Friday, September 20, 2019

Health and Fitness Tip #245 - Artificial sweeteners

Artificial Sweeteners




Artificial sweeteners actually trick your metabolism into thinking sugar is on its way. This causes your body to pump out insulin, the fat storage hormone, which lays down more belly fat, leaving you hungrier and craving even more sugar and starchy carbs like bread and pasta.

In a study of heart disease, people who consumed diet drinks every day had a greater risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Artificial sweeteners have proven to be carcinogenic in animal studies. They wreak havoc on your gut microbes, destroying beneficial bacteria and causing glucose intolerance. 

Something that tastes sweet but contains zero calories may sound like the perfect cure for sugar addiction. But it’s not, and here’s why. Normally, when you eat or drink something sweet, it’s accompanied by lots of calories. But not when you consume artificial sweeteners. This confuses your brain. It senses that the taste of sugar without the accompanying calories from glucose and fructose is wrong, and it tries to correct the imbalance by making you hungrier. 

Not only that, but it also confuses and slows your metabolism down, so you burn less calories every day.

Bottom line: There is no free ride. Diet drinks are not good substitutes for sugar-sweetened drinks. They still (or even more) increase cravings, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. And they are addictive.

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