Artificial Sweeteners, Obesity and the Holidays

Posted on | December 15, 2009 | Comments Off on Artificial Sweeteners, Obesity and the Holidays

Mike Magee

Dr David Ludwig, in a recent editorial comparing natural sugars with artificial sweeteners in the Journal of the American Medical Association, noted that “Problems occur when sugars—chiefly sucrose and the chemically similar product, high-fructose corn syrup—are refined, concentrated, and consumed in large amounts. Without the protection conferred by an intact, natural food containing fiber and antioxidants, these refined sugars increase blood glucose and insulin levels rapidly after consumption, increasing concentrations of triglycerides,inflammatory mediators, and reactive oxygen radicals. In contrast to whole fruit, intake of refined carbohydrate increases risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illness. Sugar-sweetened beverages may have an especially adverse effect on body weight because of the exceptionally low-satiety value of sugars in liquid form.”1,2,3

OK. Sugars, especially heavily processed sugars, separated from their origins and ingested in large quantities (as with soda beverages) are not healthy. How about those artificial sweeteners?
(to continue…)