Trying to cut your sugar intake? You may want to drop that Diet Coke!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Equal, Splenda, Stevia – just some of the tempting low-cal sugar alternatives! Who wouldn’t want to savor that sweet, chocolatey cake without the sugary guilt? But do these sugar substitutes REALLY promote healthy eating?
Meghan Asad and colleagues at the University of Manitoba study artificial sweeteners.
To understand the long-term effects, they compared a number of previous studies. These studies found that consuming artificial sweeteners didn’t help with weight loss. Some found that these sweeteners may, in fact, CAUSE weight gain! Why? Because depriving yourself of sugar NOW can lead to extra sweet cravings LATER! Like super-sizing that cookies ‘n cream milkshakes for dessert!
Asad also discovered that regular consumption of sugar substitutes can have potential long-term health risks. Such as? Obesity, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes. Which is why she recommends simply sticking to the real stuff — just less of it.
I’ll have water with a spritz of lemon, please. And a small. . . sugar cube?