Sugar alternatives maybe disrupting our insulin ?

[stuffedolive]

There is a very interesting piece of research being discussed on the BBC World Service 'Crowd Science' program. It argues that artificial sweeteners confuse our brains and guts into expecting a sugar load which fails to arrive. This then messes up the way the body delivers insulin. One study seems to show that consuming non-calorie sweetners (eg diet drink) alongside carbs causes an overload of insulin production and metabolic changes which may be leading to insulin resistance ... and thus diabetes. Hopefully, more research will be done on this . This is covered from around 24 minutes in the program.
CrowdScience - Why do I have such a sweet tooth? - BBC Sounds

 

[Goonergal]

Hi @stuffedolive

This is a regularly (and sometimes hotly) debated subject here and elsewhere. This is a link to a summary of a meta analysis of random control trials in this area. Unfortunately the full article isn’t freely available.

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/112/4/1002/5872362

 

[lucylocket61]

This is my lived experience. Others may have different responses.

 

[zand]

This is my lived experience. Others may have different responses.

Mine too.

 

[Oldvatr]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7014832/

Article on a study performed on T2D patients comparing AS users against non AS users (AS=Artificial Sweeteners)

 

[NicoleC1971]

There is a very interesting piece of research being discussed on the BBC World Service 'Crowd Science' program. It argues that artificial sweeteners confuse our brains and guts into expecting a sugar load which fails to arrive. This then messes up the way the body delivers insulin. One study seems to show that consuming non-calorie sweetners (eg diet drink) alongside carbs causes an overload of insulin production and metabolic changes which may be leading to insulin resistance ... and thus diabetes. Hopefully, more research will be done on this . This is covered from around 24 minutes in the program.
CrowdScience - Why do I have such a sweet tooth? - BBC Sounds

Heard that one in the middle of the night and somewhat half asleep. Thanks for linking it.
I also know that my overweight husband guzzles sweetner in Coke Zero all day long and it hasn't helped him lose weight which may imply a blood sugar dip leading to more grazing. If he drank full fat coke I suppose he'd be further down the road of metabolic dysfunction but I believe they are as methadone to heroin - a step to cubing a sweet tooth but not a solution.

 

[VashtiB]

Our bodies are very complex.

I, at the moment, do use artificial sweeteners. It is what has helped me go low carb. Some really really impact my levels others not. I am currently looking at reducing/stopping their use. I'm not quite there yet but 2 years ago I would have confidently predicted that I never would be.

I think that they are less than ideal- our bodies don't need them. My mind is convinced it needs them and as at the moment I have a few challenges on my plate this is not quite the moment to remove them but this is my plan.

I will never judge people's choices. I have made many not ideal choices during my life and expect I will make many more. We all try to make the best choices we can and I think those on this site actively try to make the best choices for our health. So while I don't think there are ideal I do think they can be a useful tool for some.