Podcast: Sweetener Side Effects

[@carmadefries3729]

Aspartame gave me fibromyalgia. Within 2 weeks of stopping all aspartame intake, I no longer had any fibromyalgia symptoms. I do have multiple sclerosis but whole food plant based vegan diet and movement help considerably. Thanks for another fantastic video, Doc! You are one of my favorites and I believe you saved my life. 🌱💪🏼💚

[@Elizerinc]

can you eat stevia?

[@dianeladico1769]

So glad you got that resolved. Wishing you continued good health. Dr. G is the best.

[@carmadefries3729]

@@Elizerinc I do and haven’t experienced any negative effects. I’m looking forward to seeing more in-depth studies.

[@carmadefries3729]

@@dianeladico1769 he truly is!

[@Elizerinc]

@@carmadefries3729 Thank you

[@Marathon5151]

Erythritol gave me really bad bloating, gas and water retention. I’m glad I stopped using it and got away from low carb eating to a whole foods plant-based lifestyle.

[@Spock_Rogers]

I'm glad I quit this too. Some of my friends say I'm not fun anymore, because I have a list of things I won't do. Oh well. Thank you for all your work, Doctor Greger! 🍀

[@dianeladico1769]

I'd say your friends have a very limited view of fun.

[@samiryan214]

Now tell your friend that you added aspartame, stevia, Splenda, erythritol, and monk fruit to your blacklist.

[@Spock_Rogers]

@@samiryan214 I pretty much just drink water, coffee, or green tea anymore. Boring! ✌️

[@Spock_Rogers]

@@samiryan214 I drink it black.

[@samiryan214]

@@Spock_Rogers boring but healthy and stable. why? because you don't have ups and downs moods like them

[@dianeladico1769]

As part of my dietary changes I dropped all added sweeteners, natural or otherwise, for the sake of adding sweeteners. So black coffee, plain tea, no need for any sweeteners. The sweetest thing I eat is dried fruit as part of my 30+ a week as an addition to porridge/salads/curries. I find not only do I not miss it but some fruit is unbelievably sweet to me. I tried to eat a whole date by itself and couldn't do it. One serving of really ripe and sweeter fruit is more than enough for me. I think it's true that one's tastes adapt and any added sweetener just keeps your craving for it alive. I get the evolutionary drive but there seems to be a 'need' to have sweetener-added foods and drinks beyond that. No sugar? Aspartame! No? Sucralose! No? Stevia! Date sugar! It's as though added sweetener is a given-we HAVE to have some, it's just the form it takes. JMHO Not everyone needs or wants to do this but it certainly worked for me.

[@reaperkollyns6495]

My friend fostered a little girl who was severely underweight. The doctor said to give her a diet coke 30 mins before eating because it would increase her appetite. Essentially, your brain learns that when it tastes "sweetness" that sugar is incoming, so it releases insulin to do its thing, however, it's not sugar so now your body has insulin floating around with no way to get rid of it except to MAKE you hungry so that you will eat something to counteract the flood of insulin it released when it thought you were eating sugar. That's why I usually drink my Zevia with my dessert or at the tail end of a meal.

[@advaitc2554]

Great info. Thanks. I'd like to see a comparison of stevia extract vs whole stevia leaf powder. Could be that some of the other chemicals in the whole stevia leaf powder reduce the level of delayed blood sugar rise? Let's put it to the test.

[@andreswithplants9594]

Exactly! I’m also trying to figure that out. I don’t use stevia in powder form, I pour boiling water on the leafs and take out the leafs after couple minutes. But I mostly use it for beverages, veggie smoothies and so on

[@samiryan214]

Keep calm & eat your fruits.

[@naftalibendavid]

Wow! Very, very informative. I had no idea about some of these data. Great job making some convoluted research much more accessible and practical.

[@TillyFloss]

Never a mention of xylitol (from birch trees!). Anything?

[@peggyharris3815]

Yeah...I was wondering about that too. A glaring omission.

[@betzib8021]

Yep...stopped my tooth decay problem in its tracks....and tastes just like sugar. It's even good for the microbiome.

[@xcast1]

Indirectly - anything sweet w/o calories will cause yet bigger blood sugar spikes after the next meal(s), and calorie compensation. [And will also confuse insulin secretion and appetite control.] Teeth: There are straws, swiveling w water, interdental brushes etc.

