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Can anyone help me here? I heard recently from those that I assume they know what they are talking about - daughter, PhD in yeast microbiology - that artificial sweetners raise blood sugars in a similar manner to glucose intake. Is this true - is anyone there in a position to advise? If this is the case, it does have significant ramifications for blood sugar control. Rob Kidd
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Honorary Research Associate, Institute for Human Evolution, University of Witwatersrand
Adjunct Associate Professor (Human and Comparative Anatomy), University of Western Sydney
Fellow of The Centre For Human Biology, The University of Western Australia
"Please God, deliver me whole from Creationists......."
My understanding is that it depends on the type of artificial sweetener that is used. If I recall correctly the evidence I read a while back was that aspartame had no effects and saccharin has mixed results from different studies. I can't recall the others.
I also recall discussion somewhere a while back that individuals who were type one's were reporting that some artificial sweeteners affected them and not others ... ie they themselves noticed an effect on blood glucose or not. .... and each person seemed to be different in how they responded.
At the end of the day, it probably shouldn't be an issue for those on insulin as long as they do the monitoring and respond with insulin accordingly. For the type two's, it probably is an issue due to the need to loose weight, however the still do have some pancreatic beta-cell function to respond the the challenge. .
Can anyone help me here? I heard recently from those that I assume they know what they are talking about - daughter, PhD in yeast microbiology - that artificial sweetners raise blood sugars in a similar manner to glucose intake. Is this true - is anyone there in a position to advise? If this is the case, it does have significant ramifications for blood sugar control. Rob Kidd
Im pretty sure that many of the popular Arifical sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and stevia have negligible effect on blood sugar (Anton et al., 2010; Okuno et al., 1986; Wilson & Howes, 2008) . BUT other sweeteners such as Sugar alcohols that are added to many low sugar/ low calorie foods and drinks do have an affect on blood sugar.
Sugar alcohols are a hydrogenated carbohydrate, whose carbonyl group has been reduced to a primary or secondary hydroxyl group , although slighlty different to alchol (organic compound in which the hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon) the chemical make up is similar, hence the name sugar alcohol.
Sugar alcohols are usually not fully absorbed (approximately half of the sugar alcohol content is actually digested and absorbed). generally this results in a smaller change in blood glucose than sugar (sucrose).
You can usually spot them on the food or drink label by looking for the suffix "ol"
Sorry for the lack of references its only 6:35 in Sydney
Anton, S. D., Martin, C. K., Han, H., Coulon, S., Cefalu, W. T., Geiselman, P., & Williamson, D. A. (2010). Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Appetite, 55(1), 37-43. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.03.009
Okuno, G., Kawakami, F., Tako, H., Kashihara, T., Shibamoto, S., Yamazaki, T., . . . Saeki, M. (1986). Glucose tolerance, blood lipid, insulin and glucagon concentration after single or continuous administration of aspartame in diabetics. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 2(1), 23-27. doi: 10.1016/s0168-8227(86)80025-0
Wilson, F., & Howes, K. E. (2008). Blood glucose changes following the ingestion of sucrose- and aspartame-sweetened beverages. Appetite, 51(2), 410. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2008.04.261
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Just a comment about managment of diabetes which i'm sure we all know- sugar doesn't need to be excluded from the diet of someone with diabetes.
If someone is replacing high sugar foods with the same food made with a artificial sweetener, it may still be an innapropriate dietary change. Most foods with artificial sweeteners are highly refined, nutrient poor, junky foods.
For example, if someone is eating cakes/ biscuits/ cookies made with aspartame instead of sugar, they are still eating a bucketload of carbs anyway. And if they're drinking diet carbonated drinks by the litres instead of regular carbonated drinks by the litres, they aren't making the best choice anyway! The danger may be that there is a false sense of doing the right thing, while still having a very poor diet.
The best approach is changing to a healthier diet, not just the same old diet with artifical sweeteners instead of sugar! Sorry for kinda changing the direction of the thread with my post. It's the dieticians i work with that made me think this way!
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Phil Marshman
Mackay, Queensland Australia
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Perhaps it is time to come clean. My own BSL has been rising - though not to terrible levels. I have never liked water, and have drunk "diet " drinks by the bucket full. It was simply a thought. Rob
__________________
Honorary Research Associate, Institute for Human Evolution, University of Witwatersrand
Adjunct Associate Professor (Human and Comparative Anatomy), University of Western Sydney
Fellow of The Centre For Human Biology, The University of Western Australia
"Please God, deliver me whole from Creationists......."
Our bodies don't know how to handle these artificial chemicals, as we did not evolve with them in our diet. They cause a biochemical storm and are difficult to break down and clear away, some accumulating in the fat cells or breaking down into neurotoxic substrates.
In general, our body responds to taste of the food and drink we eat and adjusts the hormone levels/enzymes etc to deal with the expected conditions. Sweet taste without calories still will result in increased insulin levels, this lowers blood sugar initially, then can lead to a net rise to compensate once the liver starts releasing glycogen as glucose to make up for the drop without any absorption of glucose from the intestine.
I am one who subscribes to the "peripheral insulin resistance" and "leptin/Ghrelin" signalling dysfunction rather than elevated blood glucose explanation of adult onset diabetes. We cannot simply lower the BG level, but must improve our biochemical function by improving the whole diet. It irritates me that dietitians still recommend artificial and potentially dangerous chemicals to my diabetic patients and talk about carb trading etc and say sugar is okay. Some now say sugar is okay for our type 1 diabetics, they just need more insulin, but then can develop type 2 due to insulin resistance!! It is beyond insane. One cannot abuse their body with bad food and expect their body to turn trash into treasure. This is the origin of chronic disease.
Anything that's fat free or sugar free or processed in any way is going to damage your body. Most are more concerned about how they feed and exercise their pets than their own body and children's too. We need to act like a grown up and eat to benefit our body rather than please our tongues. One cannot make a house out of stuff they find in a garbage dump; nor can one maintain a healthy body on junk food. You are what you eat.
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At this time, there are insufficient data to determine conclusively whether the use of NNS to displace caloric sweeteners in beverages and foods reduces added sugars or carbohydrate intakes, or benefits appetite, energy balance, body weight, or cardiometabolic risk factors. Limiting added sugars is an important strategy for supporting optimal nutrition and healthy weights, as concluded in the 2009 American Heart Association scientific statement “Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health” (1). Monitoring carbohydrate intake, which includes limiting added sugars, is also a key strategy to achieve glycemic control as published in the American Diabetes Association clinical practice recommendations (58). There are some data to suggest that NNS may be used in a structured diet to replace sources of added sugars and that this substitution may result in modest energy intake reductions and weight loss. Successful reduction in energy intake requires that there is incomplete compensation of energy reduction from the use of NNS-containing beverages and/or foods. The impact of incorporating NNS and NNS-containing beverages and foods on overall diet quality should be included in assessing the overall balance of benefits and risks. Apparent from the available literature is the paucity of data from well-designed human trials exploring the potential role of NNS in achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight and minimizing cardiometabolic risk factors.
The evidence reviewed suggests that when used judiciously, NNS could facilitate reductions in added sugars intake, thereby resulting in decreased total energy and weight loss/weight control, and promoting beneficial effects on related metabolic parameters. However, these potential benefits will not be fully realized if there is a compensatory increase in energy intake from other sources.
Artificial sweetners and blood sugars
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