A common artificial sweetener might be making you fatter and sicker, a new study says

[Zorro]

Source: Washington Post

A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism by a group of Yale researchers found that the consumption of the common artificial sweetener sucralose (which is found in Splenda, Zerocal, Sukrana, SucraPlus and other brands) in combination with carbohydrates can swiftly turn a healthy person into one with high blood sugar.

From whole grain English muffins to reduced-sugar ketchup, sucralose is found in thousands of baked goods, condiments, syrups and other consumer packaged goods — almost all of them containing carbs.

The finding, which researchers noted has yet to be replicated in other studies, raises new questions about the use of artificial sweeteners and their effects on weight gain and overall health.

In the Yale study, researchers took 60 healthy-weight individuals and separated them into three groups: A group that consumed a regular-size beverage containing the equivalent of two packets of sucralose sweetener, a second group that consumed a beverage sweetened with table sugar at the equivalent sweetness, and a third control group that had a beverage with the artificial sweetener as well as a carbohydrate called maltodextrin.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/10/common-artificial-sweetener-might-be-making-you-fatter-sicker-new-study-says/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Someone told me in the 1990s

that diet soda made you fat. His girlfriend was the 'proof' he offered. I tucked the idea away in my mind. Still not sure about it. I've gained weight the last year. I know it's diet. But I have added sugar free puddings and gelatins. Time to reexamine that decision.

[cstanleytech]

2. Interesting but they need to do more research to find out if it happens

with other carbs or just those involving maltodextrin.

[Bayard]

3. I switched to cheap Stevia a few years ago

It may be half cellulose, but I think its about the safest thing out there. $1 a box at Dollar General.

[Lord Ludd]

11. Glad to hear that

Stevia is the sweetener in the chocolate-flavored protein powder I just started using.

[SunSeeker]

4. WTF. This shit should be off the market.

From the article:

Seven beverages over two weeks and the previously healthy people in this group became glucose intolerant, a metabolic condition that results in elevated blood glucose levels and puts people at an increased risk for diabetes.

[wyldwolf]

5. You mean the pitchforks aren't out for Aspertame this time?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC520987/

https://theoutline.com/post/842/diet-coke-is-not-killing-you?zd=2&zi=fftcz7mx&fbclid=IwAR1cpUwZJ7EJ43DooJ6LD-e7KbQs57_1-H_jTll9EYkdbqRqOL_gLUPu-30

[lordsummerisle]

6. k&r n/t

[Hekate]

7. KnR

[pecosbob]

8. Surprise, surprise, surprise

The local 99 cent stores began to replace all their sugar-flavored drinks with sucralose-favored drinks about five years ago. I stopped shopping there as soft drinks was about the only thing I bought there anyway and I can't stand the tase of saccharine, sucralose, aspertame or any of the artificial sweeteners.

I recently became aware that 98% of all our artificial sweeteners are made in China. I wonder if the Chinese consume as much of these sweeteners as Americans do, or if they avoid them and dump them all on us?

[Stryst]

9. Totally annecdotal;

A couple of years back my partner and I decided to cut HFCS and white sugar out of our diet. First we learned that there's about 200 different names for "sugar" and you have to learn them all.

But we lost a LOT of weight.

New years, our resolution was to cut all soda pop and most of the diet sweeteners out. Since cutting out my zero calorie soda's, I'm going through another round of weight loss.

I don't think I could have gone totally cold turkey on all sweeteners. But I now kinda look at the artificial sweeteners as methadone; if it gets you off the junk, great. But you can still get hooked on it.

[kimbutgar]

10. I gave up sodas years ago and never drank diet sodas and maintain the same weight

My older sister like her fake sugar and she is diabetic. She is the only one in our immediate family who has diabetes. I am convinced she got her diabetes from the fake sugars.