[@survivormary1126]

@@xcast1 xylitol stops certain bacteria and doesn't need to be swallowed for teeth.

[@AH-cy4md]

I was using Stevia in my coffee, sucralose in water flavor enhancers, and aspartame in my zero sugar Dr Pepper. I slowly developed gastrointestinal issues, I swear I could feel the inflammation in my esophagus and rectum. I stopped using all these products and went back to using sugar in my coffee and if I want a soda, I’ll take the sugar hit. At least I know what that does to my body . I started eating some fermented foods daily took some probiotics, and now three months later oh my gastrointestinal symptoms of gas, bloating, abdominal pain , feelings of inflammation and occasional fecal incontinence have resolved; I’ve gained a couple pounds, but I’m still a good bmi

[@Darou853]

I don't know why people say stevia is sooo sweet that you don't have to use much. I certainly do. I need at least 2 table spoons of it in my coffee or tea to make it palatable. I've tried cutting back to 1 and its just not enough and I have to force it down.

[@chrisperry8636]

The answer was in the latter part of the evaluation. just don't eat as much/overeat during the second meal and you should be fine. And what was the second meal? Never mentioned. But I bet it was high carb.

[@CottonwoodCrow]

@NutritionFactsOrg can you please share the link for the video on Stevia that you reference in this video? unable to find it in your channel. Thanks!

[@survivormary1126]

I'd like to see as well. Seems like a study backed by the Sugar packers of America...lol

[@imOgellinOoutz]

Given your video about bananas in smoothies what about dates? Is the polyphenol antioxidant content contained and dates itself also not bio available/absorbed because it is brown? Brown as in not a fresh yellow with a crunch like an apple which it usually looks like for the first one or two weeks. And therefore, does this mean that it would also blunt the availability of other polyphenol, antioxidants, when combined to smoothies or eat together with a meal like oatmeal?

[@Hyperion1040]

What abou allulose?

[@BlairPittams]

Internalist specialist and now leading mental health adverser Dr Neil Neidly, Has a lot of information

[@rustlingbushes7678]

I'm curious what Agave would do in a test against Sugar.

[@survivormary1126]

I believe Agave raises blood sugar the same as table sugar or more.

[@johnharding2880]

Then there's allulose. According to things I've seen it appears to actually LOWER blood sugar spikes, perhaps because it competes for the use of GLUT2. But does allulose, like the others, cause a subsequent spike? I think this has some importance because there are a lot of allulose users out there.

[@jwoolman5]

I get 24 hours of painful gas from allulose.... 🙀

[@BlairPittams]

Hi doc I have supposedly had PTSD since childhood could this be the reason for being a healthy vegetarian with high blood pressure

[@happycook6737]

Check your salt intake. My blood pressure is much lower when I eat nearly salt free. There are many causes of high blood pressure. Worth checking it out with the doctor.

[@BlairPittams]

@@happycook6737 don't have salt, could be from the laying down on my bed in isolation due to being a introvert with anxiety issues for over a year

[@tMarie234]

@@BlairPittamsThat makes no sense. I’ve been chained to my bed for several years in my youth and now due to severe illness,and didn’t go plant based before now (6 weeks ago). I’m an introvert to the bone and live alone in no man’s land. And here it’s common to salt food for preservation. Never had high blood pressure,even though all my relatives do. I’m a fan of science,but placebo plays a huge part in so many ways. Read a little bit about nocebo and please try meditation,- don’t let your past dictate your future! You got this! Good thoughts from an introvert up north 🌍❄️💚

[@BlairPittams]

@@tMarie234 I think my second opinion was that it started occurring a year after my COVID jab, I've been eating vegan for over 2 years now and have moderate higher tension, There's probably something medically wrong by now for I haven't been able to get a blood test in 20 years due to anxiety, my other possiblity was lack of sleep for over 20 years nowadays only 4 hours a night, for over a year

[@GehresWeed]

Dr. Gerger, what sweetner do you use? 😀We are opting for honey, agave syrup and dates for sweeteners but we do use stevia for coffee.

[@brackguthrie9470]

If you are going to use honey or agave, you might as well just use regular old cane sugar.

