Do Artificial Sweeteners Hinder Weight Loss? What Are Healthy Alternatives that Satisfy?
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Saw this last month. Not convinced based on one study that only correlates a few points and is alluding that the results in mice are going to be the same in humans.
This recent study says there may be more to connect artificial sweeteners and Diabetes. Obviously, more research needs to be done. I'm glad I don't use any of it considering my family is genetically predisposed to Diabetes, despite being thin. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/17/artificial-sweetener-diabetes/15777225/
There are far more many studies that are peer reviewed that show that aspartame is safe to use.
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So he had PKU? Because it's people with PKU who shouldn't consume aspartame. Doc should have asked or inquired. Some people are sensitive to it, but like allergies to certain foods, etc., it's something THEY should be aware of. For the general public, aspartame is fine.This can be a touchy subject. I almost didn't post because I'm new here and don't want to participate in any debates. However, I do feel strongly about this one so I'm taking the risk and posting... A few years ago my husband started developing some very scary neurological problems. He was fainting, loosing sight for a minute at a time, his leg would feel weak and give out. He had horrible headaches etc. We spent thousands of dollars on medical tests (at first they though MS, then after ruling that out they thought brain tumor etc.) The doctors didn't know what was wrong and prescribed him a stong anti-seizure medicine to control his symptoms. The medicine had a horrifying list of side effects, but he was desperate.
Luckily a coworker of mine happened to bring in a case of diet sprite and said we could have them at the office because she realized artificial sweeteners were causing her headaches. A bell went off in my head, my husband had consumed so many artificial sweeteners since he had decided to lose weight. He switched from his 2 cokes a day to coke zero. He suddenly developed more of a taste for them and since they were guilt free he was drinking 3 or more a day and he had developed a taste for sugar free jello too. These habit had been going on for months before his health issues and continued as we sought medical advice. No Dr had ever asked him about what he was eating.
Turns out my husband had aspartame poisoning (it's a real thing.) When he presented the idea to our Dr she said "Oh yes, some people are very sensitive to artificial sweeteners." Since then we've immersed ourselves in the research and know how dangerous this stuff is. He was much better within 3 weeks of quitting aspartame and totally healthy within about 3 months.
I think only some people have sensitivity to artificial sweeteners and I'm sure it's safe-ish for most people. Personally, after seeing first hand the damage it can do I don't consume them.
I am in no way proposing that aspartame is more dangerous than obesity. Loosing weight is important and we need resources and alternatives in order to not feel deprived. We should just be aware of what we are putting into our bodies and be alert to any possible sensitivities.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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So he had PKU? Because it's people with PKU who shouldn't consume aspartame. Doc should have asked or inquired. Some people are sensitive to it, but like allergies to certain foods, etc., it's something THEY should be aware of. For the general public, aspartame is fine.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
[/quote]
No, he's never been diagnosed as having PKU (which was a new term to me with your post, but a quick Google search makes me doubt he has it.) Our doctor deduced, after seeing proof of the resolution of his symptoms, that the artificial sweeteners had been toxic for him. I absolutely agree that the doctors should have asked about his diet. They asked about alcohol and drugs, but never talked about his general eating habits. That simple question would has saved us a ton of money.
I also agree that aspartame is likely fine for the general public in moderation. However, many dieters over use artificially sweetened diet foods and I've seen first hand that that can cause damage to some people.
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It can for some. It would take quite a dose though of it though to do some serious damage. A study a few years back done on mice showed lots of neurological damage and other issues. But the dosage they gave them was equivalent to a human drinking about 4 cases a day of diet soda. I would think that that would be overkill.No, he's never been diagnosed as having PKU (which was a new term to me with your post, but a quick Google search makes me doubt he has it.) Our doctor deduced, after seeing proof of the resolution of his symptoms, that the artificial sweeteners had been toxic for him. I absolutely agree that the doctors should have asked about his diet. They asked about alcohol and drugs, but never talked about his general eating habits. That simple question would has saved us a ton of money.
