Artificial Sweeteners - worse than sugar?

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere. Not only in diet soft drinks but in many foods that you wouldn’t expect. You’ve probably eaten some today without realising.
Sweeteners have been around for over a hundred years yet remain one of the subject of much debate. It's hard to know how they stack up next to the alternatives.
In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: are artificial sweeteners worse than sugar?
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Studies referenced in the episode:
Stevia Leaf to Stevia Sweetener: Exploring Its Science, Benefits, and Future Potential from The Journal of Nutrition
Chronic Intake of Commercial Sweeteners Induces Changes in Feeding Behavior and Signaling Pathways Related to the Control of Appetite in BALB/c Mice from Biomed Res Int
This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

[@jacqui4green]

You only discussed a few nonnutritive sweeteners. How about erythritol, monk fruit, and allulose?

[@ShamanicKnight]

I saw an IBS specialist... and he was horrified when I said that I was drinking around a litre of diet lemonade each day... He said that wine or beer would be better! I tried it (not drinking a litre of wine per day!)... and my IBS symptoms reduced by around 80%. So now I never have diet drinks...

[@RBuckminsterFuller]

Some artificial sweeteners can have a laxative effect, so if that's the sort of IBS troubles you were having, that could be the link.

[@pandarosa6650]

@@RBuckminsterFuller only the '...itol' sweeteners e.g. sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, etc. also known as a FODMAP ingredient. Saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, stevia aren't indicated as having a laxative effect for sensitive individuals.

[@TGUNNER777]

Which artificial sweetener were you using in your diet lemonade? I have severe IBS & it’s ruining my life.

[@ShamanicKnight]

@@TGUNNER777 Hi, I'm not sure now. It would have been whatever was being used in the normal brands of diet lemonade. Generally I've found that avoiding all types of artificial sweetner really helps. I've also found that having porridge with tumeric seems to help too (known for its anti-inflammatory properties). I used to add honey... but have stopped that as my 'system' doesn't seem to like anything too sugary first thing....

[@TGUNNER777]

@@ShamanicKnight I drink a lot of Crystal Lite which contains aspartame. I need to give it up. Thank you for sharing. Be blessed.

[@richardfox4803]

How can you do an video on the pros and cons of artificial sweeteners and not mention TEETH ! The key benefit of artificial sweeteners is that they don't cause tooth decay . They are particularly useful in drinks because of the frequency of of drinking during the day; it is the frequency of sugars, not the quantity of sugars that causes decay. Huge, huge omission. And yes I am a dentist.

[@annabizaro-doo-dah]

That's what I was waiting for. I wonder if they didn't mention it because of the huge benefits here. There's a correlation with poor health & loosing teeth. Wearing dentures also makes eating fibrous wholefoods like apples and carrots/whole grains much harder which isn't good for health especially as you get older and u really need fibre.

[@Mer179]

I understood acid was more of an issue such as citrus etc. which will break down our enamel although, of course, sugar is an issue too. If we brush once every 24 hours, this should eliminate plaque and hopefully any potential cavities; all of us with teeth should brush at least twice a day. Being a Canadian who travels to England, I am impressed with the NHS even though our health care system is fairly good but I don’t think as good as yours. I don’t know anything about your dental care health benefits so can’t comment on it but I have observed poor dental health there compared to Canada. Dental care is very expensive here and there is a focus on prevention.

[@bobadams7654]

Yes, it's a suprising omission.

[@Y2KDolphin]

Gilbert Levin’s ‘LevOcal’, a ‘left-handed’ sweetener molecule made from natural sugar beet in the early 1980’s (SIDI from Feruzzi Group was the pilot factory), got terminated by the resistance of the ADA, US Dentists Association and never returned. Such a genious product. Interesting human metabolism, because of the ‘left-handed’ molecule, not recognized by the body.

[@richardfox4803]

@@Mer179 No, decay is caused by bacteria metabolising sugar and the problem is frequency of sugar intake. Brushing only becomes an issue for decay after 3-4 days. We brush TWICE a day to combat gum disease, which is not dependant on sugar intake to such a large extent.

