Low Calorie Sweeteners – To Have or Not to Have

Sticking to your weight loss routine can be tough, especially when it is the festive season or if you are out at a party, and you see everyone around you gorging on those kebabs, biryanis and relishing gulab jamuns, barfis, kalakand, double ka meetha, creamy chocolate cake, and all you get to do is just watch them eat.

Tackling the temptation for sweet is something that makes most dieters get weak in the knees, and that has caused the emergence of low-calorie sweeteners. But are these sweeteners really a good choice? Read on to find out just that and more…

What Are Artificial Sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners (or sugar substitutes) are nothing but chemicals that are added to some foods and beverages in order to make them taste sweet. They are also called, ‘intense sweeteners’ as they not only provide a taste similar to regular sugar, but are sweeter up to several thousand times.

While some sweeteners have calories, the amount required to sweeten the products is so small that you end-up consuming almost no calories.

How Do Artificial Sweeteners Work?

We have many taste buds on the surface of our tongue and, each taste bud has several taste receptors which detect different flavors. When we eat, different food molecules contact our taste receptors that send signals to our brain, allowing us to identify the taste.

For instance, the sugar molecule perfectly fits into the taste receptor for sweetness, allowing our brain to identify the sweet taste.

The molecules of artificial sweeteners are similar to sugar molecules. But, they are usually too different from sugar for our body to break them down into calories. This is why, artificial sweeteners have a sweet taste without added calories.

The Benefits of Artificial Sweeteners

One of the major benefits of choosing an artificial sweetener to satisfy your taste buds is that they are low in calories, which could help you lose weight faster. Many diabetics also have to restrict themselves to low calorie diets, and these sweeteners could actually help them get a taste of their favorite sweet indulgences without the guilt.

Another great benefit of choosing artificial sweeteners is that you will be able to control your sweet temptations better, without messing up with your diet (or blood glucose levels if you are diabetic ). In fact, there are certain artificial sweeteners that don’t even cause tooth decay.

The Downside of Artificial Sweeteners

However , recent studies have found how artificial sweeteners are actually harmful for health. For starters, they lack important nutrients, and contain phosphoric acid, which is thought to increase the risk of bone loss later in life.

It has also been found that regular consumption of foods that contain artificial sweetening agents could increase your taste for sweet drinks and foods over the years- you will then have to consume larger quantities of the food to satisfy your need for something sweet.

Artificial sweeteners are also thought to be linked to the following conditions:

• Mood swings
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Multiple sclerosis
• Cancer
• Allergic reactions
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Systemic lupus

The Bottom-line

There is no valid, long term study to suggest the safety of these artificial sweeteners. In fact, a lot of practicing doctors believe they could be actually more harmful for diabetic patients than regular sugar. Experts suggest that it is better to eat a small portion of food with regular sugar than to consume something that contains artificial and low calorie sweeteners.