The TRUTH About Artificial Sweeteners

There are leptin receptors on your tongue, and I’ve read that taking calory free sweeteners can confuse leptin-signalling, and getting leptin to work properly is a key to weight management. My guess is that if your leptin system is working properly then it would take quite a lot of artificial sweetners to mess it up (although there is evidence that people who take artificial sweetners eat more later, to make up the calories that the body was expecting but never received). However, if your leptin system is out of whack then sweetners would make it that much harder to get it to work properly.

i used ‘equal’ artificial sweetners all the time. I use it wtih coffee, with oatmeal, with indian tea.. everything.. curious to see your next blog…..

OK, here’s a couple of studies for you…

Study Title:
A Role for Sweet Taste: Calorie Predictive Relations in Energy Regulation
Study Abstract:

Animals may use sweet taste to predict the caloric contents of food. Eating sweet noncaloric substances may degrade this predictive relationship, leading to positive energy balance through increased food intake and/or diminished energy expenditure. These experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that experiences that reduce the validity of sweet taste as a predictor of the caloric or nutritive consequences of eating may contribute to deficits in the regulation of energy by reducing the ability of sweet-tasting foods that contain calories to evoke physiological responses that underlie tight regulation. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were given differential experience with a sweet taste that either predicted increased caloric content (glucose) or did not predict increased calories (saccharin). We found that reducing the correlation between sweet taste and the caloric content of foods using artificial sweeteners in rats resulted in increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity, as well as diminished caloric compensation and blunted thermic responses to sweet-tasting diets. These results suggest that consumption of products containing artificial sweeteners may lead to increased body weight and obesity by interfering with fundamental homeostatic, physiological processes.
Study Information:

Susan E. Swithers and Terry L. Davidson A Role for Sweet Taste: Calorie Predictive Relations in Energy Regulation Behavioral Neuroscience 2008 February Vol. 122, No. 1, 161–173
Purdue University

Study Title:
Your Gut Has Taste Receptors
Study Abstract:

From press release:

Researchers in the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified taste receptors in the human intestines. Scientists have previously shown that the absorption of dietary sugars in the intestine is mediated by a protein – a sugar transporter – that varies in response to the sugar content of foods. The intestine uses a glucose sensing system to monitor these variations, but until now the nature of this system was unknown.

The taste receptor T1R3 and the taste G protein gustducin are critical to sweet taste in the tongue. Research now shows these two sweet-sensing proteins are also expressed in specialized taste cells of the gut where they sense glucose within the intestine.

“We now know that the receptors that sense sugar and artificial sweeteners are not limited to the tongue. Our work is an important advance for the new field of gastrointestinal chemosensation – how the cells of the gut detect and respond to sugars and other nutrients,” said lead author, Robert F. Margolskee, MD, PhD Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “Cells of the gut taste glucose through the same mechanisms used by taste cells of the tongue. The gut taste cells regulate secretion of insulin and hormones that regulate appetite. Our work sheds new light on how we regulate sugar uptake from our diets and regulate blood sugar levels.”

These new findings, published online in the August 20th, 2007 “Early Edition” of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may lead to new treatments for obesity and diabetes. The two new studies are titled- “T1R3 and gustducin in gut sense sugars to regulate expression of Na+-glucose cotransporter 1” and “Gut-expressed gustducin and taste receptors regulate secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1.”

“This work may explain why current artificial sweeteners may not help with weight loss, and may lead to the production of new non-caloric sweeteners to better control weight,” said Dr. Margolskee. “Sensing glucose in the gastrointestinal tract is the first step in regulating blood sugar levels. Having discovered the identity of the gut’s sweet receptors may open the way for new treatment options for obesity and diabetes.”

How taste receptors work

Prior to this research, the intestinal sugar sensors were unknown. Dr. Margolskee and his colleagues Dr. Josephine M. Egan, Dr. Soraya P. Shirazi-Beechey and Dr. Zaza Kokrashvili reasoned that the sugar sensors of the tongue’s taste buds might also be there in the gut. Sweet taste in the tongue depends on the taste receptor T1R3 and the taste G protein gustducin.

The small intestine is the major site where dietary sugars are absorbed into the body to provide energy, and maintain normal metabolism and homeostasis. If glucose is absorbed in excess obesity may occur. T1R3 and gustducin, critical to sweet taste in the tongue, are also expressed in specialized taste cells of the gut where they sense glucose within the intestine.

Carbohydrate ingested from meals & beverages breaks down into glucose, which stimulates the sweet-sensing proteins in these gut taste cells. Activating the sweet—sensing proteins of the gut taste cells promotes secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an intestinal hormone that plays a key role in promoting insulin secretion and regulating appetite.

