Artificial sweeteners and frequent urination
Options
oat_bran
Posts: 370 Member
Another thread on this forum on artificial sweeteners lead me to this question. I've been sort of struggling with frequent urination for many years (don't even remember when it started). It's especially an issue at night since I often wake up 2-4 times to pee. I saw a doctor about it a few years back but she didn't find any problem with me. So I've just accepted that it's due to me drinking quite a lot and just a "particularity" of my body. I also attributed it to changes in my calorie deficit - since a deficit after a period of maintenance or overeating always made me pee like crazy due to (I assume) decrease in glycogen stores and the water weight that goes with it.
But someone mentioned stevia makes them pee a lot on another thread and it got me thinking. I've been using artificial sweeteners for years (probably as long as I've had the urination frequency issue?) I don't use stevia that often. But I use sucralose to sweeten my foods on a daily basis and many of the protein powder and bars and low cal foods I buy have sucralose in them and sometimes sugar alcohols. The flavour drops I use to flavour my water also have sucralose and acesulfam-K in them.
I started googling it, but not much came up. Several websites mention certain artificial sweeteners being "irritating to the bladder" along with many common foods like tomatoes and spicy foods. So there is a connection but it doesn't sound like it's artificial sweeteners in themselves can make you pee many times more if you don't have a bladder problem to begin with. But there were also a few other mentions on the web of people noticing a connection and saying artificial sweeteners make them pee a lot.
It also appears to be not that easy to test by elimination since apparently it can "wear out the bladder over time" and it becomes use to frequent urination. Also, since artificial sweeteners are all different I assume not all of them have that affect? One website mentioned sucralose, the other aspartam and the person in the other thread mention stevia.
So basically I wanted to start a thread to see if there are other people who have noticed a connection and if yes, what was the type of artificial sweetener that caused an increased i urination frequency?
But someone mentioned stevia makes them pee a lot on another thread and it got me thinking. I've been using artificial sweeteners for years (probably as long as I've had the urination frequency issue?) I don't use stevia that often. But I use sucralose to sweeten my foods on a daily basis and many of the protein powder and bars and low cal foods I buy have sucralose in them and sometimes sugar alcohols. The flavour drops I use to flavour my water also have sucralose and acesulfam-K in them.
I started googling it, but not much came up. Several websites mention certain artificial sweeteners being "irritating to the bladder" along with many common foods like tomatoes and spicy foods. So there is a connection but it doesn't sound like it's artificial sweeteners in themselves can make you pee many times more if you don't have a bladder problem to begin with. But there were also a few other mentions on the web of people noticing a connection and saying artificial sweeteners make them pee a lot.
It also appears to be not that easy to test by elimination since apparently it can "wear out the bladder over time" and it becomes use to frequent urination. Also, since artificial sweeteners are all different I assume not all of them have that affect? One website mentioned sucralose, the other aspartam and the person in the other thread mention stevia.
So basically I wanted to start a thread to see if there are other people who have noticed a connection and if yes, what was the type of artificial sweetener that caused an increased i urination frequency?
3
Replies
-
Have you been in to see the urologist? Sometimes they have better answers than the internet. I have an enlarged prostate that presses on the bladder. and takes something that shrinks it some. They also checked to make sure the enlargement wasn't anything more serious. There is a lot of anecdata out there about sweeteners, but all the hard data in major peer reviewed studies doesn't find the problems.7
-
Maybe we can get @Aaron_K123 to chime in.
I've always had to get up 2-3 times a night. Losing weight has not changed that for me. So long before I was drinking diet soda's I had the issue and I still have it now that I drink mostly water and some diet pop.
1 -
Short answer is no, I don't believe that current artificial sweeteners would have any affect whatsoever on frequency of urination.
Long answer. Artificial sweeteners are all very different from one another, the only thing that unifies them is that they are much sweeter than sugar. Stevia, surcralose, aspartame, acesulfame K etc are all chemically distinct from one another and it does not make sense to group them all together like they would have the same affects.
The purpose of urination is to get rid of waste products (specifically nitrogen-based waste in the form of uric acid that comes predominately from proteins) and to regulate the concentration of dissolved solutes in your circulation. Your cells need to be bathed in an isotonic solution, water with an equivalent amount of dissolved solutes in it as that found within the cells themselves. To do that your body monitors the amount of dissolved solutes in your circulation. If you have too many then you will become thirsty and your body will attempt to retain the water you have, making your urine more concentrated in terms of waste and dumping solutes into your urine in order to maintain balance. In those cases you will urinate infrequently. If you have too few dissolved solutes your body will attempt to compensate by flushing water out of your system through urination which will result in frequent urination. Neither of these things would be influenced by eating artificial sweeteners as they are at very low concentrations given their inherent sweetness (ie they aren't that much in terms of solutes) and they have nothing to do with hydration.