I also agree that aspartame is likely fine for the general public in moderation. However, many dieters over use artificially sweetened diet foods and I've seen first hand that that can cause damage to some people.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Sorry ninerbuff for ruffling your feathers. We all hold a topic near and dear to our heart. Mine is not artificial sweeteners or even stevia. Mine is child nutrition. But I did mention that we should research anything we put into our body. Also that everyone would have an opinion. I did not come in here spouting knowledge as a doctor or a reseach peer conductor. Sure they use mice and find this or that, but it is a start. I am very pleased none of your people have shown issues using artifical sweetners. That awsome! But as in any food or drug, there is another side of the coin. I can only imagine as technology or science advances how many safe "thing" one reccomends we will find toxic. Or if one thought hard, detoxed from sweetners, what health issues would be gone.
I personally have illiminated white sugar and artificial sweeteners from my family's diet and seen in a short 3 months huge changes.
What probably would be best is not coming here and making someone feel attack because they did cut it and saved their health. Sure you have fancy red words after each share. But we all live different lives. Have different things that affect that life. One can apprectate the knowledge you can share, & utilize it. But done with a softer touch maybe.
Like my dad always says "opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one." When we open a discussion like here, everyone will in fact have an opinion. If we dont agree we roll our eyes and move on. But what if that one eyeroll share actually does help someone in a positive way? Who knows? I sure the hell dont http://www.livestrong.com/article/536467-does-stevia-affect-insulin/#page=4
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Here's where to search published medical studies for whatever subject you want:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Here's the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18535548Consuming >21 artificially sweetened beverages per week (vs. none) was associated with almost-doubled risk of overweight (BMI > or = 25) among 1,250 normal-weight individuals, and doubled risk of obesity (BMI > or = 30) among 2,571 normal-weight individuals.
A significant positive dose-response relationship emerged ...
Here's the full text article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2008.284/pdf
Here's the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3714671This study looked at 78694 women ages 50-69 years... Those who used artificial sweeteners were significantly more likely than non-users to gain weight, regardless of initial BMI, but the difference in weight gain between the users & non-users was less than 2 lb.
So the 30+ x larger study found no real difference in weight gain from using artificial sweeteners v. natural sweeteners.
The good news is that stevia is a natural sweetener and is being used in more & more products.
Aspartame is also natural, being made from 2 amino acids.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16985027This study of 285,079 men and 188,905 women ages 50 to 71 says that aspartame is not found to be related to bone marrow or brain cancers.
Full text: http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/9/1654.long
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I eat super low-carb so real sugar is basically a no-go for me. I try to be as sparing as possible with the aritificial sweeteners but do use them on occasion and haven't seen any affect on my weight loss or appetite - I don't crave more sugar or overeat on days that I have artificial sweeteners. I mainly have the sweeteners in the form of Torani's sugar-free syrups or in Simply Lite sugar-free chocolate, which use splenda and malitol, respectively. The one that I've heard the most bad stuff about is aspartame, which is in diet Dr. Pepper, so I try to make those a rare treat - maybe 1 or 2 a month.0
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re: artificial sweeteners influencing diabetes
The abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17982603A small study found that artificial sweeteners make no significant changes in blood glucose concentration vs. sugar.
Get the full text here: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2007/141827/abs/
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20078374Data from large, epidemiologic studies support the existence of an association between artificially-sweetened beverage consumption and weight gain in children.
Randomized controlled trials in children are very limited, and do not clearly demonstrate either beneficial or adverse metabolic effects of artificial sweeteners.
Presently, there is no strong clinical evidence for causality regarding artificial sweetener use and metabolic health effects...
Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951976/ 0 -
nosebag1212 wrote: »no, cals in-cals out is EVERYTHING
This is all the truth you need.0 -
maybebaby34 wrote: »Sorry ninerbuff for ruffling your feathers. We all hold a topic near and dear to our heart. Mine is not artificial sweeteners or even stevia. Mine is child nutrition. But I did mention that we should research anything we put into our body. Also that everyone would have an opinion. I did not come in here spouting knowledge as a doctor or a reseach peer conductor. Sure they use mice and find this or that, but it is a start. I am very pleased none of your people have shown issues using artifical sweetners. That awsome! But as in any food or drug, there is another side of the coin. I can only imagine as technology or science advances how many safe "thing" one reccomends we will find toxic. Or if one thought hard, detoxed from sweetners, what health issues would be gone.
I personally have illiminated white sugar and artificial sweeteners from my family's diet and seen in a short 3 months huge changes.
