Exposure to artificial sweeteners triggered certain changes in intestinal bacteria that resulted in poor sugar control in blood.
Artificial sweeteners - the supposedly diet-friendly way to satisfy sweet craving - are now getting bad press with a new study putting a big, troubling question mark on their health benefits.
The study published in Nature found that when healthy mice were administered common artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and saccharine, the nature of gut bacteria was altered in such a way as to induce glucose intolerance. Simply put, exposure to artificial sweeteners triggered certain changes in intestinal bacteria that resulted in poor sugar control in blood. A badly managed sugar supply in blood directly ups the risk of diabetes and obesity.
When researchers carried out the same experiment on human volunteers, many of them developed the same intolerance after consuming sweeteners for just one week. Researchers at Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel who conducted the study said they were intrigued by the link between the use of sweeteners and a tendency to develop the very disorders they were designed to prevent. "This calls for reassessment of today's massive, unsupervised consumption of these substances," said Dr Eran Elinav of immunology department who led this research.
The global low-calorie food market, which uses artificial sweeteners liberally, stood at $7,418 million in 2013. The sweetener market in India is currently worth approximately Rs 150 crore and is seeing double digit growth thanks to the growing population of diabetics. Dr Ambrish Mithal, chairman division (department??) of endocrinology and diabetes at Medanta Gurgaon, admits that the Nature study makes him uncomfortable. "When patients ask us if they should take sweeteners we have always said yes," says Dr Mithal but adds that users need not stop taking sweeteners until the link is clearly established through more and larger studies done on humans. "Right now it has only been proven in mice and suggested in humans," says Dr Mithal.
Dr Anoop Misra, endocrinologist and chairman Fortis C-Doc, says it's too early to push the panic button but one needs to be cautious. "Although results of this study are significant, these need to be replicated in more studies," says Dr Misra. He, however, adds: "Patients who are battling obesity and diabetes should avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible or take them in very small amounts. In particular, diet beverages which contain these sweeteners should be avoided," says Dr Misra.
Today, artificial sweeteners are used in an array of commercially produced health foods - drinks, sodas, salad dressings, condiments, jams, jellies, syrups, baked goods, candies etc. Stevia, derived from a herb, is considered to be a safer substitute but doctors refuse to comment on its safety because it hasn't been studied enough.
Interestingly, just two days after the study appeared in Nature, Coke launched its latest health drink, Zero, in India. Like many other health beverages, Zero contains artificial sweeteners (aspartame and acesulfame-K). According to industry estimates low-cal beverages constitute only 1-2% of the total volume in India. In the US diet sodas make up a third of the total soda market but their consumption has been steadily declining over the past three years, according to Wall Street Journal.
Sugar Crush
Aspartame: It is widely used in diet sodas, sauces and salad dressings. It is almost 180 times sweeter than table sugar and closest in taste to it.
Saccharin: Unlike aspartame, it can be heated and is used in manufacture of sugar-free bakery goods. It is 300 times sweeter than table sugar and has zero calories.
Sucralose: It is extracted from sugar cane and is almost 600 times sweeter than table sugar. It has zero calories and is used in manufacture of dairy products, syrups, baked goods, chewing gum, jams and jellies.
Stevia: This sugar substitute is derived from a herb. It is up to 200 times sweeter than table sugar but it leaves a bitter aftertaste.
No comments:
Post a Comment