Things that influence how frequently you urinate would be: how much liquid you drink, how much salt you take in (salts being the primary solute), how much of your diet is carbohydrate (takes a lot of water to solublize glycogen leading to water retention), how much of your diet is protein (adds to the waste product in terms of additional nitrogen sources although this is going to be a small influence) and how large your bladder is and if there is any pressure on it that is compressing it. I really don't see how something like stevia or aspartame or sucralose would have any affect at all.
Think of it this way. If you urninate and expel water when you don't need to, ie when your body actually should be retaining that water, then you would become dangerously dehydrated over time. If there was something you could eat that would trick your body into expelling water when unneccessary it would be a rather deadly substance. Chances are you are urinating frequently because you need to be urinating frequently because either you are taking in more water than you need to be, your diet is low on carbohydrate so there is little glycogen to keep solubilized, you have a low salt intake so your body is constantly trying to flush water out to keep your circulation isotonic with your cells or you have something physically pushing on your bladder causing it to be smaller in volume so you have to urinate more often.28 -
Thanks3
-
Aaron_K123 wrote: »Short answer is no, I don't believe that current artificial sweeteners would have any affect whatsoever on frequency of urination.
Long answer. Artificial sweeteners are all very different from one another, the only thing that unifies them is that they are much sweeter than sugar. Stevia, surcralose, aspartame, acesulfame K etc are all chemically distinct from one another and it does not make sense to group them all together like they would have the same affects.
The purpose of urination is to get rid of waste products (specifically nitrogen-based waste in the form of uric acid that comes predominately from proteins) and to regulate the concentration of dissolved solutes in your circulation. Your cells need to be bathed in an isotonic solution, water with an equivalent amount of dissolved solutes in it as that found within the cells themselves. To do that your body monitors the amount of dissolved solutes in your circulation. If you have too many then you will become thirsty and your body will attempt to retain the water you have, making your urine more concentrated in terms of waste and dumping solutes into your urine in order to maintain balance. In those cases you will urinate infrequently. If you have too few dissolved solutes your body will attempt to compensate by flushing water out of your system through urination which will result in frequent urination. Neither of these things would be influenced by eating artificial sweeteners as they are at very low concentrations given their inherent sweetness (ie they aren't that much in terms of solutes) and they have nothing to do with hydration.
Things that influence how frequently you urinate would be: how much liquid you drink, how much salt you take in (salts being the primary solute), how much of your diet is carbohydrate (takes a lot of water to solublize glycogen leading to water retention), how much of your diet is protein (adds to the waste product in terms of additional nitrogen sources although this is going to be a small influence) and how large your bladder is and if there is any pressure on it that is compressing it. I really don't see how something like stevia or aspartame or sucralose would have any affect at all.
Think of it this way. If you urninate and expel water when you don't need to, ie when your body actually should be retaining that water, then you would become dangerously dehydrated over time. If there was something you could eat that would trick your body into expelling water when unneccessary it would be a rather deadly substance. Chances are you are urinating frequently because you need to be urinating frequently because either you are taking in more water than you need to be, your diet is low on carbohydrate so there is little glycogen to keep solubilized, you have a low salt intake so your body is constantly trying to flush water out to keep your circulation isotonic with your cells or you have something physically pushing on your bladder causing it to be smaller in volume so you have to urinate more often.
Thanks for taking your time for such a detailed answer. I am annoyed by the whole artificial sweetener hate based on nothing except for "they are chemicalz". This is why I've been using them to sweetened pretty much everything for years. I understand that logically it doesn't make much sense that they could cause in increase in urination frequency except that maybe they could technically make me thirstier?
I dunno. I'm considering doing an experiment some time later by eliminating them fo a couple of weeks to see if anything changes, but yeah I doubt I'll see any connection.
7 -
Hi Oats,
I have a similar issue with frequent urination and I have definitely noticed a connection in myself between urination and artificial sweeteners. Also, carbonated beverages. Eliminating them from my diet did cause a decrease in the frequency and urgency on a day to day basis. I just use regular sweeteners when needed and less. I still have the issue on-going, but every little improvement helps with an annoying condition like this!
Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it more.13 -
I do so love the detailed answers @aaron_k123 provides.
Not a purposeful sugar substitute user, just eat it if it is in something I have chosen to eat, like my morning protein bar.
However, I was peeing a lot during the day, also drinking about 2-3 litres of water (quite a bit on top of other liquids for my 100-105lbs). On top of the water consumption I dislike anything more than a trace of salt in my food.
My carbs are an average 30-40% daily- so no problem there.
What I found helper cut down on the frequent peeing was increasing my electrolytes, and strengthening my pelvic floor.
I prefer Emergen-C for the electrolyte boost, there are plenty of other brands to choose from, including just raising ones salt intake.
For the pelvic floor I just found a few ab exercises that focused on the pelvic floor, and included doing kegels daily.
Oddly enough I rarely have to get up in the night.
I put this down to a piece of probably erroneous information I read decades ago (I was very young) that said there was a 'switch' in your brain that stopped one peeing at night. I believed it at the time. Now, (at 65) even if I wake up and think I should go I just tell myself to go back to sleep and the 'switch' will work. Hahahaha, silly aside I know, but it works every time.
Cheers, h.
ETA: @aaron_k123, is there a hormonal response/connection to not pering when asleep. Obviously not my 'switch'.7 -
middlehaitch wrote: »I do so love the detailed answers @aaron_k123 provides.
Not a purposeful sugar substitute user, just eat it if it is in something I have chosen to eat, like my morning protein bar.
However, I was peeing a lot during the day, also drinking about 2-3 litres of water (quite a bit on top of other liquids for my 100-105lbs). On top of the water consumption I dislike anything more than a trace of salt in my food.
My carbs are an average 30-40% daily- so no problem there.
What I found helper cut down on the frequent peeing was increasing my electrolytes, and strengthening my pelvic floor.
I prefer Emergen-C for the electrolyte boost, there are plenty of other brands to choose from, including just raising ones salt intake.
For the pelvic floor I just found a few ab exercises that focused on the pelvic floor, and included doing kegels daily.
Oddly enough I rarely have to get up in the night.
I put this down to a piece of probably erroneous information I read decades ago (I was very young) that said there was a 'switch' in your brain that stopped one peeing at night. I believed it at the time. Now, (at 65) even if I wake up and think I should go I just tell myself to go back to sleep and the 'switch' will work. Hahahaha, silly aside I know, but it works every time.
Cheers, h.
I am so stealing this for camping in cold weather...3 -
There may be a lot of people that drink more without realizing it when they add water flavoring (just because they prefer the taste and thus take more frequent sips).4
-
middlehaitch wrote: »
ETA: @aaron_k123, is there a hormonal response/connection to not pering when asleep. Obviously not my 'switch'.
I don't know to be honest. I mean clearly we can train ourselves to control our bladder subconciously because we don't just pee ourselves and yet that control isn't really that mentally directed (unless you are actively holding it back because you are about to burst). I guess I always assumed it was mental conditioning, pathways established in your brain that acted as that "switch". That said if your bladder is full and there is pressure on it your brain is going to be screaming at you to go and I don't think you could just will that feeling away or even if you could that you really should. If you just sort-of could go and you wake up then sure I could imagine you could will that away to some degree.
But yeah, bottom line I'm just guessing so don't take that as some sort of informed opinion on how one controls ones bladder.
4 -
middlehaitch wrote: »I do so love the detailed answers @aaron_k123 provides.
Not a purposeful sugar substitute user, just eat it if it is in something I have chosen to eat, like my morning protein bar.
However, I was peeing a lot during the day, also drinking about 2-3 litres of water (quite a bit on top of other liquids for my 100-105lbs). On top of the water consumption I dislike anything more than a trace of salt in my food.
My carbs are an average 30-40% daily- so no problem there.
What I found helper cut down on the frequent peeing was increasing my electrolytes, and strengthening my pelvic floor.
I prefer Emergen-C for the electrolyte boost, there are plenty of other brands to choose from, including just raising ones salt intake.
For the pelvic floor I just found a few ab exercises that focused on the pelvic floor, and included doing kegels daily.
Oddly enough I rarely have to get up in the night.
