artificial sweeteners

GretaGirl8

i know this question may sound a little silly, but do artificial sweeteners play a role in weight gain? I am talking diet soda, zero calorie flavored water, low calorie gum and other candies (yes, the last two have calories, which would obviously be factored in when logging).

i have heard that artifiicial sweeteners can cause increased hunger. but that potential issue aside, do artificial sweeteners in and of themselves have some weight inducing properties (for lack of a better word).

thank you.

SugaryLynx

No. I drink and eat things with artificial sweetener every day.

DjangoAndDeadlifts

Short answer: don't worry about it. Lots of people will try to give you lots of terrible advice though. Just smile and nod.

Everything you need to know: http://examine.com/topics/Diet+Soda/

jonnythan

i know this question may sound a little silly, but do artificial sweeteners play a role in weight gain? I am talking diet soda, zero calorie flavored water, low calorie gum and other candies (yes, the last two have calories, which would obviously be factored in when logging).

i have heard that artifiicial sweeteners can cause increased hunger. but that potential issue aside, do artificial sweeteners in and of themselves have some weight inducing properties (for lack of a better word).

thank you.

Not directly, no. They don't affect blood sugar levels and contain zero calories. They don't cause cancer or anything else (assuming you don't have phenylketonuria).

Worst they can do is, perhaps, make you crave certain foods which then play a role in overeating. However, if you're counting your calories that's irrelevant.

(In before the people who claim all artificial sweeteners, which are wildly different chemicals, cause them the same health problems.)

GretaGirl8

i seem to be very much in binge mode lately. so i have taken to gum/sugar free candies/diet soda to assist with the cravings. I've noted some weight gain, but i guess logically it is not these items, but falling off track with my diet.

ray_j4626

There are studies that suggest it does actually cause weight gain. More worryingly though it can reduce concentration, effect organs such as the brain (tested in rats created holes in their brains) and has even been suggested to be linked to cancer.

Although health officials claim its all fluff I don't really buy it. I personally stay away from the stuff when I can, my partner gets headaches when he drinks the stuff anyway. I convinced my grandmother to come away from them types of drinks too, she's also stopped having so many migraines. I'm not saying its just the artificial sweeteners that are the problem, but I do believe they cause a lot of it.

If your interested in the subject have a read on google of some of the articles regarding artificial sweeteners.

My motto is go natural, just reduce your intake to a sensible level, if you need such crutches as artificial sweetners then your diet is not rectified and you are at risk of a relapse. Change is meant to be for your health before your waist, concentrate on the former and the latter will fall into place naturally.

I'm not saying some people do rely on artificial sweetners due to conditions such as diabetics etc but I'd even offer some friendly advice to them to find natural alternatives to sugar rather than the artificial stuff.

Just my opinion on the matter anyway, obviously I'm not going to tell people what to do with their lives just saying personally I've found my life has improved since moving away from them as has others I know.

If you have any questions on the subject though please feel free to ask

Note: From a scientific point of view though cutting out things your body needs, such as sugar will force your body to store excess fats in the worry that it might not see vital nutrition for a while, its just how we've been built.

jonnythan

Note: From a scientific point of view though cutting out things your body needs, such as sugar will force your body to store excess fats in the worry that it might not see vital nutrition for a while, its just how we've been built.

lolwut.

ray_j4626

Note: From a scientific point of view though cutting out things your body needs, such as sugar will force your body to store excess fats in the worry that it might not see vital nutrition for a while, its just how we've been built.

lolwut.

I don't follow your confusion.... mankind survived for years not knowing where their next meal was going to come from.....

I'm not saying people should shovel sugar into their mouths but a sweet green tea once a day or a sweetie/chocolate bar here and there will do you better than if you went without as your getting a good steady stream and your less likely to crash and eat a whole pack after going cold turkey for two weeks.

NOT OFFICIAL QUANTITIES HERE, just an example:

Basically if you have a sweet a day your body won't be so bothered and won't turn it all into fat.

If you go without any sugar for days then eat a pack of chewits lets say, your body will hang on too all that fat because it's unsure when it will next see sugar.

SugaryLynx

Note: From a scientific point of view though cutting out things your body needs, such as sugar will force your body to store excess fats in the worry that it might not see vital nutrition for a while, its just how we've been built.

lolwut.

I don't follow your confusion.... mankind survived for years not knowing where their next meal was going to come from.....

I'm not saying people should shovel sugar into their mouths but a sweet green tea once a day or a sweetie/chocolate bar here and there will do you better than if you went without as your getting a good steady stream and your less likely to crash and eat a whole pack after going cold turkey for two weeks.

I think the storing fat thing is lol-worthy. I love moderation but your body only stores fat at a calorie surplus, not in lack of a micronutrient. In your theory, since sugar is a carb wouldn't it still be sustainable with the continued carb consumption? Btw, I eat copious amounts of sugar, so lack is not of my concern. I still don't mine artificial sweeteners

jonnythan

Note: From a scientific point of view though cutting out things your body needs, such as sugar will force your body to store excess fats in the worry that it might not see vital nutrition for a while, its just how we've been built.

lolwut.