[@helenhucker346]

I remember as a teenager trying to give up sugar in my tea. It took weeks of reducing by small amounts before my taste buds adapted and I could tolerate drinking tea without any added sugar, fortunately I didn't use sweeteners as a substitute and even now I believe they are best avoided.

[@16Elless]

Same here. As a teenager I used to have 3 sugars in tea until I was “shamed” by a friend’s mom! I then spent the next 6 weeks reducing the sugar by half a spoon a week until I had none. Never used sweeteners, not sure they even existed 50 years ago & certainly not in our house! Taste buds adapt to change quite quickly. Sugar & sweeteners are not good for health, but sadly it’s everywhere. Ditch ultra processed “food”.

[@margaretleonard6509]

Agree that you can train yourself to require less sugar. My current success is no sugar/syrup on my porridge.

[@gilessteve]

When I was in school, about 45 years ago(!), a fellow student told me that people didn't really like sugar, they were just so used to it that they expected it in their tea or coffee, and that if you stopped having sugar in your drinks for two weeks, you'd never go back. I made an experiment of it, and despite it tasting horrible at first, I didn't have sugar in my tea or coffee for two weeks. To cut a long story short, all this time later, I still don't take sugar in hot beverages. Imagine how much sugar I have avoided over the years, all because of a chance comment.

[@jonathanfaull1880]

This is a second zoe video were one of them have said I'd never heard of that before when I was aware of it, and I spend most of my day driving a bus, not researching this subject.

[@janerossfield]

Fascinating pod cast. Please do a longer and more detailed one on this subject.

[@friendterri3035]

Organic chemists DID taste their products! At that time they did not realize the danger (maybe some did, but it was part of the evaluation process). Many died of stomach cancer....no wonder...(I have a BS in Chemistry. No, I did not taste the product, by the time I studied it, safety was more highly esteemed. My organic professor did die of stomach cancer...)

[@Mimulus2717]

Love your back and forths...so conversational yet enlightening. Any plans for prospective research involving the Predict I and II cohorts? It would be fascinating to see over time how microbiome score predicted future mortality/morbidity (or whatever you decide to look at!)

[@miketranfaglia3986]

Great discussion and an even-handed approach to an important topic. Artificial sweeteners are probably the lesser of two evils, and there seems to be plenty of evidence that no one should consume any sugary drinks (and I include fruit juices in that mix). It's important to remember that the milligram amounts of the artificial sweeteners are extremely small, so biochemical effects in the gut or body seem less likely for that reason alone. Avoiding both may be ideal, but as the engineers like to say, "the perfect is the enemy of the good". Personally, I don't consume any added sugar or sweet treats, but I used to really like a fair amount of sugar in my morning coffee. We're talking about 3 teaspoons per cup, 3 cups a day. Never seemed to cause a problem, but as I got into my late 50's, I started getting random aches and pains in various joints. After a sudden onset of "trigger finger" tenosynovitis, I decided to try cutting out the sugar, and the problem went away quickly and has not come back. All the other aches and pains went away and never came back (unless I cheat, and then I really feel it!) So, that's what 9 teaspoons of sugar a day will do to you! I use a little mix of aspartame and saccharine in my morning coffee, and I'm slowly tapering the "dose", because I really don't like the flavor much, but still using some after 3 years. I'll have a Diet Coke now and then (and I actually like that much better than real Coke), but keep it to a reasonable minimum. For me, the artificial sweeteners have helped wean me off of sugar, and that has had significant health benefits. I've gone on to other low-carb/IF lifestyle changes subsequently, but I was amazed at how powerful this one little change was.

[@johngillatt2740]

Drink waters. Chemically sweetened foods and drinks should be clearly labelled (like cigarette boxes)

[@barbarafruitbat1245]

My grandmother and my friend's mother both used saccharine as a sugar substitute in their hot drinks for years. Both died from liver cancer. That was enough to put me on the alert for that added artificial sweetener when I was a youngster. As time went by manufacturers started to use the newer artificial sweeteners, but I still didn't trust them, so I've always avoided them. I cut out sugar from my diet 6 months ago and, although it's been difficult at times due to the cravings, my palate and brain have now adjusted. In the end, nature knows best. Just eat what nature provides in its own, unprocessed, form.