What probably would be best is not coming here and making someone feel attack because they did cut it and saved their health. Sure you have fancy red words after each share. But we all live different lives. Have different things that affect that life. One can apprectate the knowledge you can share, & utilize it. But done with a softer touch maybe.
Like my dad always says "opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one." When we open a discussion like here, everyone will in fact have an opinion. If we dont agree we roll our eyes and move on. But what if that one eyeroll share actually does help someone in a positive way? Who knows? I sure the hell dont http://www.livestrong.com/article/536467-does-stevia-affect-insulin/#page=4
who was doing any attacking?/
Ninerbuff wrote concise factual replies with reference to scinetific studies - which you didnt agree with and you feel attacked???
Good grief
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Counting down to informative, factual posts getting flagged...0
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So he had PKU? Because it's people with PKU who shouldn't consume aspartame. Doc should have asked or inquired. Some people are sensitive to it, but like allergies to certain foods, etc., it's something THEY should be aware of. For the general public, aspartame is fine.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
No, he's never been diagnosed as having PKU (which was a new term to me with your post, but a quick Google search makes me doubt he has it.) Our doctor deduced, after seeing proof of the resolution of his symptoms, that the artificial sweeteners had been toxic for him. I absolutely agree that the doctors should have asked about his diet. They asked about alcohol and drugs, but never talked about his general eating habits. That simple question would has saved us a ton of money.
I also agree that aspartame is likely fine for the general public in moderation. However, many dieters over use artificially sweetened diet foods and I've seen first hand that that can cause damage to some people.
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He does not have PKU. That much is certain.
People with PKU are diagnosed as infants via newborn heel prick test. They have to follow a VERY strict diet for life or they will suffer irreversible brain damage.
The diet means avoiding many many things - certainly not just diet soft drinks.0 -
YES! Yes, they do. I'm studying this right now in college. They can actually lead to weight gain, diabetes and metabolic diseases! They are not good at all.
If you have any questions, just message me
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I did not say once I felt attacked. Ever!0
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brittanysmith513 wrote: »YES! Yes, they do. I'm studying this right now in college. They can actually lead to weight gain, diabetes and metabolic diseases! They are not good at all.
If you have any questions, just message me
They can actually not do those things.
If you have any actual evidence of same please do post it though.
On the forum for everybody to read - no need to do it by private message.
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Child nutrition is much different than that of an adult. They are still growing. Having them drinking diet soda shouldn't be the approach if they have a weight issue.maybebaby34 wrote: »Sorry ninerbuff for ruffling your feathers. We all hold a topic near and dear to our heart. Mine is not artificial sweeteners or even stevia. Mine is child nutrition. But I did mention that we should research anything we put into our body. Also that everyone would have an opinion. I did not come in here spouting knowledge as a doctor or a reseach peer conductor. Sure they use mice and find this or that, but it is a start. I am very pleased none of your people have shown issues using artifical sweetners. That awsome! But as in any food or drug, there is another side of the coin. I can only imagine as technology or science advances how many safe "thing" one reccomends we will find toxic. Or if one thought hard, detoxed from sweetners, what health issues would be gone.
I personally have illiminated white sugar and artificial sweeteners from my family's diet and seen in a short 3 months huge changes.
What probably would be best is not coming here and making someone feel attack because they did cut it and saved their health. Sure you have fancy red words after each share. But we all live different lives. Have different things that affect that life. One can apprectate the knowledge you can share, & utilize it. But done with a softer touch maybe.
Like my dad always says "opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one." When we open a discussion like here, everyone will in fact have an opinion. If we dont agree we roll our eyes and move on. But what if that one eyeroll share actually does help someone in a positive way? Who knows? I sure the hell dont http://www.livestrong.com/article/536467-does-stevia-affect-insulin/#page=4
The reality is that artificial sweeteners have been the most studied additive. There are many many studies that show that it's safe to consume IF not over dosed. But the reality also is that over consumption of anything will more than likely cause an issue.
