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Artificial Sweeteners (FAKE sugar NEWS)

Very sweet, but not much substance 
(no I'm not talking about your Valentine's Card)


The only non-real thing that's more endemic in our society than FAKE NEWS is fake sugar.  It's everywhere and it's been there for a while.  "Diet", "Sugar free", "Zero" - chock full of Stevia, Truvia, Naturlose, Erythritol, Xylitol, Equal, Nutrasweet, Sweet'n'Low - the list goes on and on.

Are they good, bad, or something in between?  I think overall they don't really serve the purpose they were designed for.

They are sweet - usually much sweeter gram for gram than natural sweeteners.  Many people switch to them to help with weight loss.  But do they work?  Sure you end up taking in fewer calories in theory but what is the effect on the rest of your body of taking in something sweet without the sugar?

We don't really know.  The early concerns were about cancers but those have mostly been pushed aside as the amount of sugar substitute you would need to get cancer is ridiculously high.  The bigger issue we've seen more of is that people don't really seem to lose weight and might even gain weight and have a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.

I know it doesn't make sense but picture it this way:  The biggest problem with most people who get diabetes is insulin resistance.  Having sugar in your blood triggers insulin to be released from the pancreas which is like a guy opening a heavy door to get sugar out of your bloodstream and into the cells that need it.  The more sugar you have in your system, the more often that guy is opening the door and the more that door starts to rust and get stuck.  So then you need more and more guys to help open the door to get the same amount of sugar through - this is insulin resistance (and the reason for type 2 diabetes - type 1 would be if you just didn't have any guys around to open the door at all).

Having high levels of sugar in your blood is bad for a lot of things but there is also evidence that just having high insulin levels can cause a lot of issues including hypertension and heart disease along with diabetes.

So back to the FAKE sugar NEWS - with the artificial sweeteners you don't have the sugar, BUT the taste of sugar triggers the same insulin release (possibly stronger because it is sweeter than natural sweeteners) as your body expects their to be sugar that goes along with sweet tastes so you still have the same problem of the guy and the door leading to too much insulin in the body.

So are they good, bad or somewhere in between?  I think you need to treat them as you would any tool - it's just a matter of how you use them.  In small amounts, they are probably OK but probably don't have much benefit over regular sugar.  In large amounts, they are probably equally as bad for you or worse than the alternatives.

Honestly, in reading more about them and writing this, I think I'm done with them.  If you're trying to make life changes (lose weight, eat more healthfully, control blood sugars), you're still getting the same kick you were looking for without really changing your behavior so that may be why it's not a good long term option.

Studies have shown that the effects of sugar can be the same or stronger than that of cocaine on the brain - it's a big deal and we don't appreciate that when we just say we need to "try harder" or "give it up".  I've seen some success with people going cold turkey off sugar through one of the various diets out there and it can reset how your brain processes the sugar stimulus, the same way as people go through detox for drugs and alcohol - it's about separating out the way you feel when you get your fix from the feelings you have that make you want to get your fix of it.

Resources on this if you're interested:
- Time Article
- Mayo Clinic
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