[@dominic6055]

check WHO calling out on aspartame

[@mementomori29231]

You forgot to call out the massive amount of oxygen they were breathing that led to cancer... Roll eyes. Its always funny when someone makes an unbelievable claim based on zero evidence. If saccharine and sugar substitutes cause cancer as this troll claims, we would see a massive spike in liver cancer. Simply not the case.

[@VenusLover17]

Love this! Thanks for your content!!

[@DJSeeker67]

I wish that sweetners would be discussed individually instead of lumped into broad groups. Chemically, they are very different and act differently in the body.

[@gjbutler]

Interesting subject and discussion, thanks. I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners in drinks and always try to consume sugar in moderation anyway. I was particularly miffed when the UK sugar tax was introduced and some manufacturers decided to change the recipes for their "full fat" drinks to a combination of sugar and sweeteners. This spoiled the drinks for me and I would rather they tried to just reduce the sugar and not try to achieve the same flavour profile by adding sweeteners instead.

[@wonderingworld119]

Pretty sure the rest of the chemicals they use to make the flavours and colours for fizzy pop are far worse than sweeteners. The bit that cracks me up is when I see someone chug down loads of full fat pop and proclaim sweeteners are bad for you. Honestly I have seen several people with this logic.

[@tictoc5443]

Great show content and guest Would have been interesting to get more depth on how sweeteners affect biom

[@RSLtreecare]

Fascinating, complex. I found staying away from processed foods works best for me. I took an intolerance test and was shocked to find, some food I have been eating, should be reduced or even stopped. Garlic, rabbit, brown bread or sourdough bread. I am keeping clear of sugar unless it's in fruit.

[@paulinenicol4175]

My Father had 1 spoon of sugar and 1 saccharine in his tea in the beliefe that if either were harmful he'd have only consumed half! Good try Dad!

[@karlint39]

I thought, this being the Zoe KZbin channel, that you would have spoken more about the impact on the microbiome. But yes, like Dr. Berry, I would (and do) choose water or unsweetened tea or coffee instead of real or false sugar drinks. Now that I'm used to it, I don't miss sugary drinks at all.

[@joinZOE]

We plan to do a longer episode on artificial sweeteners and the gut microbiome 🚀

[@karlint39]

@@joinZOE That's awesome. I have recently discovered glycine (an amino acid, in powder form, it looks like sugar, and it is SWEET!). I sometimes put a small spoonful of that in my coffee instead of sugar. On one level it feels like I'm using some kind of artificial sweetener, but it's natural, I think.

[@aleirbag914]

@@joinZOE oh yes, please, specially talk about stevia.

[@leaveempty5320]

Just don't sweeten everything!

[@elainemagson213]

Sarah is very easy to listen to because of her calm delivery. Jonathan is charming but would be easier to follow if he reduced the head and hand gestures. Thank you to both.

[@albatjay6841]

Thank for the information.

[@foraquid]

I'd really like to know the differences between sugar and sweeteners regarding the microbiome. This is because I know that I can control my diet and weight, so I am not worried about drinking too much sugar. What I would like to know is, for a healthy person, is the occasional sugar drink (once a week or less) less damaging than the occasional sweetened drink? Or would you still say that sweetened is less harmful?

[@vanessaharrison-hyde6082]

I find I get really severe palpitations when eating muller light or other diet yoghurts or drinking no added sugar drinks. They completely disappear when I avoid aspartame and acesulfame K

[@DB-su5qp]

I don't know why the sugar alcohols, like Xylitol are ignored. These are appearing in many Kombucha and of course chewing gums.

[@yuhaohan1451]

Great Video! Thanks.

[@tracyaston1309]

Not enough detail about the impact on the microbiome.

[@robsmith1a]

The thing I've often wondered is whether drinking a pint of beer is healthier than a pint of shandy. My gut feeling is the beer by itself is probably better?

[@christinehughes3892]

My grandfather died of complications and non diagnosed diabetes but he never had added sugar always sacarrin

[@christinehughes3892]

Sorry saccharine.