This research was supported by funding from NIDCD/NIH. Co-authors and collaborating scientists include Dr. Josephine Egan at NIA/NIH, Baltimore, MD; Dr. Soraya Shirazi-Beechey at University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK and Dr. Zaza Kokrashvili at Mount Sinai.

Study Information:

Robert F. Margolskee, et al. Your Gut Has Taste Receptors Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 2007 August
Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Waiting for the complete story, I use sucralose

I say pick your poison…none of it is good for you! But, neither sugar or sweeteners are terribly bad for you in moderation! (At least that’s how I see it!)

Since I started living in Japan, I’ve been drinking mugi-cha roasted barley tea instead of soda. It took me a couple of years to get over the inclination that if I went out to a restaurant or was playing outside that I had to get a soda to go with it. Now it’s rare indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roasted_barley_tea

One thing I remember from a diet book that made some sense to me was that artificial sweeteners are counter-productive because they don’t get you ‘off’ of sweets and fool the body into thinking that it’s got something to store as fat. What have you learned Joel on these two fronts?

As for me I don’t really know, but I do know that one can learn to live without sugary drinks. But I still use the real stuff when I bake.

Just not too often.

interesting stuff. I drink diet coke, because it’s my favorite ‘cheat drink’.
I used to use artificial sweetener, but actually don’t use it anymore except in the coke. Love to hear You get it right!

Everyones body is different so the effects may be more or less than anyone claims. I’ve been drinkiing diet pop in large quantities and taking phenalynine supplements for years. Now I’m fit and don’t eat junk food I feel great. I’m not going blind, getting depressed or showing any other symptoms listed – probably just my bodys tolerance of it. Other people may keel over if they drink 4 litres of diet pop a day. I also consume about 2 litres of water as well so maybe that has a detox effect.

Either way, I’ll be interested to see the research on it. Additionally, if you have anything on Soy milk I’d be interested to see it. I’ve never seen a straight answer on that one either……and I really need something to mix my protein powders with that is not high in carbs (water on its own just does not taste right).

I don’t trust anything that is artificial or chemically made by man. I stay away from all sweeteners. I also try to avoid sugar. I only use stevia if I need to sweeten my smoothie. I recently read the components of splenda is made from chlorine molecules that have been attached to sugar molecules in hopes of them not being digested. Apparently people have reported hair loss as well as a multitude of other symptoms. I think you can read about it in Jay Robb’s newsletter. Why do people trust the FDA when they allow medications to be put on the market that kill and endanger people’s lives everyday. The paid paid a lot of money to allow all kinds of bad products to be sold to the American citizens. Have you ever read the side effects of medications that come with the bottle of prescription medications? So why wouldn’t they allow artificial sweeteners to be put on the market? Buyer beware.

So, I actually have seen some of the research, since I’m a nerd, or at least married to one — scientist who does lab research — and there are studies that show carcinogenity of sacchrin in lab rats. With Aspartame, rats seemed to have more tumors when given large doses, but if I remember correctly, they were crazy doses. More than you’d consume in a day. Like Rolf said, it was serious loads.

The yuck part is that some of the chemical make up of some of these sweetners can be metabolized, and some can’t so you end up with jacked up chemicals, like formaldehyde in your system. Can you say frog dissection lab in high school?!

I will say that the only time I reach for artificial, it’s stevia, since it’s made from an herb, but it’s SOOOO sweet that I usually stick to straight up sugar or natural honey. When all is said and done, if it’s not the sweetner, then it’s going to be some other crap that we put in our bodies, right?

I personally know someone who died of cancer and it was indeed linked to artificial sweeteners.
For someone who tries to teach proper dieting and fitness you should know better than to say that there is no proof that artificial sweeteners are bad for people. Anyone who is serious about their bodies and health would NEVER put any man made garbage in their bodies.
This blog shows you are not a credible person for anyone information and I will be canceling any emails from you.
Good luck with your cancer.

I don’t drink artificial sweeteners because they taste bad to me and give me terrible headaches, as if my body is telling me that they’re not good.

Anyone with HALF a brain would never poison themselves with man made shit. You sir are a fraud.

I would like to know more about this. I do use sweetner twice a day. Vijay

Hey Joel,

Yeah, I would definitely like to hear more about the subject. I do try to stay away from atrificial sweeteners as much as possible, but where I get it the most is from sugar free supplements. I guess I’d rather have some sucralose in my creatine as opposed to 36 grams of sugar per scoop.

