A new study suggests that diet soda is no different from other sugary drinks when it comes to the risk of diabetes and obesity. Artificial sweeteners seem just as likely to boost the risk of these two conditions as added sugar is.
In recent years, more and more people opt for these food additives as they think that diet soda is less likely to lead to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. The latest study found that artificial sweeteners are just as bad as sugar, even though the two act differently.
Despite the addition of these non-caloric artificial sweeteners to our everyday diets, there has still been a drastic rise in obesity and diabetes,
noted lead author Brian Hoffmann.
Hoffmann underlined that artificial sweeteners can lead to diabetes and obesity just like added sugar can, but in a different way.
Diet Soda Has Been A Controversial Issue
Ever since their invention, sugar substitutes have been very controversial. While some research papers found some benefits, other studies highlighted the risks. What’s more, the studies have often been contradictory because many of them are funded by the industry.
The latest study, which is the largest research to examine the biochemical changes in people’s bodies, claims that it is unbiased.
- During the trial, a group of lab animals were given added sugar, while another group was given acesulfame potassium or aspartame, two sugar substitutes with zero calories.
- The two artificial sweeteners have been deemed safe for human consumption and sold as the brands NutraSweet, Sunett, Equal, and Sweet One.
After one month, researchers concluded that the artificial sweeteners were behind the mice’s weight gain, and might be even worse than added sugar.
In the U.S., the FDA has approved six sugar substitutes. The chemicals are used to offer sweetness to soda, candies, ice cream, chewing gum, dairy products, and other processed foods without the extra calories.
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