[@kristofferkassel6998]

Thanks for great videos! However sweeteners aren't only about soft drinks, there you can easily avoid them but take for example throat lozenges. These are just with lots of sugars or lots of sweeteners. No alternatives. I have opted for a stevia one because from my readings it is the best, but it is really complicated.

[@TomHamilton54]

What we need to be looking at is the affects on other parts of the body. For instance, the effects of dark drinks on the prostate.

[@BarbaraDettori]

Interesting, thanks. What about erythritol? and is raw honey good or bad for the microbiome?

[@timeatallodi8218]

You should have talked about erithrit and stevia in depth. These are becoming popular with diabetics in Europe. Everyone understands the issues re aspartmqeand saccharin!

[@margaretbaker9259]

What if I drink my coffee in the morning (antioxidants ++, good effect on gut microbiome) but use artificial sweetener (potential negative effect on microbiome) - does one cancel out the other?

[@giliorr2263]

What about xylitol?

[@TillyFloss]

Yep. Not even mentioned!

[@afrost1230]

Is xylitol good for you

[@TillyFloss]

@@afrost1230 I would not say it's "good for you" it's just not "bad for you" ! i.e. it doesn't benefit you but doesn't damage you either. It's certainly better to use than sugar, honey, maple syrup, treacle etc or the majority of fake sugars like sucralose, saccharin, apartame etc. The three fake sugars that are from natural sources are erithrytol, stevia and... xylitol.

[@dawnkinghorn2251]

So I’ve been using sweetners in my drinks since I was a teenager ( now 61) are they harming me or not? I’m confused!

[@candywoodgate1269]

Does artificial sweetener elicit an insulin response in the body, regardless of whether there is sugar in the food/drink or not? Also, milk contains lactose so it isn’t a sugar-free alternative. Very interesting podcast, thank you.

[@jonathanward8861]

I think that euch response has been identified in Cycling nutrition research in which a sweet drink was used as a mouthwash then spat out

[@Sean_Shaun_Shawn]

Type 1 diabetic here- yes and no. Most sweeteners have carb or calorie counts and therefore have some effect on blood glucose (and thus insulin response) but often in different ways. Most sugar alcohols, for example, tend to not metabolise in the stomach and instead usually illicit an insulin response after hitting the intestines (this is also why they're notorious for GI issues), sometimes an hour or so after consuming but are fairly similar to sugar in their profile (spike). But other sugar alcohols have little to no response- I particularly recommend Erythritol which has virtually zero cals/carbs and therefore virtually zero effect on blood glucose while also being generally affordable, though pretty mild in sweetness. Personally I'll mix Erythritol 50:50 with Xylitol (which I'd guesstimate from my bloods has about 40% the effect of table sugar on blood glucose) into a sugar jar and use it as my relatively cheap low carb sugar alternative.

[@kendall7086]

@@Sean_Shaun_Shawn wow

[@shannondunford1226]

I switched to artificial sweetener to prevent further tooth decay.

[@hyperflys]

Another benfit of giving up sugar, less craving for salt. I used to be hopelessly addicted to adding salt to my food. Then ater eliminating sugar in my diet. No more cravings for salt!

[@michaelellison2425]

What about the insulin response from sweetener?

[@adrianacardoso1918]

Artificial sweeteners have most definitely affected my microbiome . It gave me terrible bloat , gut issues , uncontrollable sugar cravings and insulin spikes . It’s a real addictive substance , specially for people that diet . It’s really hard to stop the constant chewing gum, mints ,,,, just having something “sweet “ in your tongue

[@Wendy-cj5yz]

I moved from aspartame etc to Stevia in coffee and drink water, preferring sparkling with meals. When I eat sweet products I check the labels carefully. And note through my WW app the points. However, I struggle with my weight for a range of hormone reasons and have for 26 years (over half my life). Now in the peri menopause. Surely we need to be recommending realistic ways forward? Clinical trials are all well and good but aren’t real life?

[@tobsco2]

I think part of the problem with doing real life studies is collecting reliable data, I imagine you'd need thousands of people to record their diet in great detail for several years. Amazing if it could be done, but as Sarah mentioned when talking about recruiting people who didn't consume any sweeteners, most of us aren't fully aware of what everything we're eating contains.

