Okay, so I am dying for some clarification on the rumor that sweeteners can actually cause a diabetic to gain weight. I’m a type 1 diabetic who is very active and eats healthy but consumes artificial sweetener (Splenda) on a regular basis. Someone told me that sweeteners can cause a diabetic to go into a starvation mode, which slows down the metabolism and makes the body conserve its food instead of naturally disposing of it–making the body retain weight. Is this true? I know that sweeteners can make the body crave more food because the body isn’t satisfied and by consuming more food, you therefore gain weight.
Does anyone know the answer to this?
I’m trying to curb my use of sweeteners but I love them too much.
I personally call BS on that. I’ve used artificial sweeteners(pink, blue, yellow) for almost 40 years and never an issue. I do notice though if I increase my total calories consumed I will gain weight .
I think it’s nonsense, just like how people say aspartame causes cancer. Maybe it does, but I don’t think it’s any worse than any of the other chemicals and additives that are in our food and for some reason it’s always villified. I drink way too much coke Zero and definitely don’t have any extra weight to show for it.
I’ve been told that some artificial sweeteners (acetaminophen, sucralose) can impact gut health and, as a result, impact many things, including insulin resistance and weight gain – potentially. Some artificial sweeteners, like Sorbitol, Xylitol, erythritol, are sugar alcohols and may or may not impact specific individuals. Stevia appears to have no impact, but some people find it bitter instead of sleep.
That said, Dr. Richard Bernstein says that artificial sweeteners have no impact on blood glucose or weight gain, and a recent study I saw claims the same. I use them, but infrequently, except stevia, which I use more.
Dr Robert Lustig touches on this in one of his lectures. He says the evidence is not yet conclusive, but suggest a pathway to weight gain. My best interpretation of what he said is as follows. Your body interprets these “fake sugars” as the real thing. And it responds by releasing insulin and perhaps other hormones in anticipation. And it is this release that could trigger additional hunger, leading to greater food consumption and weight gain. Lustig does NOT say that this has been proven, only that some evidence suggests that. Further, he is not specifically talking about diabetics, but the general population of artificial sweetener users. As a Type 1, I wonder about whether these hormones COULD be released, specifically with insulin.
I’ve lost about 30 pounds this past year and have used a variety of these sweeteners — erythritol, stevia, Spenda and others.
Unlike Thas, I haven’t tried sweetening my coffee with acetaminophen. But the prospect of sweetening my beverages AND curing my headache at the same time is intriguing !
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(aspartame - been talking a lot about Tylenol lately, and brain burped…)