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-   -   It’s a bitter blow: low-calorie sweeteners may fatten us up (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=475987)

Demi Sun, Jan-08-17 03:10

It’s a bitter blow: low-calorie sweeteners may fatten us up
 
Quote:
From The Times
London, UK
8 January, 2017

It’s a bitter blow: low-calorie sweeteners may fatten us up

Low-calorie sweeteners may be contributing to the obesity epidemic, a leading researcher has warned.

Dr Chee Chia, a clinician scientist at the National Institute on Aging at the US Department of Health and Human Services, said research she had co-authored suggested that individuals who broadly ate the same diet — and the same number of calories — became fatter if they consumed low-calorie sweeteners.

She said one possible explanation was that the sweeteners were affecting the body’s metabolism, triggering it to lay down more abdominal fat — a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. However, more research was needed to establish if this was happening.

“This is a cause of concern and has important public health implications,” she said. “We really need to do more work to look at what is going on.”

Under pressure over their contribution to increasing levels of obesity, members of the food and drink industry have reformulated products and launched new sugar-free items that often contain low-calorie sweeteners.

A report published last week by researchers at Imperial College London and two universities in Brazil argued that diet drinks might be no better for weight loss than their full-sugar counterparts.

Chia was a co-author of one of the largest studies into the consumption of low-calorie sweeteners, published in Plos One — the journal of the Public Library of Science — in November. It looked at 1,454 individuals and data collected from 1984 to 2012, adjusting for diet, weight and body size.

It concluded: “Low-calorie sweetener use is independently associated with heavier relative weight, a larger waist and a higher prevalence and incidence of abdominal obesity.”

Chia said participants who were not overweight at the beginning of the study accumulated more fat around their stomach if they ate low- calorie sweeteners than those who did not.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has published research suggesting that artificial sweeteners could change healthy microbes that live in the gut and disrupt the body’s ability to regulate sugar.

The International Sweeteners Association said Chia’s research was an observational study and could not prove cause and effect.

■ Kellogg’s is to cut the amount of sugar in Coco Pops — one of the most sugary children’s cereals — by 14% as part of a government drive for healthier breakfasts.

The US-based cereal giant confirmed this weekend that original Coco Pops, which contains more sugar than chocolate ice cream, will be reformulated in March. The company said the move would cut some 600 tons of sugar from the British diet in 2017.

The reformulation comes after the government body Public Health England (PHE) told manufacturers it wanted a 20% cut in the sugar contained in cereals by 2020.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/n...us-up-5950vwhwv

teaser Sun, Jan-08-17 05:25

I hate to agree with the International Sweetener's Association, though we both have obvious conflicts of interest (because I enjoy a bit of artificial sweetener with my cocoa, and the odd diet coke).

Artificial sweeteners are often part of a restrained eating pattern. There are studies showing that a restricted diet can lead to an increase in central obesity during catch up growth or weight regain. I think it's also possible that simply having a sweet tooth can be symptomatic of other underlying metabolic issues. I seem to enjoy sweeteners more if I eat more ketogenically--in the sense that it takes less of them to satisfy me
.

WereBear Sun, Jan-08-17 10:00

I think low calorie sweeteners are part of an attitude problem, too; the efforts to recreate what we think of as a "normal diet."

Baking a cake using sweeteners instead of sugar means we are still getting a heavy dose of white flour and seed oils. Atkins bars and shakes with sugar alcohols are known loss-stallers, and swapping them for candy bars might not be as much of a reduction as we think. Drinking diet soda instead of regular means we are still getting a big hit of sweet water that the body can react to with insulin release.

Earlier in my career, I was the fetcher of lunches from the deli: the huge numbers of "cheesecake and Tab" lunches I witnessed means these sweeteners may lower the carb load on paper, but aren't really making much of a dent in how people eat.

teaser Sun, Jan-08-17 10:19

Yes. Diet coke did start working better when I stopped washing down pizza and french fries with it.

WereBear Sun, Jan-08-17 11:07

My going gluten free was a huge wakeup call about how small things can make a difference. I was already following Atkins and not eating much gluten at all; but dropping the low carb wraps and other tiny sources made a big difference to the way I felt.

Bonnie OFS Sun, Jan-08-17 18:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by teaser
Yes. Diet coke did start working better when I stopped washing down pizza and french fries with it.


Oh yes! I did that too - "Why am I gaining weight? I didn't eat any sugar!" I did much better when I learned that ALL carbs turn into sugar.

Ambulo Mon, Jan-09-17 02:29

The OMAD Facebook group I follow recommends no sweet-tasting beverages during the fasting period, regardless of how the sweet taste comes about. Not only sugars and artificial sweeteners but also pure fruit teas and "natural flavours"

GRB5111 Mon, Jan-09-17 09:47

Quote:
Originally Posted by WereBear
My going gluten free was a huge wakeup call about how small things can make a difference. I was already following Atkins and not eating much gluten at all; but dropping the low carb wraps and other tiny sources made a big difference to the way I felt.

I had the same experience when I dropped all grains, which eliminated the "low-carb wraps." funny how such a seemingly small change (the wraps) can make such a big difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambulo
The OMAD Facebook group I follow recommends no sweet-tasting beverages during the fasting period, regardless of how the sweet taste comes about. Not only sugars and artificial sweeteners but also pure fruit teas and "natural flavours"

I think this was the key for me as well. Eliminating all sweet tasting stuff regardless of claims that they were not stimulating insulin release did two things: 1) removed any insulin stimulating substances from my diet, 2) eliminated over time my desire for anything sweet. I no longer craved the stuff that I could consume so easily regardless of whether I was hungry or not. It opened my eyes to the fact that I was addicted to sweet tasting stuff. It also opened my eyes to the fact that I could rid myself of that craving.

Phayah Mon, Jan-09-17 14:30

I just don't believe this at all. They are saying diet drinks are as bad as full sugar drinks? I have lost 100 lbs drinking just as many diet sodas as previous full sugar sodas. I also make tons of treats with artificial sweeteners. They may not be good for us, it might slow down weight loss, but there is no way they are as fattening as regular soda/sugary foods.

deirdra Mon, Jan-09-17 14:44

"individuals who broadly ate the same diet — and the same number of calories — became fatter if they consumed low-calorie sweeteners"

Before blaming artificial sweeteners, I'd ask what were these people eating to replace the calories from the sugary drinks? A few hundred calories of refined carbs and other inflammatory foods? Eating rice and flour instead of regular Coke can't be good for weightloss. These and other inflammatory foods like dairy proteins & legumes were responsible for my last 15 lbs of puffy weight.

Bonnie OFS Mon, Jan-09-17 15:04

Quote:
Originally Posted by deirdra
"individuals who broadly ate the same diet — and the same number of calories — became fatter if they consumed low-calorie sweeteners"

Before blaming artificial sweeteners, I'd ask what were these people eating to replace the calories from the sugary drinks? A few hundred calories of refined carbs and other inflammatory foods? Eating rice and flour instead of regular Coke can't be good for weightloss. These and other inflammatory foods like dairy proteins & legumes were responsible for my last 15 lbs of puffy weight.


Very good point. Non-caloric sweeteners are to replace some of the calories, not be added to more calories.


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