[@albatjay6841]

What if we season it with salt before eating ?

[@carolinemartin256]

I don’t drink soft drinks at all, only water and I haven’t had sugar in a coffee or tea since I was 14 (I am now 62). The reason I stopped was simple - we only drank tea then! I had a Turkish Delight bar and bitten the chocolate from it and dipped it in my 3 sugar, milky tea. It was so awful I can’t eat TD either ! Sugar overload… my teeth did not benefit from no sugar as I was a smoker for many years …

[@abidavies154]

Anecdotal I know but I know I feel awful and starving very quickly after having coke zero and pepsi max etc so I try and I avoid them I didn't realise artificial sweeteners are in other savoury type foods though!

[@Schuyler501]

I realize that this podcast is a year old, yet recently allulose has become a topic of conversation in the sweetener department. Also a many electrolyte powders use sucralose claiming zero sugar. Who on ZOE can comment on these?

[@albatjay6841]

Yes I was waiting for sucose. The sweet of the sweetest .

[@littlevoice_11]

I was always concerned about the effect on the brain when consuming aspartame. Also I thought the blood glucose control argument regarding sucralose etc was due to it triggering craving for sweet food,leading to over consumption of unfavourable foods later in the day.

[@christinehughes3892]

I have a weak bladder and I find caffeine and aspartame in particular accelerates it.

[@lrn_news9171]

Everyone knows what we mean when we say artificial sweeteners and we don't mean sugar alcohols and we don't mean stevia. We mean Aspartame, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, etc... sweeteners they don't occur in nature.

[@incensejunkie7516]

In university I took a nutrition course and did a research paper on aspartame. It would have been 1984, not long after it was approved and in use. The research showed that it could cause brain tumours in rats, and it took a few tries for it to get approved by the FDA in the US. That alone was enough for me to not want to try it. I ended up trying it once, inadvertently, when I was given the wrong drink at a restaurant. Not only did it taste awful (that aftertaste!) but I got a massive headache after. The course was an elective, I was not pursuing a degree in anything science related. A couple of decades later, it came to light that Donald Rumsfeld had some effect in its approval. I don't recall the whole story, I'm sure one can google it if interested. One question with this newer research, however, is that stevia is often paired with other artificial sweeteners in processed food. Did they study stevia on its own, or in said processed foods?

[@johnyhenderson2961]

so you weren't doing a science degree but did a research paper on aspartame and its link to brain tumors in rats?

[@incensejunkie7516]

​@@johnyhenderson2961 That's correct. I haven't been to university in decades, but it was common to do papers on topics you weren't majoring in. It was called...education. Perhaps it was my terminology that is confusing. It was a bachelor's degree at that point, so I wasn't doing the actual research on aspartame, just looking at the research.

[@KzLollapalooza]

Thank you for your video, MSG is widely used and there are evidence that it has 1/3 of sodium than table salt but also at certain amount it has side effects such as palpitations. What is your expert opinion about this commonly found food additive please?

[@Jack-tk3ub]

Unsure about MSG but there are low sodium alternatives to standard table salt that have e.g. 1/3 sodium and 2/3 potassium. Much healthier as sodium is so bad for us/potassium is generally good for us and often people are deficient. And you probably won't notice the difference

[@annabizaro-doo-dah]

I thought the hysteria around msg was based on flimsy/invalid research??

[@KzLollapalooza]

@@annabizaro-doo-dah but at high amount I do feel some palpitations, like after some caffeine

[@KzLollapalooza]

@@annabizaro-doo-dah KZbin search: cna talking point msg, but they didn't mention about heart palpitations

[@wassierehman8821]

What about Monk fruit or Stevia? they are not artificial... Are they any better? Or should we avoid them as well. Also if someone can please comment on Raw honey.

