USA, found artificial sweeteners to be linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The reason companies switched from sugar to artificial sweeteners is clear. People want tasty, sweet foods that don’t contribute to an increase in weight. But after more and more evidence suggesting that artificial sweeteners increase the risk of obesity and diabetes, it becomes clearer that they are promoting obesity rather than combatting it.

Today, science has reasons to believe that a diet rich in artificial sweeteners Research has suggested that consuming lots of artificial sweeteners mess up the bacteria in your gut, making them less tolerant to glucose, the main compound of sugar.

During the study, researchers monitored the biological changes in rats that had been put under either a sugar-rich diet or one full of artificial sweeteners.

After three weeks, both groups of mice showed significantly negative changes, like concentrations of blood lipids.

But what does this mean?

Well, in my opinion, it sounds like you should only limit your sugar intake, and try to avoid artificial sweeteners. Knowing how something natural harms you is always better than leaving yourself to the unknown.

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