For decades, mainstream doctors told us that losing weight was simply a matter of calories…the fewer you ate, the less you would weigh.
So for people battling weight issues, choosing no-cal sweeteners seemed like a no-brainer.
Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet ’N Low), and others have zero calories, yet they still have the sweetness many of us crave.
But in recent years, some researchers began questioning the conventional medical belief that artificial sweeteners are effective for weight loss.
A major new review is the most comprehensive look at the question. It was published online in The British Medical Journal. Researchers examined 56 studies involving more than 13,000 people.[1]
Besides weight, the researchers examined the effects of artificial sweeteners on other health issues. These included heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, blood sugar, mood, and behavior.
The conclusion? There’s weak evidence at best that non-sugar sweeteners have any benefits…including for weight loss.[2]
Dr. Joerg Meerpohl of the University of Freiburg led the study team. “Most health outcomes did not seem to have differences” between subjects who consumed sugar substitutes and those who didn’t, he said.[3]
And it didn’t matter how much artificial sweeteners people consumed. A lot or a little…the results were the same.
And it didn’t matter how much people weighed. Overweight subjects did not have more success losing weight when using artificial sweeteners.
Registered dietician and nutritionist Sharon Zarabi was not surprised by the results. She said that non-sugar sweeteners “are still chemicals or a sugar modified from its natural form” to add flavor. “There’s no health benefit to flavor,” she added.
3 Healthy Sweeteners
Stay away from the false promise of artificial sweeteners. Not only won’t they help you lose weight, they are linked with a wide range of health problems. You should shun refined sugar as well, which is linked to heart disease and diabetes.
There are other, healthier ways to satisfy your sweet tooth:
Raw Honey: Make sure it is not processed. Refined honey can be as bad as sugar. Look for 100% organic raw honey. The darker the honey, the more nutrients and flavor. It also has antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, and antioxidant properties.
Blackstrap Molasses: Don’t confuse this with regular molasses. Blackstrap is a byproduct of sugar cane. The healthy minerals such as iron, B6, magnesium, and calcium aren’t processed out. It doesn’t flood your body with sugar. The sugar content is released slowly.
Stevia: This low-calorie natural substance is made from the leaves of a plant native to South America. It is very sweet, so you need very little. Its glycemic index is zero… So it has no effect on your blood sugar. Make sure to use organic varieties.
Editor’s Note: If you’re concerned about your weight, there’s something else you should know…
Like the secret “switch” you can flip that tells your body to burn fat instead of store it… The little-known chemical one doctor says makes your body demand unhealthy high-calorie foods… And how to shed pounds of body fat—without cutting back on the foods you love.
Discover how to unlock your fat-burning potential HERE.
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References
[1]https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.k4718
[2]https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-01-compelling-evidence-health-benefits-non-sugar.html
[3]https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/dieting-to-lose-weight-health-news-195/no-evidence-no-cal-sweeteners-will-help-you-lose-weight-study-741082.html