[@3cardmonty602]

I need for you to speak out about the Dangers of Stevia. I’ve lost 150lbs on Keto. Been on it for 4 years. Maintaining my weight for over a year. I’m a 61 year old, 5’11” male that went from 321lbs to 170lbs. But recently - since December of 2021 I’ve had an issue of low blood pressure - 90/40. I went to the ER 3x’s - resulting in no explanation - all tests came up negative for Heart Disease. I’ve experienced intermittent chest discomfort and Arrhythmias. I went to a 2nd Cardiologist and we found out the culprit is STEVIA. Stevia acts as a vasodilator, as well as a diuretic. I used to make no less than 12 trips to the restroom during the day to relieve myself of fluid. Stevia caused my BNP - indicator for Heart Failure - to go into the 800 levels. I have none of the typical symptoms of heart failure - edema, shortness of breath, but I do have occasional chest discomfort and Arrhythmias. Not good. I’ve since switched solely to Monkfruit as my only sweetener. I felt better after eliminating Stevia on the first day I eliminated it from my diet. Stevia is hidden in so many “Keto” & “Diet” products on the market, as well as supplements. Your viewers, or patients need to know the dangers of using Stevia. It could’ve killed me. It could kill someone else out there. It’s not as safe as they say it is. Or, at least the FDA says it is.

[@johndoe9362]

WHO says your Stevia intake should be 2 mg per day. That's like 1/3,500 of a table spoon.

[@mariachrist7809]

Really ???

[@mariachrist7809]

Really ???

[@johndoe9362]

@@mariachrist7809 If you're using the Stevia bought in stores the safe amount is 12mg per kg of body weight. For a 110 pound woman, that translates to half a gram of Stevia per day. About 4 grams of Stevia are in a teaspoon. So you can safely consume 2 teaspoons (NOT 2 tablespoons) a week of Stevia.

[@albatjay6841]

Did fruit like mango, banana, kiwe etc has a lot of sugar in it ?

[@sanketpanchal077]

Can Carbohydrates ( sugar ) broken down with hot water??????

[@djackson006]

Why was stevia illegal?! 🤨

[@mariachrist7809]

Its crazy!!!! We still don’t use it in food in the UK

[@mariachrist7809]

Its crazy!!!! We still don’t use it in food in the UK

[@tedcleveland8488]

Successfully quitting sugar for 6 months until I started to drink zero sugar and my craving for sugar went insane! Big mistake! Now back to square one

[@kevinlindsay5255]

Ok there were a lot of conflicting comments here from both presenters. One, to suggest the rise in obesity was linked or partially to diet soda was really poor science. Firstly, there was no mention of what real sugar is, so nothing to compare artificial sweeteners with. Table sugar, the crystal kind you stir into coffee tea and on your cereals is 50% glucose and 50% Fructose. Both will cause large and quick sugar spikes and insulin response so put the body into fat storage mode more quickly. Processed Fructose is only metabolised in the liver so this can be one of the reason towards the cause fatty liver disease if eaten in large amounts, even natural sugars found in fruits can cause sugar spikes but because most natural sugars come with high fibre it doesn’t cause such huge insulin response and can be eaten in moderation. HCFS = high corn fructose syrup wasn’t mentioned at all!!, yet this highly processed sugar is used widely in the food industry and is the main cause of the dietary fat gain in the USA and now UK. It is in nearly every processed food item now sold and has a high glycaemic response There are a multitude of artificial sweeteners available on the market and where I do agree there still needs to be more human research the fact that sweeteners like xylitol, Erythritol, Neotame , Luo han guo(monk fruit) didn’t even get a mention left me wondering if they really had researched thoroughly this subject.

[@nottooherbal]

The WHO are insisting that there are now studies showing dire consequences of using artificial sweeteners and we shouldn’t use them . Might you do an update to discuss whether they’re right ?

[@margarettt7675]

I was hoping for more detail! The science is not there, so there are not more details to be had. Although artificial sweeteners may not be effective for weight issues, some of them offer a reduction in blood sugar spikes, which is of benefit. The studies on artificial sweeteners that have discovered that they inhibit microbiome modes of communication and therefore community health, did not compare this to sugar. Nor did it explore a hybrid approach, where reduced sugar was used with an artificial sweetener. Sugar is an artificial sweetener in the same way the stevia extract is an artificial sweetener, so in my mind it needs to be one of the sweeteners considered during research. So much we do not know and can only guess.