I put this down to a piece of probably erroneous information I read decades ago (I was very young) that said there was a 'switch' in your brain that stopped one peeing at night. I believed it at the time. Now, (at 65) even if I wake up and think I should go I just tell myself to go back to sleep and the 'switch' will work. Hahahaha, silly aside I know, but it works every time.
Cheers, h.
ETA: @aaron_k123, is there a hormonal response/connection to not pering when asleep. Obviously not my 'switch'.
I was curious also so I looked it up and came across this site:
https://www.babycenter.com/0_developmental-milestone-nighttime-dryness_67742.bcFor your child to sleep through the night without urinating, his bladder must be able to hold the urine he makes during the night. To help this happen, his body needs to produce a hormone that slows down urine production. As a result, there's less urine, but it's more concentrated. Children who wet the bed may not yet be producing enough of this hormone.
Upon looking up more about this hormone it looks like it's widely known as ADH (antidiuretic hormone) and there are treatments available to increase the levels of ADH.
Sorry for nerding out, y'all
3 -
Yes, both my husband and I have noticed this. The ones we've noticed it with are aspartame and acesulfame, so we try to avoid these.10
-
middlehaitch wrote: »I do so love the detailed answers @aaron_k123 provides.
Not a purposeful sugar substitute user, just eat it if it is in something I have chosen to eat, like my morning protein bar.
However, I was peeing a lot during the day, also drinking about 2-3 litres of water (quite a bit on top of other liquids for my 100-105lbs). On top of the water consumption I dislike anything more than a trace of salt in my food.
My carbs are an average 30-40% daily- so no problem there.
What I found helper cut down on the frequent peeing was increasing my electrolytes, and strengthening my pelvic floor.
I prefer Emergen-C for the electrolyte boost, there are plenty of other brands to choose from, including just raising ones salt intake.
For the pelvic floor I just found a few ab exercises that focused on the pelvic floor, and included doing kegels daily.
Oddly enough I rarely have to get up in the night.
I put this down to a piece of probably erroneous information I read decades ago (I was very young) that said there was a 'switch' in your brain that stopped one peeing at night. I believed it at the time. Now, (at 65) even if I wake up and think I should go I just tell myself to go back to sleep and the 'switch' will work. Hahahaha, silly aside I know, but it works every time.
Cheers, h.
ETA: @aaron_k123, is there a hormonal response/connection to not pering when asleep. Obviously not my 'switch'.
I was curious also so I looked it up and came across this site:
https://www.babycenter.com/0_developmental-milestone-nighttime-dryness_67742.bcFor your child to sleep through the night without urinating, his bladder must be able to hold the urine he makes during the night. To help this happen, his body needs to produce a hormone that slows down urine production. As a result, there's less urine, but it's more concentrated. Children who wet the bed may not yet be producing enough of this hormone.
Upon looking up more about this hormone it looks like it's widely known as ADH (antidiuretic hormone) and there are treatments available to increase the levels of ADH.
Sorry for nerding out, y'all
Thanks for the nerding out. Got to admit, because my silly 'switch' thing worked I have never thought much about it.
It does make sense, baby bladder control, plus the hormone influence, when you think about the darker colour pee is when you wake could be the concentration level.
Thanks for the well thought out response (as always) @Aaron_K123.
Cheers, h.
Sorry for veering a little off topic @oat_bran1 -
sarabeth320 wrote: »Hi Oats,
I have a similar issue with frequent urination and I have definitely noticed a connection in myself between urination and artificial sweeteners. Also, carbonated beverages. Eliminating them from my diet did cause a decrease in the frequency and urgency on a day to day basis. I just use regular sweeteners when needed and less. I still have the issue on-going, but every little improvement helps with an annoying condition like this!
Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it more.Yes, both my husband and I have noticed this. The ones we've noticed it with are aspartame and acesulfame, so we try to avoid these.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I don't understand whey you got woo'd for simply saying you think you noticed a connection between something. Like, yeah I get that pseudo-science hate around artificial sweeteners that is so prevent in public discourse these days is annoying but saying that you notice that some artificial sweeteners make you pee more doesn't mean you say they are all evil. Water also makes you pee more. Jeez.
There are many reasons why it could happen, like some artificial sweeteners can make you thirstier or artificially sweetened flavoured water can make you drink more (which is definitely true in my case) or maybe - as many medical sources actually state - they can indeed irritate you bladder which can make it harder to hold large quantities of urine hens the increase in urination frequency. Which is again doesn't make them evil in themselves. Tomatoes and spicy foods apparently also can somewhat irritate the bladder.
