Hey Santa Fe, Bet You Didn’t Know This About Splenda® …
For years, Splenda has been one of the top-selling artificial sweeteners that promises to help you maintain a healthy weight because it’s calorie-free.
Well, a VERY recent study shows sucralose (Splenda®) may have a dirty little secret …
Research published in the May 2013 edition of Diabetes Care shows that drinking even a minimal amount of sucralose may not be so good for you, even though it’s calorie free.
The study recruited 17 obese individuals who normally did NOT consume artificial sweeteners and did NOT have diabetes. The researchers then conducted the experiment twice.
First, the patients were given water before given a glucose challenge test (that’s where patients are given sugar, and then have their blood tested to see how the body responds).
Then, the next time the participants came in, they were given sucralose (Splenda®) to drink instead of water before the glucose challenge test.
As it turns out, the body reacts to sucralose in a similar way as it would to sugar. The study’s lead author, M. Yanina Pepino, PhD, stated:
“Insulin levels also rose about 20 percent higher [with sucralose]. So the artificial sweetener was related to an enhanced blood insulin and glucose response.” [1]
Why are these results so shocking? Because if your body routinely secretes more insulin than it needs to, it can lead to type-2 diabetes. And it’s alarming, because most people have been under the impression that calorie free sweeteners are “okay” because they won’t add to your waistline. But even though they won’t add to your calorie count, they can be just as damaging as sugar to your overall health.
A recent opinion paper in the July 2013 edition of Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism reviewed a number of studies and found that drinking artificially sweetened beverages can be just as bad as drinking sugary drinks.
They pose the same risk for type-2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, stroke and even heart disease. Worse yet, just one artificially sweetened drink is enough to significantly raise your risk for getting the bad health effects. [2]
So what can you do?
The best thing is to stick to drinking only water, just like our ancestors.
But if you need a little more variety, here are a few things you could do to provide a tasty way to add some “flavor” without sugar or plenty of calories.
Use stevia or xylitol. Both are all-natural, no-calorie sweeteners.
Stick to unsweetened tea. This is also a great option to give you some variety so you don’t have to drink water all the time.
Add mint and lime to your water. It tastes great and if you want to sweeten it a little, just add a bit of stevia.
So now you know Splenda’s® “dirty little secret.” Avoid it if you can, along with other fake sweeteners. Following the tips here will keep things interesting in the beverage department, while still keeping your health in first place. Your body will thank you!
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References:
[1] M. Y. Pepino, C. D. Tiemann, B. W. Patterson, B. M. Wice, S. Klein. Sucralose
Affects Glycemic and Hormonal Responses to an Oral Glucose Load. Diabetes Care, 2013; DOI: 10.2337/dc12-2221
[2] Swithers, Susan “Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements” Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 11 July 2013
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