Are Diet Drinks As Innocent As We Think?

<h1><strong>DIET DRINKS</strong></h1> <p>The sugar content in carbonated drinks is quite high and the health hazards are now known by everyone. Instead, low-calorie sugar-free types suitable for dieting are recommended. But ideas about this type of beverage have started to change. A new study from Imperial College London has published that there is no hard data to show that low-calorie sweetened drinks benefit weight loss compared to sugary drinks. <strong>Researchers also dispute the notion that such drinks are good for health. Because the biological effect of sweeteners on the individual has not been clearly demonstrated scientifically.</strong> There is a belief among the public and some scientists that sweeteners cause weight gain and increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Just hearing that alone gave us goosebumps.</p> <h2>But should we buy these sweeteners and products containing them?</h2> <p>"Many people think these are healthy choices because they don't contain sugar, but people need to understand that we don't have the data to prove it," says <strong>Prof. Susan Swithers of Purdue University in</strong> the US. Research shows that overweight and obese people consume more carbonated drinks than those with a healthy weight. Yes, step by step, we can actually say that the questions started to increase in our minds!</p> <p>According to a <strong>US Journal of Public Health</strong> survey of US adults, 11 percent of people of healthy weight, 19 percent of overweight people and 22 percent of overweight obese people consume diet drinks. We know that it's hard to change our habits, but are these innocent drinks good for us or bad for us?</p> <p>A study <strong>in the journal Obesity</strong>, which examined the diets of 3700 people for nearly 8 years, found that low-calorie sweeteners cause weight gain. I think our questions are starting to be answered a little bit more. Researchers continue to question whether artificial sweeteners are counterproductive.</p> <h3>Because it is difficult to establish a cause and effect relationship in this type of research. Are these drinks the main cause of weight gain or is it the overconsumption of such drinks to keep weight under control?</h3> <p><strong>Professor Swithers'</strong> experiment on mice shows that these types of drinks elicit a different response in the body than regular sugar. Sugar feels sweet on the tongue, but it also signals to the body that food will follow. With zero-calorie sweeteners, there is no feeling that food will follow. Thus, the link between sweetener and calories is broken.</p> <p>"We think diet sodas can be bad because they make it harder to digest the sugar you consume. "When animals get real sugar, they have a hard time digesting it and the hormonal response changes, the level of sugar in the blood increases and this leads to weight gain," says Professor Swithers.</p> <p>On the other hand, according to scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, low-calorie sweeteners also alter the balance of bacteria in the intestines of mice. In recent years, many studies have emphasized the importance of microbiota. We should not forget that the disruption of the balance in our intestines will affect our quality of life at every stage of our lives, from affecting our organs to not being able to control weight.</p> <p>Research in the journal Nature also found that low-calorie sweeteners alter the metabolism of animals and increase blood sugar levels. This is seen as the beginning of Type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>For one study, seven volunteers consumed only low-calorie sweeteners for seven days. Half of these volunteers experienced the effects seen in animals.</p> <p>Peter Rogers, Professor at the University of Bristol, says he is not satisfied with this research. Rogers argues that the levels of sweeteners used in animal research are 'not very relevant' to their real-life consumption.</p> <p>More comprehensive studies will be carried out in the coming years. My suggestion is that we should question, we should get out of the perception that I can consume as much as I want because it has no or low calories.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Updated:27 Jun 2022, 13:32</p> <p>This content has been published with the approval of Atakent Health Group Medical Editorial Board. The content published on the page is prepared with scientific data at the time of registration and is for informational purposes only. There is no content on curative health care. Please consult your physician for accurate diagnosis and treatment.</p>