Even if the perceived connection between the increase in urination frequency and artificial sweeteners is not there, I still don't get why simply stating something you think you notice about your body should be woo'd just because it doesn't fit into existing scientific paradigm.6 -
middlehaitch wrote: »I do so love the detailed answers @aaron_k123 provides.
Not a purposeful sugar substitute user, just eat it if it is in something I have chosen to eat, like my morning protein bar.
However, I was peeing a lot during the day, also drinking about 2-3 litres of water (quite a bit on top of other liquids for my 100-105lbs). On top of the water consumption I dislike anything more than a trace of salt in my food.
My carbs are an average 30-40% daily- so no problem there.
What I found helper cut down on the frequent peeing was increasing my electrolytes, and strengthening my pelvic floor.
I prefer Emergen-C for the electrolyte boost, there are plenty of other brands to choose from, including just raising ones salt intake.
For the pelvic floor I just found a few ab exercises that focused on the pelvic floor, and included doing kegels daily.
Oddly enough I rarely have to get up in the night.
I put this down to a piece of probably erroneous information I read decades ago (I was very young) that said there was a 'switch' in your brain that stopped one peeing at night. I believed it at the time. Now, (at 65) even if I wake up and think I should go I just tell myself to go back to sleep and the 'switch' will work. Hahahaha, silly aside I know, but it works every time.
Cheers, h.
ETA: @aaron_k123, is there a hormonal response/connection to not pering when asleep. Obviously not my 'switch'.
Thanks for your input and for the tips. I was actually considering starting doing pelvic floor strengthening exercises. And I should try adding potassium salt and more regular salt to my diet to see if it helps.1 -
I was curious also so I looked it up and came across this site:
https://www.babycenter.com/0_developmental-milestone-nighttime-dryness_67742.bcFor your child to sleep through the night without urinating, his bladder must be able to hold the urine he makes during the night. To help this happen, his body needs to produce a hormone that slows down urine production. As a result, there's less urine, but it's more concentrated. Children who wet the bed may not yet be producing enough of this hormone.
Upon looking up more about this hormone it looks like it's widely known as ADH (antidiuretic hormone) and there are treatments available to increase the levels of ADH.
Sorry for nerding out, y'all
Hmm, this is interesting. Waking up more than once to pee at night is actually considered as a condition called nocturia and from what I what I've read about it, it's not really treatable. It can only be slightly improved by drinking less in the evening and training the bladder to hold more urine by gradually extending the time between urinating. Low levels of ADH are not mention among the causes though. I wonder if it can actually still be a potential cause in adults?2 -
My 20 year old niece and I are both doing this (I'm 52 years old) we have both lost 30 lbs so far. We drink the exact same amount of water and eat the same foods (she lives with us). We also both use Stevia a couple times a day. I am up peeing 3-4 times a night and she never gets up to pee. My conclusion was simply age lol ... funny thing is, we were just talking about this.4
-
sarabeth320 wrote: »Hi Oats,
I have a similar issue with frequent urination and I have definitely noticed a connection in myself between urination and artificial sweeteners. Also, carbonated beverages. Eliminating them from my diet did cause a decrease in the frequency and urgency on a day to day basis. I just use regular sweeteners when needed and less. I still have the issue on-going, but every little improvement helps with an annoying condition like this!
Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it more.
So, was it eliminating the artificial sweeteners, or the carbonated drinks (which are like 98% or more water) which contain them? My money is on the drinks. Especially as the condition persists, just not as bad. What I mean is, did you do an experiment where you consumed the same amount of carbonated drinks, without artificial sweeteners, and see if it had the same effects?4 -
I drink all kinds of artificial sweeteners, in carbonated and still beverages. I have noticed no increased urge or increased frequency of urination.
If I did, I would assume it was because I drink more tasty (sweet) beverages than water. That said, water makes me pee like crazy. When I go to the gym, I experience increased urination for at least 2 hours afterwards, because I drink a lot of water at the gym (about 32 ounces). Maybe exercising is bad for me...
If you are experiencing an unusual increase in frequency or urgency when it comes to urination, I'd suggest you visit your doctor, not dr google.1 -
I've been consuming artificial sweeteners since I was a kid. My grandfather was a diabetic and stocked his refrigerator with diet sodas as soon as they came on the market in the 60's.
I've only noticed an increase in urination with aging.
I will say that strength training has indeed improved nocturnal waking a great deal.6
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 390 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 922 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions