http://www.care2.com/greenliving/artificial-sweeteners-for-weight-loss.html
Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss?
Q: I’m trying to cut back on calories. Is it OK to opt for foods made with artificial sweeteners?
A: If you’re looking to lose weight, turning to artifcial sweeteners might actually backfre. Scientists at Purdue University recently discovered that choosing saccharin-sweetened foods and drinks may cause greater weight gain than plain old sugar. Although their research focused on lab rats, it gels with emerging evidence that obesity risk could be higher among people who frequently drink diet soda.
When you consume sweet foods or drinks, your body readies itself to take in a lot of calories. If those calories aren’t delivered, the new study suggests, your metabolic system can get thrown off, making it harder to burn off calories and increasing your chances of overeating later on.
What’s more, saccharin (and aspartame) has been linked to cancer in a number of other animal studies. So instead of chugging diet soda or eating artifcially sweetened snacks, I’d encourage satisfying your sweet tooth with healthier foods like fruit, sorbets, or a few squares of dark chocolate.
Learn more:
The Best Sugar Substitutes
How to Break the Sugar Habit
Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.
Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.
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9 comments
add your comment »thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner
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I also am an avid user of Stevia. Besides being the "zero calorie" sweetener and "actually" natural, it helps to control blood sugar fluctuations so it could be used successfully in a weight loss program.
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Try Zsweet. 100% natural - No artificial ingredients whatsoever... and it tastes like sugar! I used it on my Kashi cereal the other morning and it was so good!
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Love Stevia!!! Use it most of the time unless I'm baking. Even then I use a little less sugar and some stevia.
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Dr. Brent is correct RE: ALL artificial sweetners! None of them are 'safe'; including Splenda! If you research them, you will find the evidence supports Dr. Brent. Splenda is NOT what the commercials lead you to believe.
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As a 60-year-old grandmother who has spent almost my whole lifetime consuming artificial sweetners--- I concur RE: the adverse effect they cause. Additionally, there is evidence they cause memory problems too. Despite eating healthy my whole adult lifetime, I now am a 'diabetic Type 2' senior. I started gaining weight when I started experiencing hypothyroidism in my forties.
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I also cast my vote for Stevia. Thank you for not saying artificial sweeteners are safe.
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Stevia is great for you, contains fiber, completely natural, and tastes as good as splenda!
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THANK YOU FOR THIS ARTICLE. THERE ARE STEVIA
( NATURAL) LIQUID.
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