[@seirapeace7308]

Honey and agave spike the blood sugar pretty bad. Mic the Vegan did a Video on it :) You need Fiber-bound sugar, so nothing too processed. From what I understand: almost anything that is cooked to a syrupy consistency is too dense in sugar and lacking in fibre and nutrient components, and starts spiking your blood sugar similarly to sugar. Examples for that are Agave- and Date Syrup. Date sugar is fine though, its just basically slowly dried Dates sugar cristalyzes and then just blended. So no extractions happening.

[@Trainfeastfast]

He uses dates and blackstrap molasses.

[@Denidrakes69]

I have a daughter with Addison's disease. If she goes into crisis, meaning her blood sugar plummets (she produces zero cortisol) we first "inject" two teaspoons of honey into her mouth with a syringe. That being said, small amounts of locally grown honey is really good for allergies!

[@jontim7667]

in the Metamucil I (need) to use for my IBS has sweeteners in it is that harmfull..??

[@Elizerinc]

You can buy plain psyllium husks or powder instead.

[@brackguthrie9470]

Use the sugar-sweetened version if you are concerned about artificial sweeteners. The amount of sugar is inconsequential. Especially if you are decreasing other added sugars in your diet.

[@jwoolman5]

I think the Metamucil capsules are still pure psyllium powder. You can open the capsules and add to food if needed.

[@paulspersonal6865]

Can I add to the others on here who have asked you to look at zylitol for us please Dr. (I myself take the low dose zylimelts, about 5 a day to help reduce the effects of silent acid reflux)

[@jwoolman5]

Make sure you look for info under xylitol and xylimelts (same pronunciation).

[@spiph23]

When people drink sugary sodas, their bodies tend to release more insulin than need, which will cause a person's blood glucose levels to drop below normal 90-120 minutes later. Meaning, this is a poorly designed study. It's not that the artificial sweetener caused the blood sugar to rise higher than those who consumed the sugary soda, it is that by feeding the sugary soda group 1 hour after drinking the soda, they prevented or offset the low blood sugar. It is the equivalent of "pre-bolusing" for a meal.

[@Ryansarcade9]

🤞for stevia

[@Ryansarcade9]

After watching, bleh. Looks like stevia isnt any better.

[@rhyothemisprinceps1617]

Disturbing mouse study on *aspartame & anxiety* published in PNAS in 2022 by Jones et al., "Transgenerational transmission of aspartame-induced anxiety and changes in glutamate-GABA signaling and gene expression in the amygdala". Could this be contributing to the 'anxiety epidemic'? Transgenerational transmission of anxiety-like behavior was observer though male line ("fathers" & "grandfathers").

[@brackguthrie9470]

What!! You mean you have to decrease your food intake in order to decrease calorie intake??!!

[@betzib8021]

Xylitol stops tooth decay ...and tastes just like sugar. As long as I sweetened my tea w xylitol...no cavities. Gave up all sweeteners...tooth decay returned. Now it's hard to find.

[@walkingWV304]

EAT REAL FOOD!!!

[@survivormary1126]

Everything I've seen says Stevia does not raise insulin or blood sugar. Basing this "raising blood sugar later in the day" from people eating more and calling it 'just as bad' I find inaccurate. I love your videos, but I like something sweet now and then and enjoy my coffee sweetened. I HAD Cancer and cut out all sugar but for Organic stevia extract, I use now. In five months between diagnosis and surgery the lesion had not grown nor formed it's own blood supply. The Oncologists were baffled. I did many other things as well.........but...... If you don't overeat at your meals and exercise those are the results that would interest me. I don't understand when most of your videos point out flaws like that in studies that aren't properly controlled.

[@androz38]

For the algorithm

[@jonahbert111]

I use 90% stevia. If one does other things, your appetite can be blunted, especially if one eats a all animal protein meal at each end of the day, like eggs + in the morning and hamburg at evening, and any carbs in the middle with a 3 L stevia and about 30 things in addition liquid through out the day. Things like curcumin / berberine / plant and mushroom polyphenols, NO boosting things, dried parsley etc all brewed up and cooled down to a nice yummy sweet liquid. Don't add NAC, it tastes awful. I am pushing 75, and like to keep my muscles, thank you.

[@samiryan214]

A nonsense comment

[@paulramsey2000]

Taking just the audio from a video which refers to visual aids doesn't make for the best "podcast"

[@paulramsey2000]

There is still good information in here though. I just wish that if it's going to be posted to youtube that you just go ahead and include the video portion