Doctors once thought artificial sweeteners lacked the health risks of sugar, but a new study says they can impact blood sugar levels the same way.
As if parents didn’t already have enough to concern themselves with, it looks like artificial sweeteners could pose another health risk, according to a September 18, 2014 article posted by the Boston Globe.
Based on a study published in the journal Nature, artificial sweeteners could lead to the development of diabetes.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and involved mice and people.
According to the study, the chemicals in artificial sweeteners disrupt the flora of certain bacteria in the small and large intestines, leading to an increase in blood sugar.
The results were consistent with laboratory mice and with people. Individuals who consumed saccharin for a week showed elevated blood sugar levels in 4 out of the 7 individuals who took part in the study.
We demonstrated that the bacteria could cause changes that would cause disturbances in glucose levels, said Eran Elinav, one of the studys coauthors.
Study results also showed that gut bacteria is fundamentally altered in those who use artificial sweeteners- a finding that could lead to other health concerns besides diabetes.
As scientists, we simply point to the immense body of experiments that we carried out in humans and mice and in none have we seen any beneficial effects for using artificial sweeteners as opposed to regular sugar and natural sweeteners, said Eran Segal, another study coauthor.
We believe at the very least that this study and this result should prompt additional debate into what is currently a massive use of artificial sweeteners.
Artificial sweeteners are popular due to their lack of calories and are a common go- to sugar substitute for those who are watching their weight.
But the results of this study and others like it show that the reduced calorie benefit may not be worth it in the long run and could lead to other health problems- problems far more severe than added calories.
Parents are often rightfully concerned about feeding artificial sweeteners to children, but ordinary sugar isn’t much better and most nutrition experts agree that both should be controlled.
As for the results of this study, more research is needed before any definite conclusions can be drawn. In the meantime, the best advice for parents and children is to limit sugar and artificial sweeteners in any form, whenever possible.
Source The Examiner