One thing I do know is that aspartame gives me a headache and makes me super nauseous. I drank a Powerade during my workout last friday…I was thirsty…it was cold…and it was calling my name. BIG mistake. I found myself doubled over in front of the gym toilet uncomfortably close to throwing up. And I never could understand the Splenda commercials: “Made from sugar, tastes like sugar, but it isn’t sugar”. Huh?!? Than what the hell is it?!?! Sounds too much like a chemistry project so I pass on it when possible and go with stevia.

I drink diet soda and use a little sweetener on porridge, for the rest I do without. I have been doing this for close on 30 years. Like to hear what your comments are.

I use Splenda almost daily in my coffee or tea. Not to mention what artificial sweetener is in Coke Zero. I’ve heard the bad and ugly about artificial sweetners…I’d love to hear another side and any research that supports it.

When you consider that many of the health issues of modern society (many forms of cancer, obesity, diabetes, athersclerosis, high cholesterol etc etc) have developed in parallel with the increasing refining and procesing of foods over the last 50 -60 years, then the adage of ‘eating foods your grandmother or great grandmother would recognise’ has merit. I have a relative who has consumed 1-2 litres per day of aspartame-sweetened drinks for the last 25 years and he has an impressive subsample of the 92 or more conditions that have been associated with its consumption, from metabolic syndrome to kidney problems to extreme high blood pressure to irritability and extreme mood swings to loss of memory. We both weighed around 75 kg back then, and now I’m about 77 kg, he’s about 115 kg. This may just be coincidence – you can’t generalise from the particular, but I’ve watched his health spiral downwards for quite a while, and his addiction to sweetened drinks seems paralleled by some comments already posted here. Myadvice is to avoid all sweetened drinks and avoid fructose (eg the ubiquitous HFCS) and artificial sweeteners in anything. But hey, I am waiting with an open mind for Joel’s info!!

I drink Diet Coke and Sprite Zero – I love the stuff – but I admit I had to decrease from about four or five cans per day to two cans per day as I was starting to feel a little nauseous. Reducing to two cans a day has so far been so good.

I have a cpl of cups of tea most days and when i go up for my morning cuppa i get a lecture off the girls working there, the only reason why i put up with it is because its damn good tea :)

Im tired of hearing how bad sweetner is for you, as far as im concerned its a hell of alot better that two heaped spoons of sugar!!

Next time i hear it causes cancer or doesnt leave the body il scream, please tell me its ubn true so i can be smug tomorrow when i get my daily lecture ;)

Equal, Naturala & other similar sweetners contain Aspartame, which is bad for the brain, since it has side effects, which causes dementia. I used all the other sweetners but on reading of the side effects of sweetners containing Aspartame, I stopped using these sweetners. If it will do you any good, I would recommend Stevia which I found is a natural sweetner, Stevia leaf extract and I found is quite safe to use. Joel your writeups are very helpful and good let it keep coming.

Regards,

E D

@Don Bell, I think that the symptoms you listed there would more likely occur in cases where someone is constantly drinking or eating products containing aspartame.

I used to drink 2 to 3 600mL Coke Zeros a day and the worst side effects were from the caffeine, unable to sleep, constantly going to the toilet etc, Ive never suffered from any of the symptoms you listed there.

I think in small amounts its ok to use artificial sweeteners. I replaced my coke zero’s with 2 coffees a day recently with 2 shots of coffee and one of brown sugar and it does me fine now. So I only have one or two coke zeros a week now, usually on the weekend.

My Wife was using Equal as a sweetener – also drinking diet drinks.
Started having dizzy spells and blackouts – fainted at work
Had every sort of test with no results – one doctor suggested stopping using Equal – no more problems.
Enjoy your coffee mate – but I’ll stick with sugar.

I only drink cooldrinks that have artificial sugars and also take my coffee and tea with artificial sugars. I use the kind that has no aspartame in… Please tell me more

Dudes and Dudettes:
We KNOW what sucrose does in the body. We haven’t a clue about most other “sugar substitutes”. Sweet things, from a Chinese viewpoint, can enhance the Stomach(digestion) and Spleen (Immune System). HOWEVER, too much of anything is never good.
We know that sugars of all kinds can raise your calcium at the cell level; add to this stress and a lack of sleep and you can be well on your way to developing diabetes. Among other things. Maybe lowering stress levels and getting more sleep might be more healthful than worrying about what sweetener you might need in your coffee to “get started” in the morning.
If you need a sugar fix, artificial or otherwise, you are already starting to develop a problem. There ain’t no free lunch in regards to health…