Health Risks of Sugar Substitutes

[@MajdMD]

Diet coke and sodas seem to be one of the top sources of artificial sweetener consumption. How much do you drink? What other non-nutritive sweetened foods are the toughest for you to give up?

[@ronnier5349]

Sugar free maple syrup and energy drinks. I go through an insane amount of artificial sweeteners daily.

[@KTPurdy]

Granted, these artificial sweeteners are not healthy, but compared to sugar its hard to know which vice is more damaging.

[@MajdMD]

Kent Purdy I complete empathize :) ideally, we should avoid both. But i know it’s much easier said than done. Thanks for watching!

[@KTPurdy]

@Alen Men I agree.

[@HelpMyDiabetes]

Thank you for an evidence-based analysis on this topic!

[@stacyl6822]

I avoid aspartame as much as I can- it gives me terrible headaches. I didn’t know sweeteners were in toothpaste and vitamins- that’s crazy!

[@MajdMD]

Stacy L They can trigger migraines, too, yes! As for toothpaste and vitamins, always read the food labels. I was recently reading the labels at the store when searching for toothpaste for my kids and found them on there! Thanks for sharing, Stacy :)

[@TripleVortex]

Bad advice. Lowering glycemic load and sugar intake has positive effects categorically, so if that means moderate artificial sweetener intake, its worth it. That being said always choose stevia, monkfruit, allulose, or erythritol whenever possible.

[@Tcgrande77]

sugarless gum and sugar free hard candies.... I am trying to find a healthy alternative

[@roadkingjp]

Hi, I'm a new subscriber and love the channel. I've been doing the intermittent fasting and watching my food intake. Also exercising by riding my bicycle about 50 miles each week. Thank you for the wonderful information. I was wondering what you think about Truvia? When in fast I only drink black coffee and water so that decreases my truvia intake. My only sugar intake right now is from fruit, which is an addiction I need to work on. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@MajdMD]

Thank you for watching and for your kind words! Stevia and Truvia are probably the better of the non-nutritive sweetener evils and are derived from plants, however, they still are 200-400 times sweeter than table sugar. They still stimulate some of the same receptors as table sugar. I would try to go without it if you can! I hope that helps.

[@roadkingjp]

@@MajdMD it absolutely does. Just goes to show you. If it's not tree bark and grass roots, its probably not good for you! PS, I miss the camieo of the two little ones! :)

[@MajdMD]

Jim The Mechanic Keep up the awesome work and let me know how it goes along the way! Thank you for the kind words about the kiddos - I’ll still probably add them in once in a while :)

[@hippiejohn3810]

What about it causing seizures???? ... First time I accidentally ingested aspartame (in non-diet yogurt) headache & stomach ache, sever nausea & dizziness ...then I had a seizure !!!!!! I eat less then a small portion.

[@qiud6795]

What about monkfruit sweetner?

[@MyName-sk8wl]

Sooo yes but no and maybe sometimes is hopefully? Take for example the soda comparison, 2 diet soda Vs 1 diets soda......... what about 2 diet sodas Vs. 2 Non diet sodas? People struggling to quit are looking for a jumping stone to the solution and not the 0 to 100% fix, then maybe they can more easily go from that stepping stone to the 100% solution instead of trying to jump too high and falling back down to where they began

[@ammaraansar1503]

Some diabetic tend to use artificial sweetenes to satisfy there sweet tooth, even tho they say that it's recommend by some physicians. So is it safe?? If not, then what to do to replace sugar??

[@Inkdraft]

Why is stevia included in a list of artificial sweeteners?

[@MajdMD]

Great Q! Even though Stevia is technically derived from a plant and not "artificial," it still stimulates the same pathways as sugar and is 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar just like the other sweeteners. They all have a psychological impact without actually providing the sensation of fullness than actual table sugar has. Given it's the lesser of the non-nutritive sweeteners evils, but not without consequences. We also just don't have enough studies on Stevia. I hope that answers your question?

[@justmemissy2829]

@@MajdMD Stevia is related to ragweed and causes me congestion! I stay clear or use monkfruit. How do you feel about monkfruit?

[@MajdMD]

@JustmeMissy I think i'd prefer it over many of the other sweeteners. But keep in mind it's still 150 to 200 times sweeter than table sugar -- we just don't know if they may have a psychological impact like sugar. Use it sparingly if you do, but it'd say it's probably one of the lesser of the evils of all these sweeteners :)

[@Dranomoly]

What about monk fruit?

[@MajdMD]

Perhaps a lesser of the evils. But best for during fasting hours, we don't know what it does to induce insulin secretions.

[@baunakieyethoda]

Sweeteners are FDA Approved. It's not cigarettes. Glycemic index is not affected by artificial sweetners. Real sugars do. Stevia does not cause cancer, obesity, or blood pressure. There is no clinical study to prove any of your claims. On the contrary, artificial sweetners may have lower mortality risk compared to real sugars. It's all about dose. Yes, the only way to get big is to get higher calories. There is no connection between artificial sweetners & high calories unless they are added to products that additionally contain more calories. Just cut down on sugars and lean on the protein, fruits, & green veggie side - to stay healthy. If you don't feel like adding artificial sweetners, there is no justification to stop taking it. Just take plain 1-2 % milk with portion size of real fruits and squish them up in a blender - add ice cubes & your favorite protein - gulp it... like right now. Stay healthy.

[@MrKD64]

FDA approved... ah ok then!

[@ramblinrozz2242]

Actually fructose, the natural sugar in fruit causes many metabolic diseases.