Sweeteners, love ’em or loathe ’em they’re a controversial subject. My own stance is that within moderation they help but the ‘in moderation’ is the key phrase. This latest bariatric buzz based on a systematic review from the International Journal of Obesity gives the latest thoughts …
The Persistent Mythology of Sweeteners
The mythology of sweeteners seems impervious to facts. Once more, a systematic review of the available evidence — this one just published in the International Journal of Obesity — concludes that:
The balance of evidence indicates that use of low energy sweeteners in place of sugar, in children and adults, leads to reduced energy intake and body weight, and possibly also when compared with water.
Yet consumers are running from them like the plague. Sales of diet soda continues to drop, while sugary soda is showing growth. Consumers, it seems, have been persuaded by psueudo-science that diet soda is just chemicals in a can. The facts are irrelevant in this situation. Everywhere, you can find “experts” describing supposed dangers of sugar substitutes. One of the most persistent theories is that they promote bad dietary habits that lead to weight gain. Of course there’s no real evidence that it’s actually true.
In truth, what’s more likely to promote bad dietary habits is bad advice based on personal bias rather than objective facts. Such bad advice may be having an indirect effect of promoting sugar consumption.
– See the report here
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ChrissyT says
As a diabetes specialist nurse I have great trouble persuading many of my patients that full sugar sodas, fruit juices and various types of sugar in tea or coffee is ‘safer’ than artificial sweeteners. Not for you I say, and not for those of us trying to lose weight. People mistakenly also believe that honey, brown sugar, fructose etc are ‘better’ than the White sprinkly stuff. The bottom line is that carbs are converted to energy and those containing sugars will be converted more quickly and easily than more complex carbs, if we take in more energy than we use then the body will store the excess, first in the liver and second as fat.
CAROL says
Thanks for your comment Chrissy – I frequently come across WLS patients who mistakenly believe that ‘natural’ sugars are somehow better than the so-called ‘pure white and deadly’ version. I think we can thank a good many manufacturers for labelling their foods accordingly for that. I try to distinguish in my recipes the need to check carbs but sugars in particular since complex carbs are important and don’t have the same immediate conversion rate and spiking effect of simple sugars but there is much confusion around the subject. Many WLS Patients do have to check sugars most vigilantly because of the problems with ‘dumping syndrome’ – I am one and am sensitive to doses of sugars above a 10g hit in one meal so this is reflected in my recipes and advice for fellow ‘sufferers’. It’s for this reason that I use some natural and artificial sweeteners in my recipes (and suggest readers use their preferred one or even sugar if they prefer) too but try to keep them at a moderate level. Thankfully many diabetics find their diabetes disappears (or their medication can be reduced substantially) after bariatric/weight-loss surgery. C x