[@TillyFloss]

Xylitol not even mentioned either!

[@pippawood2371]

I can't bear artificial sweetenerd. I have to throw away about £100 worth of food each year where I haven't realised artificial sweeteners were an ingredient until I tasted the food / drink. They taste bitter to me.

[@ShamanicKnight]

Yeah... my wife cannot stand the after taste of sweetners..

[@johndoe9362]

Pippa Wood, Why don't you read the ingredients of the foods that you buy instead of buying food with artificial sweeteners?

[@eagleeye9549]

I use ACV as a sweetener these days...

[@user-wr4yl7tx3w]

Tinnitus would be an interesting topic.

[@gwynt909]

Having worked in a pharmaceutical lab for 7 years. We tested various things on animals. Most of the rats which were tested with saccharin died of cancers of the alimentary canal from lip to anus. Besides tasting revolting how can a chemical be better for you than a naturally occurring energy sources?????

[@actyrrel]

Yes. In an ideal world you should have neither.

[@tutacat]

That actually is the story. Basically, he noticed his hand tasted extremely sweet, so he decided to find out what it was by tasting some things in his lab.

[@djackson006]

That ascuflame k makes you absorb more sugar. Team stevia.

[@XO43137]

This doesn't look like a siscussion5. The woman is reading ofd a script Is the guy doing it, too? So what artificial sugars are good? Should've concentrated on that.

[@hardeepkogar]

Is Stevia harmful?

[@amyayers7313]

Can you say the bad sweeteners again so we can make a note of them please?

[@dennishowland7495]

I was sick for two days with the artificial sweeteners I was drinking a water and it’s a product

[@maureencomber3444]

Are you aware that there are many people who can’t tolerate artificial stuff. Aspartame for example will give me a three day migraine

[@glennfoster5431]

Really no new info here. People think by taking an artificially sweetened bevy tjat they can eat shit in conjunction. Sort of a developed modern food addition with burgers, chips etc. You need to look into the psychology. Cheers Glenn, nutrition and dietetics field and chef

[@cjreeve79]

Sarah seems to be a fan of milk. However, I find it odd to promote milk as an alternative drink akin to water. Surely milk should be classed as a liquid food, more like soup? Also, I think milk should come with health warnings for adults, who often develop a slight lactose intolerance as they grow older. I react by producing more mucus. Unfermented milk is surely not full of good bacteria and can be high in the wrong kind of saturated fat.

[@RBuckminsterFuller]

The mucus issue you have is probably because of the inherent sugar content of milk. You might get the same issue with soda, for example.

[@cjreeve79]

@@RBuckminsterFuller I don't know about lactose but I don't get a mucus response from plant sugars. However, I am increasingly susceptible to sugar crashes so I limit my sugar intake now.

[@BlackyBrownDestruction9337]

My missing 85 lbs says no

[@davidtsw]

Russia is a state of mind so the scientist who decided to just give it a taste story sounds perfectly legit.

[@elizabethmthembu7051]

Grait

[@d26s10]

I always here the reference to mice when talking about sweeteners and research conducted. Humans are not mice, we’re very different so the comparison is null and void. My personal take is everything in moderation. Sure if you’re drinking ten diet cokes a day.. that’s a problem but one is fine when you can do far worse by opting for the full sugar option. Don’t be scare mongered.

[@TillyFloss]

Xylitol feeds the good bacteria in the body?

[@tobsco2]

I don't know if the good bacteria like it, but it can be terrible for some people with IBS so it definitely has some effect on the gut

[@notabit]

It can kill your dog. Don't cook with it.

[@TillyFloss]

@@notabit I think I'll live. Am not a dog.

[@johndoe9362]

Xylitol gives me diarrhea.

[@notabit]

@@TillyFloss Please do not let any dog taste items cooked with xylitol. This is not a joke.

[@halohat2286]

Stevia. Puyre 100% Stevia. Affordable, no fillers, no bitter or off taste. A little goes a very long way. Natural, not artifical.

