- Evidence raises questions about the safety and effectiveness of artificial sweeteners
- Consuming Artificial Sweeteners Can Affect Our Mental Health
Artificial sweeteners have become a staple of our everyday foods and drinks, from cereals and yogurts to chewing gum and instant coffee.
They are also found in pharmaceuticals and help drugs such as antibiotics go down.
According to market analyst Future Market Insights, the UK is a foodie for them, swallowing up a third of all global sales. In 2020, an estimated 2.2 million people in the UK used artificial sweeteners four or more times a day.
And why? They are marketed as a healthy, low-calorie alternative to fattening, tooth-corrosive sugar.
However, increasing evidence from scientific studies casts doubt on the safety and efficacy of artificial sweeteners, suggesting that the chemicals they contain can harm our brains and bodies. doing.
In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued draft guidelines (April (to be formalized in ). diabetes or heart disease.
Among the latest concerns is evidence that consuming artificial sweeteners can affect our mental health.
A US study in mice published in December in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the sweetener aspartame (used, for example, in cereals, chewing gum, and yogurt) may increase the risk of chronic anxiety. It turns out that it is even possible to pass. to descendants.
Researchers at Florida State University noted that mice that drank water containing aspartame exhibited anxiety-like behaviors, such as freezing and hiding.
They also found that exposing mice to aspartame altered genes that regulate the amygdala, a brain region that can induce anxiety and fear in mice and humans.
Moreover, these were not high doses for long periods of time.Mice were fed sweeteners in their drinking water at doses of 8 mg/kg body weight for up to 12 weeks.U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) The maximum daily human intake recommended by
Researchers suggest that aspartame may have these effects. That’s because when you eat aspartame, it breaks down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol.
The study showed that these effects also cause genetic changes that can be passed on from generation to generation. It appears over a maximum of two generations,” he warns.
“Consuming aspartame at doses below the FDA-recommended daily intake can cause neurobehavioral changes in individuals and their offspring.
This isn’t the first time researchers have warned about this kind of effect. A 2018 review in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience concluded that “aspartame is associated with learning disabilities, headaches, irritable moods, anxiety, depression and insomnia.”
Researchers at Sains University in Malaysia have proposed two possible explanations.
First, aspartame increases the levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid in the brain. They suppress the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which regulate brain activity and emotions.
A second theory is that aspartame increases blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
There are also concerns about the potential physical harm of artificial sweeteners. are collecting.
Researchers reported in the British Medical Journal in September that data showed that the higher the intake of artificial sweeteners, the higher the risk of cardiovascular disease. It has been found to be associated with an increased risk of stroke.
Two other sweeteners, acesulfame K (used in baked goods, dairy products, desserts, etc.) and sucralose (common in diet foods and beverages), were also associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
The study concludes:
In August, researchers at NutriNet-Santé announced they had found a link between artificial sweeteners, specifically aspartame and acesulfame K, and cancer. Regular consumption is commonly associated with a 13% higher risk of cancer, reports PLoS Medicine. Those who consumed large amounts had the highest risk of cancer.
One possible reason, ironically, is that artificial sweeteners can alter the gut microbiome and interfere with our body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Poor glycemic control can promote chronic inflammation that damages cells. Another study published in his Cell magazine in September found that the artificial sweeteners saccharin and sucralose significantly reduced blood sugar control in healthy adults. Changes were also seen in the gut microbes that secrete substances that maintain good blood sugar levels.
Findings like these have inspired a WHO review of the scientific evidence. The resulting report concludes that regular consumption of sweeteners is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and long-term weight gain.
A 2017 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked at 10 years of data from more than 400,000 people and found that those who drank one or more artificially sweetened beverages a day were less likely to gain weight or They found a significantly higher risk of obesity and related diseases such as: Type 2 diabetes. And in his 2018 study at George Washington University, it was reported that sucralose increased his levels of a protein called GLUT4, which promotes the accumulation of fat in cells. These changes are associated with an increased risk of obesity, scientists say.
Chris van Tulleken, PhD, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, University College London, and author of the forthcoming book Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food … And Why Can’t We Stop? He told Good magazine: Health: ‘Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners seems like the perfect solution to preventing weight gain.
“When you put a sweet taste in your mouth, it’s not just fun. That feeling prepares your body to receive sugar.
“Even if sugar doesn’t arrive, it’s no surprise that your metabolism is messed up because your body is releasing insulin to process it.”
He adds:
Dr. van Tulleken claims that industry-funded studies don’t show artificial sweeteners to be harmful, but “that’s not what independent research shows.” There is increasing evidence that it does not exacerbate the risk of disease.
Dr. Gareth Nye, senior lecturer in physiology at the University of Chester, said the link between artificial sweetener consumption and weight gain suggests that people who are already overweight are more likely to use sweeteners to lose weight. It suggests that it can be attributed only to facts.
However, he adds:
Dr. Havovi Chichger, an associate professor of biomedicine at Anglia Ruskin University who studies sweeteners, said: It must be obtained naturally from the foods we eat, such as fruits.
This will be a challenge for those with a sweet tooth or those caring for children, says Dr Van Tuleken. There is evidence that people drink a can of premium beverage every day,” he says.
Unfortunately, the sugar tax [introduced in 2018] I have unintentionally increased the amount of artificial sweeteners my children consume. But when it comes to me and my girlfriend’s two young children, a little sugar is far preferable to artificial sweeteners,” he adds.
A spokesman for Ajinomoto, which makes aspartame, opposed any suggestion that artificial sweeteners pose a health hazard.
For example, a Florida State University mouse study on aspartame and its effects on anxiety “cannot be extrapolated to humans,” he told Good Health.
“Studies show that aspartame and other sugar-free sweeteners are safe, reduce sugar and calorie intake, and help with weight management. may be related to.”
A spokesman for the International Sweeteners Association reiterated that extensive research has confirmed that low-calorie sweeteners are safe, adding: “All low-calorie/zero-calorie products used in food and beverages in Europe The sweetener has undergone rigorous safety testing by the European Food Safety Authority.
A-List Body Secrets: How to Get a Star’s Enviable Physique
This Week: Kate Hudson’s Bottoms
“I need to move my body every day to feel good,” says 43-year-old actress Kate.
Things to try: donkey kick. Get on all fours, keep your back flat, core tight, and lift one leg back (knee still bent). Squeeze your buttocks and press the soles of your feet toward the ceiling. Lower your knees to the ground and repeat as many times as possible in one minute.
After 1 minute, lift your leg so your thigh is parallel to the floor. Then he pulses up and down quickly to that point without bringing the knee back to the floor for another 30 seconds.
Return to all fours, rest for 15 seconds, and repeat with the other leg.
