New Delhi: When it comes to health and wellness, few ingredients are as demonized as sugar. Associated with weight gain, excessive cravings, blood sugar rise and fall, diabetes, and several other health risks, experts often recommend complete abstinence from this ingredient to live a healthy, disease-free life. Therefore, many turn to so-called healthier options to stay safe from the sugar catastrophe. Little do we realise that these synthetic alternatives to classic white sugar are loaded with chemicals and more likely to do a great deal of harm in the long run. If you have moved to the diet or sugar-free variants of foods and drinks, then think again.
Why are sugar alternatives worse for health?
According to a nutritionist, moving to sugar-free options and going for artificial sweeteners like saccharin can do way more harm than good. This carbohydrate consists of both fructose and glucose, components that are absorbed in the bloodstream very easily, thereby resulting in rapid blood sugar spikes, which can be incredibly harmful to health. On the contrary, sugar is better as it is absorbed at a relatively slower pace.
According to experts, relying on such sugar alternatives can cause insulin and glucose spikes that slow down metabolism. This reduces metabolic flexibility later. But there is always a safer way out, and that option is stevia. Sugar alternatives damage the gut microbiota a great deal, but stevia does not. Over time, the body starts to develop an addiction as it starts to crave forms of bacteria that are not good for health. Over time, it becomes more difficult to resist the same.
Can artificial sweeteners cause cancer?
Artificial sweeteners have been under scrutiny for a long time due to their potential health risks. One such common artificial sweetener is aspartame, one which has recently been called out for its carcinogenic properties, and the World Health Organisation issued a warning against it. However, Cancer Research UK has quashed these claims and stated that there is less evidence to support the claim.
Health risks of artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners can be extremely detrimental to the body,a nd long-term use has the following side effects:
- Heightened risk of type 2 diabetes
- Weight gain
- Metabolic disorders occur as the body struggles with appetite regulation
- Heart diseases
- Depression – studies have found that excessive intake of processed foods and artificial sweeteners can raise depression risk by 50%, especially in women
- Digestive distress
- Poor absorption of nutrition
- Weak immunity
- Allergic reactions
- Hives
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Breathing problems
According to experts, relying on such sugar alternatives can cause insulin and glucose spikes that slow down metabolism. This reduces metabolic flexibility later. But there is always a safer way out, and that option is stevia. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
