They have shown that artificial sweeteners influence metabolism
2014/09/18 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
Artificial calorie-free sweeteners can be even worse than sugar as a cause of glucose intolerance (high blood glucose concentration) and diabetes. This has been demonstrated by a group of researchers in an article published by the journal Nature: Artificial sweeteners induces glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota.
In fact, many people, including diabetes or blood glucose, use artificial condiments instead of sugars because they consider them healthier. However, researchers have shown that these sweeteners, far from preventing, increase some metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and glucose intolerance.
The mechanism by which metabolic alterations occur has also been studied and it has been observed that they are due to their influence on intestinal microorganisms. In fact, intestinal microorganisms play a fundamental role in metabolism and artificial sweeteners cause important changes in their balance.
To reach these conclusions, the influence of aspartame, saccharin and artificial sucralose has been compared with water, sugar and glucose, in the mouse and in people, in the short and long term. And both in the mouse and in people, they have seen that artificial sweeteners are even worse than sugar in the area of diabetes and glucose intolerance. Therefore, researchers have suggested the need to review the regulations for the consumption of artificial sweeteners “since they increase the diseases that are wanted to prevent in a fair way”.
However, some do not believe that the results of the research are so significant. The researcher at the University of Cambridge, O’Rahilly, for example, warns that the research has only analyzed the results of 381 people. “However, in another study with 333,000 people, they have found no relationship between diabetes and consumption of beverages with artificial condiments.” Similar note has made the doctor specialized in metabolic diseases Naveed Sattar.
In any case, most experts consider that the research itself is interesting and also it seems beneficial to them to resurrect the debate on artificial condiments.