[@clairecadoux471]

They have just said in this video that Stevia was included in the test and the gut microbiome was affected

[@denisefeliciano6772]

This is poor research and lazy preparation by the presenters on this topic, because all sugar alternatives were pretty much lumped together. What about pure stevia extract, pure monk fruit extract, erythritol, xylitol, allulose? Many other nutritionists and scientists are claiming these are much safer for most people and their commercial and consumer use is increasing. Apparently there is a vast difference between artificial sweeteners produced in a lab with chemicals and those derived from plants. I would have liked to know more about the science and studies about these other newer alternatives, not the same old debate about the same old artificial sweeteners we’ve all heard hundreds of times over the years.

[@clarabell3023]

Saccharin is in most toothpastes.

[@daviddowsett1658]

It seems to me that people who drink diet coke counter this with a bucket of fried chicken ... to go, hahaha. I like they way they always say the body counters by adding in extra drink/food in the day to make up for the energy loss ... but that is not the question, the question is "all things being equal would swapping full for diet coke reduce your calorie count" ... answer YES.

[@robertthompson5501]

Cyclamates?

[@GrampalettasCamp]

Banned in the USA

[@wonderingworld119]

The bit that made me smile was the end of the video, suggesting that the rise in obesity has a correlation with the rise in sweeteners. Honestly I have not seen many huge obese people walking around with diet drinks in their hands. I think they would probably pass out from exhaustion if they did.

[@albatjay6841]

More of sucose.

[@watchfan6180]

No short cuts in life, just as bad as sugar in my opinion.

[@davidbuk1]

The content of the video does not justify the alarmist title. The jury is out. In summary artificial sweeteners are a more healthy alternative to sugar.

[@maggiebrookes-buttwriter3230]

Aspartame and Ace K both give me cramp in my legs at night.

[@sbonventure]

Why when you asked her about the affects of sweeteners on the microbiome all she said was “yes”, there are effects, then just move on never talking about any details. Not very helpful on that topic.

[@midoann]

Erythritol?

[@GrampalettasCamp]

.A year-long, double-blind, placebo controlled study on allulose and erytheritol C4H10O4 showing it has zero calories and lowers BMI with no effect on blood glucose, lipids, uric acid, and hsCRP: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9863415/

[@GrampalettasCamp]

However, no testing of effects on your microbiome

[@paulkiefer5455]

Wow he's cute.

[@albatjay6841]

💓💗

[@charliekane135]

Yes definitely worse. They're carcinogenic

[@Ron-rk6iz]

A lot of talk but no clarity at all...........

[@StabilityMan]

Milk is horrible for adult humans.

[@johnrussell320]

It's a common misconception that sugar causes or can cause diabetes, and a pity to hear it repeated in this podcast as one of the dangers of sugar consumption. Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, which reduces or eliminates the pancreas' production of insulin which is required to metabolise carbohydrates.

[@zakariahussein962]

Too much sugar causes insulin spikes. The body stops responding to the insulin which further triggers even more insulin release leading to pancreas malfunction and high sugar levels. This will lead to diabetes type 2. In addition excess sugar is converted into fat which contributes to weight gain which results in insulin resistance and diabetes. As I understand, Type 1 diabetes is autoimmune disease and type 2 metabolic syndrome.

[@jonathanmimnagh8956]

Type 2 diabetes is causes by obesity and sedentary lifestyles, and many more people have T2DM than T1DM, which is as you correctly say an autoimmune condition unaffected by food & lifestyle. At times glucose is life saving to people with diabetes if they experience a hypoglycaemic episode.

[@StabilityMan]

Thank you for the information, but could you give this info to us in maybe a less gay manner? erythritol rocks

[@littlevoice_11]

I would love for you to touch upon allulose, monk fruit, erthrytol and inulin as well as those oligo-frxxxx products marketed as healthy. There are also some new natural alternatives such as yacon

[@GrampalettasCamp]

.A year-long, double-blind, placebo controlled study on allulose and erytheritol C4H10O4 showing it has zero calories and lowers BMI with no effect on blood glucose, lipids, uric acid, and hsCRP: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9863415/ But they did not study effects on microbiome