Are Artificial Sweeteners helping you lose Weight?

If you have been trying to reduce weight by substituting sugar with low-calorie artificial sweeteners, and not shrinking much, you are not alone!  Recent data shows why things may not be working out as well as we had imagined.Sugar containing sweets do cause rapid rise in blood sugar levels, something that diabetics need to avoid. A wide range of sugar substitutes are now available to add a measure of sweetness to their lives and for their taste buds. They can now eat all types of mithai, kheer, pastries baked goods, soft drinks, candy, puddings, canned foods, jams and jellies, dairy products, and scores of other foods and beverages. Artificial sweeteners are attractive alternatives to sugar because they add virtually no calories to your diet. In addition, you need only a fraction compared with the amount of regular sugar you would normally use for sweetness.

If however losing weight is your target, artificial sweeeteners have not delivered as well as predicted. Despite the switch to these expensive products, the needle on your weighing machine may seem stuck for months, or worse, move further right.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have been trying to study this unexpected phenomenon, and are pursuing several lines of research. Some artificial sweeteners enhance appetitite thereby making you eat more. There could be a psychological element too, as you may be eating 2 pastries instead of one, once you are aware that they are low-cal.  

Another explanation is that the brain needs to sense sugar in the blood to turn off hunger; as artificial sweeeteners are calorie-less, hunger persists making us gorge more, making the other components in a pastry, such as starch and fat, push our weight up.

There are 3 broad groups of sweeteners in use today. The 1^st group is artificial sweeteners, and include Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), Aspartame (Equal, Sugar Free Gold, NutraSweet), Neotame, Saccharin (Kaltame, Sweet'N Low) and Sucralose (Splenda, Sugar Free natura). While some give an after-taste they are generally safe, contain no calories, and do not cause tooth decay.

The 2^nd group is that of sugar alcohols (polyols) that occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables but can be manufactured as well.  They are not intense sweeeteners, contain some calories (though much less than sugar) and are considered “healthier”.  Examples are Erythritol, Lactitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol and Xylitol. They may cause loose stools and could be of help to habitual constipators.

The 3^rd group consists of natural sweeteners such as date sugar, grape juice concentrate, honey, maple sugar, maple syrup, molasses and agave nectar. They contain calories, as does your refined sugar, and cause tooth decay, but serve the dual functions of a sweetener and a flavouring agent, especially for some dishes.

If I have left you wondering which one to choose, here is my advice. Don’t stick to one but try a mix-and-match approach to suit your palate and your needs. Balance will still remain the key. Bon appetite!

As published in HT City (Hindustan Times) dated 1 May, 2011.