Correct information is good to spread. Trust that me being in the fitness industry, I was inundated with lots of broscience and fear mongering information that didn't hold up due to lack of actual evidence from science. And that's what the forums do. They help to educate people who may have "heard" or "read" information from unreliable sources. Here's a good place to start with aspartame:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1
As for a softer touch, try reading my replies in a tone like I'm speaking to you in a library. Reading a post and imagining me "yelling" it or being snarky will make it sound that way when it's really not.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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*whisper. Thank you! *still whispering....0
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Aspartame doesn't spike insulin. We need calories to spike insulin and fish spikes insulin....now what do we do?maybebaby34 wrote: »I did not say once I felt attacked. Ever!
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neanderthin wrote: »[Aspartame doesn't spike insulin. We need calories to spike insulin and fish spikes insulin....now what do we do?
Eat cream ? where 300 calories doesn't spike insulin.0 -
That information could make peoples brains fall out.neanderthin wrote: »[Aspartame doesn't spike insulin. We need calories to spike insulin and fish spikes insulin....now what do we do?
Eat cream ? where 300 calories doesn't spike insulin.
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Sweeteners cause an insulinic response, so their impact on weight loss depends on the type of diet you are on, if you are on a low carb or slow carb diet where the object is to minimise insulin response then I would avoid sweetners but if you are on a high or moderate carb diet then effect is more likely to be negligible. My argument against sweetners is a) they are nutritionally useless carbs and b) some types of sweetners such as aspartame cause a range of side effects ....0
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I used Splenda to wean myself off sugar. Once I did that I cut it out if my daily consumption. It was preference to be honest, Splenda and sweet and low just tastes too chemichally. The only time that I use it is when I bake. Having a slice of banana bread at 114 Cal or zucchini cake for 78cals for snack makes life more enjoyable. It also helps my family accept healthy changes because it's not so extreme (I. E. No sugar, no cake, etc.).0
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Sounds legit.philwrightfitness wrote: »Sweeteners cause an insulinic response, so their impact on weight loss depends on the type of diet you are on, if you are on a low carb or slow carb diet where the object is to minimise insulin response then I would avoid sweetners but if you are on a high or moderate carb diet then effect is more likely to be negligible. My argument against sweetners is a) they are nutritionally useless carbs and b) some types of sweetners such as aspartame cause a range of side effects ....
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I just can't wait to revisit this topic in 5-10 years. I hope everyone is still around.0
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philwrightfitness wrote: »Sweeteners cause an insulinic response, so their impact on weight loss depends on the type of diet you are on, if you are on a low carb or slow carb diet where the object is to minimise insulin response then I would avoid sweetners but if you are on a high or moderate carb diet then effect is more likely to be negligible. My argument against sweetners is a) they are nutritionally useless carbs and b) some types of sweetners such as aspartame cause a range of side effects ....
a) I dont think anyone is saying they use artificial sweeteners for the nutritional benifits.
They use them because they like sweet things and they have issues with sugar (eg diabetics) or they want a no calorie alternative to sugar for weight control reasons. Or they like the taste of an artifically sweetened product like Pepsi Max.
But that doesnt make them bad - there are many things I consume for reasons other than nutritional benifit - when I eat birthday cake, for example, Im not doing it because it is nutritionally wonderful.
- Doesnt mean I should be against birthday cake.
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b) as stated many times in these threads, for most people, there are no side effects at all so that is a non-issue too.0 -
paperpudding wrote: »philwrightfitness wrote: »Sweeteners cause an insulinic response, so their impact on weight loss depends on the type of diet you are on, if you are on a low carb or slow carb diet where the object is to minimise insulin response then I would avoid sweetners but if you are on a high or moderate carb diet then effect is more likely to be negligible. My argument against sweetners is a) they are nutritionally useless carbs and b) some types of sweetners such as aspartame cause a range of side effects ....
a) I dont think anyone is saying they use artificial sweeteners for the nutritional benifits.
They use them because they like sweet things and they have issues with sugar (eg diabetics) or they want a no calorie alternative to sugar for weight control reasons. Or they like the taste of an artifically sweetened product like Pepsi Max.
But that doesnt make them bad - there are many things I consume for reasons other than nutritional benifit - when I eat birthday cake, for example, Im not doing it because it is nutritionally wonderful.
- Doesnt mean I should be against birthday cake.
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b) as stated many times in these threads, for most people, there are no side effects at all so that is a non-issue too.
What about the "nutritionally useless carbs" in zero calorie sweeteners, don't forget that part
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