Are ‘Sugar-Free’ Options Healthy? Here’s What You Should Know

The growing popularity of low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, sugar-free foods has resulted in an increase in products with non-nutritious desserts. Non-nutritious sweeteners, also known as artificial sweeteners, are chemicals that are added to certain foods and beverages to make them taste sweeter. A sugar-free diet eliminates all added forms of sugar. A sugar-free diet does not eliminate all fruits and vegetables, but it does limit foods that are high in naturally occurring sugar. So those of us who have sweet teeth naturally turn to artificial sweeteners, which give you that sugary taste without any sugar or calories. But did you know that the list of side effects of artificial sweeteners is long?Also read – Do you suffer from diabetes? Nutritionists share simple tips to reverse it

Synthetic sweeteners have a list of side effects:

Effect on appetite hormones: Artificial sweeteners stimulate appetite, which leads to weight gain. When you get a sweet taste from a low-cal or no-cal sweetener, your body craves for the calories you don’t get. In other words, artificial sweeteners increase the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry. Also read – Meet the world’s hottest grandmother, Caroline Hartz! A 70-year-old Australian woman has given up sugar for 28 years and the result is superb (see pics)

Increased insulin resistance: Ingestion of artificial sweeteners (AS) releases insulin from the pancreas, which is misinterpreted as glucose (due to their sweet taste). This raises the level of insulin in the blood, which ultimately leads to a decrease in receptor activation due to insulin resistance. Also read – Parineeti Chopra endorsed Sugar Free

Cancer risk: Sweet things may taste good right now, but the results are not worth it in the long run. Studies have shown that a high-sugar diet can increase your risk of cancer.

Dysbiosis: Non-nutritious sweeteners (NNS) have been shown to destroy the gastrointestinal microbiome, resulting in “dysbiosis”. They increase the bacterioid genus while decreasing the clostridial genus.

Affects mental health: Artificial sweeteners have been linked to behavioral and cognitive issues. Learning difficulties, headaches, seizures, migraines, irritable mood, anxiety and insomnia are all possible neurophysiological symptoms. Aspartame has been shown to lower serotonin levels, which is the primary cause of depression.