I don't follow your confusion.... mankind survived for years not knowing where their next meal was going to come from.....

I'm not saying people should shovel sugar into their mouths but a sweet green tea once a day or a sweetie/chocolate bar here and there will do you better than if you went without as your getting a good steady stream and your less likely to crash and eat a whole pack after going cold turkey for two weeks.

Oh my confusion is multifaceted.

First of all, humans do not need to consume sugar. At all, period, for any reason. Don't get me wrong; I love sugar. I regularly eat like 6 times the MFP recommended amount of sugar. But there's no dietary need for it, and not consuming sugar doesn't force the body to store fats. That doesn't even make sense. The human body is quite adept at manufacturing sugar from other carbohydrates as well as fats and proteins.

And this is ignoring the nonsense about artificial sweeteners you posted.

jonnythan

If you go without any sugar for days then eat a pack of chewits lets say, your body will hang on too all that fat because it's unsure when it will next see sugar.

lolnope.

kenzietate

i know this question may sound a little silly, but do artificial sweeteners play a role in weight gain? I am talking diet soda, zero calorie flavored water, low calorie gum and other candies (yes, the last two have calories, which would obviously be factored in when logging).

i have heard that artifiicial sweeteners can cause increased hunger. but that potential issue aside, do artificial sweeteners in and of themselves have some weight inducing properties (for lack of a better word).

thank you.

Not directly, no. They don't affect blood sugar levels and contain zero calories. They don't cause cancer or anything else (assuming you don't have phenylketonuria).

Worst they can do is, perhaps, make you crave certain foods which then play a role in overeating. However, if you're counting your calories that's irrelevant.

(In before the people who claim all artificial sweeteners, which are wildly different chemicals, cause them the same health problems.)

Though I agree with most of your post I just wanted to clarify for someone who might be insulin resistant and/or diabetic. Certain artificial sweeteners can cause an insulin response and can effect your blood sugar. But only a minority people have this problem I just wanted to clarify because I found I had this issue with aspartame based sweeteners. Took me a while to figure out what it was.

twixlepennie

No. I drink and eat things with artificial sweetener every day.

This.

twixlepennie

There are studies that suggest it does actually cause weight gain. More worryingly though it can reduce concentration, effect organs such as the brain (tested in rats created holes in their brains) and has even been suggested to be linked to cancer.

Although health officials claim its all fluff I don't really buy it. I personally stay away from the stuff when I can, my partner gets headaches when he drinks the stuff anyway. I convinced my grandmother to come away from them types of drinks too, she's also stopped having so many migraines. I'm not saying its just the artificial sweeteners that are the problem, but I do believe they cause a lot of it.

If your interested in the subject have a read on google of some of the articles regarding artificial sweeteners.

My motto is go natural, just reduce your intake to a sensible level, if you need such crutches as artificial sweetners then your diet is not rectified and you are at risk of a relapse. Change is meant to be for your health before your waist, concentrate on the former and the latter will fall into place naturally.

I'm not saying some people do rely on artificial sweetners due to conditions such as diabetics etc but I'd even offer some friendly advice to them to find natural alternatives to sugar rather than the artificial stuff.

Just my opinion on the matter anyway, obviously I'm not going to tell people what to do with their lives just saying personally I've found my life has improved since moving away from them as has others I know.

If you have any questions on the subject though please feel free to ask

Note: From a scientific point of view though cutting out things your body needs, such as sugar will force your body to store excess fats in the worry that it might not see vital nutrition for a while, its just how we've been built.

:huh:

Glens_Life

Its up to you but I found since I stop drinking diet soda. I don't hurt as much and the cravings slowed down. I mostly drink good ole water and sometimes some regular soda Pepsi and pepsi next.

ray_j4626

I'm not saying sugar only comes in the form of that little white powdery stuff, I'm well aware its not a "staple"......

Just saying its like the Cycling (yo yo) diet theory, you purge and then eventually your going to either end up messing up your head or just simply caving and binging again, I swear I've read scientific research into bodies storing fat after being deprived but seeming as I can not find any evidence to back this it seems I might be mistaken or the theory disproven. Cycling diet theory does still stand though because that's down to human error that you will likely consume more if you deprive youself than if you had just had a little every day over a timescale.

I didn't really want to post here because I knew something like this would happen. I don't mind if every other person in the world wants to ingest sweetners, all I'm saying is that I've PERSONALLY found it better since I've moved away from them. Do what ever you like with your lives I'm not here to judge or criticize, was simply offering my own experiences as a comment. Didn't come here to be poked like a pin cushion ¬_¬

ray_j4626

Its up to you but I found since I stop drinking diet soda. I don't hurt as much and the cravings slowed down. I mostly drink good ole water and sometimes some regular soda Pepsi and pepsi next.

This, please will you teach me to keep my posts short and sweet? :laugh:

jonnythan

all I'm saying is that I've PERSONALLY found it better since I've moved away from them.

Maybe you should have started with that and left out all the nonsense about bodies needing sugar, cancer, and storing things as fat.

countrybabe23

No. I drink and eat things with artificial sweetener every day.

^^this.