Sweeteners help you lose weight: myth or miracle?

Can sweeteners help you to lose weight? We looked at the science and found some surprising results

For years now, there has been a vigorous debate as to whether using artificial sugars can help you to lose weight or not. A review of more than a hundred studies concluded that when artificial sweeteners replace sugar in the diet (rather than simply being added on top) then this can lead to weight loss.

However, the Harvard School of Public Health points out that there are many conflicting studies, including those which suggest that drinking artificially sweetened drinks may increase your risk not just of weight gain, but also of type 2 diabetes.

Are all sweeteners bad for you?

There are two main types of sweetener alternatives to sugar: artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners like Stevia. The answer to the question, ‘are all sweeteners bad for you?’ is largely no, as natural sweeteners like Stevia can be associated with some potential health benefits, while artificial sweeteners are associated with poorer health outcomes.

A few key differences between Stevia and artificial sweeteners are:

• Stevia is extracted from the leaves of a South American shrub that is a member of the chrysanthemum family.
• Artificial sweeteners are chemically processed in a lab through processes like blending amino acids and altering white sugar.
• Stevia may have some health benefits, with a 2010 study finding that Stevia can significantly lower glucose and insulin levels in comparison to sucrose (sugar) and aspartame (artificial sweetener).
• Artificial sweeteners have known health risks like impacting gut health, insulin resistance and have been classified as ‘possibly carcinogenic’ by the World Health Organisation.

For these reasons and more, we opt to sweeten The Fast 800 Shakes with Stevia. This ensures all our shakes contain all-natural ingredients, and complements the shakes’ rich nutritional contents and delicious range of flavours, helping you lose weight and lower blood sugars the healthy way.

Can artificial sweeteners cause weight gain?

While some research suggests artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain, more research is needed. However, there does seem to be three key ways they may contribute to weight gain: inflammation, insulin resistance, and cravings.

Inflammation:

No-one really knows how artificial sugars could make it harder to lose weight, but a study done by a group in Israel suggests it might be due to the impact of artificial sugar on your gut bacteria.

In this study, published in 2014 in the prestigious science journal, Nature, researchers asked a group of lean and healthy volunteers, who didn’t normally use artificial sweeteners, to consume the maximum acceptable dose of sweeteners for a week. The sweeteners used were saccharin, sucralose and aspartame.

At the end of the week half the volunteers were showing signs of glucose intolerance, an early step in the journey to type 2 diabetes. The researchers think this could be because the bacteria in their guts reacted to the artificial sugars by secreting substances that cause inflammation.

Inflammation causes your body to produce “cytokines”, a type of chemical that interferes with sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that allows sugar to pass into blood cells and to store it as fat. This research therefore suggests that while sweeteners can bring down your daily calorie intake, they can also cause inflammation in your gut which may lead to weight gain.

Insulin resistance:

Over time, the standard Western diet blunts our insulin response: after experiencing repeated sugar shocks, accompanied by insulin release, our cells simply start to tune it out. In response, the body has to pump out extra insulin – a pathway which eventually leads to exhaustion of our body’s insulin system, and to diabetes.

Impaired insulin response is also in itself a powerful driver of sugar cravings. Even when blood sugar is soaring, glucose-hungry cells keep sending up signals to the brain to eat more.

As any experienced dieter will tell you, it’s hard to lose weight when you feel constantly tempted. To lose weight and to keep it off, you have to free yourself from reliance on sweet-tasting food. Heavy use of sweeteners will only make this harder.

Cravings and taste receptors:

There is good news, though – rather than dosing your taste buds with artificial sweeteners, simply by changing your diet, you can unlock the natural sweet taste of fresh foods.
A number of studies have shown that type 2 diabetics with poorly-controlled blood sugar have an impaired ability to detect sweet tastes, driving them to eat more. After bringing their blood sugar levels under control, however, they experienced greater sensitivity to taste, particularly sweet tastes. In consequence, they were able to gain greater satisfaction from unprocessed foods, such as apples and carrots.

So, bin the sweeteners, and fill your fridge with fresh fruit and veg. As your tastes adapt away from having a sweet tooth, you will soon taste the difference.

Sign up to your 7-day free trial of The Fast 800 Programme here to explore our delicious recipes that are sure to satisfy any cravings. You’ll also find meal plans, exercise videos, an online Community and mindfulness resources that will keep you on track towards your weight loss goals in a way that is easy, and enjoyable. What could be sweeter than that?