The first artificial sweetener – Sac Charin – was discovered by accident, when in 1879, Ira Rimsen, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, saw a sweet substance on his hand after experimenting with various chemicals in a laboratory.
Sac Cherin quickly became very popular, mainly because of how cheap it was. It was particularly prevalent during World War II, when the supply of real sugar was low.
Today, artificial sweeteners are central to the huge market of diet- and sugar-free foods and beverages. Their attraction today is not only how cheap it is, but their potential to combat the growing risk of obesity and the health effects associated with it.
Saccharin is 200 times sweeter than sugar but has zero calories. Does this mean we will replace all sugar with artificial sweeteners? Or are there more factors to consider?
We asked 8 experts “Are artificial sweeteners better for you than sugar?” Consensus was 63 percent ‘probable’. Here is what we got.
What are artificial sweeteners and how do they work?
Artificial sweeteners provide a sweet taste of sugar but without calories. There are two broad classes of artificial sweeteners: sugar alcohol and high-intensity sweeteners.
Sugar Alcohol is structurally similar to sugar, but less easily metabolized, while high-intensity sweeteners are often smaller sweetener compounds than sugar. High-intensity sweeteners include saccharin and aspartame.
Although artificial sweeteners provide a minimum of calories which does not mean they are numb. The artificial sweetener speaks to the T1R-family of sweet-taste receptors in the mouth and intestines, which can have a metabolic effect.
They can also interact with bacteria that make up the intestinal microbiome. Different sweeteners may differ in their effect on the body.
Is there a link between artificial sweeteners and cancer?
A 1978 study found that artificial sweeteners may have carcinogenic stalks, suggesting that rats fed saccharin developed bladder cancer. Since then, it has been shown that this only happens in rats, and saccharin does No Causes cancer in humans.
Not only saccharin, but all synthetic sweeteners approved by the FDA and the EU have been tested in both laboratory animal and human data. None of the accepted sweeteners have any association with cancer.
Does Artificial Sweetener Help You Lose Weight?
The main attraction of artificial sweeteners is that they can replace sugar. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that excessive consumption of sugar is bad for your health. Sugar drinks in particular can lead to weight gain, metabolic diseases and type 2 diabetes. It follows that substituting sugar for calorie-free sweeteners can lead to weight loss.
Many studies have investigated that with sweeteners instead of sugar causes weight loss. A 2018 meta-analysis study, which combined the results of 56 different studies, concluded that in most cases groups of people using artificial sweeteners did not lose weight.
However, overweight or obese individuals who switched to artificial sweeteners lost more weight than their sugar-eating counterparts.
Other meta-analyzes have also found that, overall, switching from sugar to sweeteners has a neutral and positive effect on weight loss. The fact that there is no clear result may arise from the complexity of these experiments:
1) There are many types of sweeteners, each of which can have different effects on weight loss.
2) Dietary changes other than switching on sweeteners can have a complex effect. Biochemist at the University of Sydney, Dr. Kieron Rooney explains that the whole diet is important because “there is information – in humans – that the co-consumption of artificial sweeteners with other foods can affect interactions such as changes in energy absorption.”
3) It is possible that the effect of the sweetener on weight loss is based on the individual’s original weight and diet, the result of which was found in the 2018 meta-analysis study.
Some scientists have tried to explain why, on average, people do not lose weight with artificial sweeteners, and in some cases actually gain weight.
Nutritionist de Corn Corneli Nienaber-Rosso explains that the effect of sweeteners on the food reward system can “increase appetite, increase food intake and promote sugar shortages.” “Non-caloric artificial sweeteners seem to replace the gut microbiome,” he added.
Both of these disclosures are plausible, but we need more research before we can confirm their effects.
Epidemiologist Gideon Meirovitz-Katz summarizes that “it is possible that artificial sweeteners may be worse than water for people – although this is an open question – but compared to sugar, all indications are that artificial sweeteners are probably a little better.” “
Not a silver-bullet for the risk of obesity
Overall, considering that artificial sweeteners are essentially calorie-free, the data on their positive health effects is perhaps a bit disappointing.
This can explain the observation of Sydney University professor Jenny Brand-Miller that “the proportion of obesity and overweight has tripled. [the last 50 years] Despite the popularity of low-calorie sweeteners and their ubiquity “.
On the flip side, there is evidence that they are safe and not linked to any cancer. Whether they have some other effects on our sugar cravings or microbiome remains to be determined.
Takeaway:
Sugar-free alternatives, especially drinks, can be beneficial for anyone trying to lose weight or improve their diet. However, data suggests that it may not be the healthiest option available – while diet drinks may be better than sugary ones, water may also be better.
Article based on 8 expert answers to this question: “Are artificial sweeteners better for you than sugar?”
The expert’s response was published in partnership with the independent fact-checking platform MetaFact.io. Subscribe to their weekly newsletter here.
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