Health

Diet sodas are really the healthier option?

01.19.2016

This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.

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Soft drink with sweeteners "confuse" the brain and scientists say they do not know what is the reaction of the body to be "fooled"

It is rare to eat something that is sweet and at the same time healthy. Thus, it is possible that low-calorie drinks, the popular diet sodas, are a beneficial option to health?

No expert says that the consumption of refrigente is good for the health, since a bottle of 500 ml can contain about 200 calories. But one diet version of the same drink can have only one calorie.

Following a simple logic therefore replace the drink with sugar by dietary version would decrease calorie consumption.

However, the 'diet sodas' have a controversial reputation.

Sweeteners in soft drinks

Growing concern among consumers about the effects of present sweeteners in these drinks for the human body.

Already a group of scientist argues that it is precisely they that can lead to weight gain, and increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

"Many believe that (the refrigentes diet) are a healthy option as they are not drinks with sugar, but what is very important for people to understand is that we have no scientific evidence that," says Susan Swithers, a professor at Purdue University, in the United States.

Research

A survey of American adults, published in the journal American Journal of Public Health, revealed that 11% of those with the ideal weight drinking low-calorie soda, 19% of those who were overweight consumed diet drinks and, among the obese, the share was 22%.

Since a study in Obesity journal, which followed 3,700 people for eight years showed that those who consumed low-calorie drinks with sweeteners gained more during the period.

But there is a problem with the studies already done on the subject: the relationship of cause and effect are almost impossible to be certain.

In addition, more and more scientists wonder whether the drinks are causing weight gain or obese people are turning to diet sodas to try to control their weight.

The experiences of Swithers, Purdue University, in rats suggest that diet drinks alter the way the body handles regular sugar - which can eventually lead to weight gain.

That's because when it comes to language, sugar sends an alert to the body that food is on the way.

With zero calorie sweeteners the same message is sent, but no food arrives.

"We believe that diet sodas may be unhealthy because they change the way the body handles sugar intake," said Swithers.

The teacher also cites another problem: compensation. According to the expert, when we know we're taking calories in a part of the diet, we tend to compensate for this deficiency by eating more.

"It's that old logic: I took a diet soda, so I can eat a biscuit," he said.

Controversy

Aspartame is a low calorie sweeteners popularity but also the most controversial.

Also known as E951, it is 200 times sweeter than sugar and has been linked to a number of side effects since it was introduced in the 1980s food.

Among the alleged damage to health, are allergies, premature births and cancer.

Pepsi says that the lack of consumer confidence in this sweetener is the main reason that people are giving up diet soda in the United States.

However, the aspartame is often described as one of the tested ingredients in the world.

An analysis of the European Food Safety Authority, made in 2013, concluded that "there is no security problems" regarding the sweetener, including for pregnant women and children.

Bacterium

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, showed that low-calorie sweeteners alter the balance of bacteria in the intestines of rats.

The human body has ten times more bacteria, viruses and fungi than cells and this "microbiome" has a huge impact on health.

The study, published in the journal Nature, showed that low-calorie sweeteners altered the animal metabolism and led to an increase in blood sugar, an early sign of developing type 2 diabetes.

Seven human volunteers seven days ingesting high levels of low-calorie sweeteners. The results obtained with half of them was the same as that obtained with animals.

Peter Rogers of the University of Bristol in Britain, said he was not convinced by the conclusions.

According to him, most animal experiments used levels of sweeteners that "had little to do" with the way they are used in real life.

And it was also "plausible" that the sweeteners "may actually diminish the desire of the person for a sweet dessert."

Emaciation

Rogers was part of an analysis of sweeteners which included researchers funded by the food industry.

The findings, published in the journal International Journal of Obesity showed that people lost weight when replaced sugary drinks for low-calorie soft drinks.

The study showed that they lost about 1.2 kg on average over a period ranging from four to 40 months, and, for the most part, the effect was similar to that achieved by people who exchanged common refrigerants by water.

"We found a clear way to consume low-calorie sweeteners in place of sugar reduced caloric intake and body weight," he added.

According to the researchers, who consumed sweeteners ended up eating more than those who continued taking sugary drinks but overall, consumed fewer calories.

"They (sweeteners) are not going to do all the work for you, but it's a way to take pleasure in (consuming) something sweet without the problem of calories in our socidade obese," he said.

Water

Experts say that in an ideal world, the best alternative would be drinking water.

A study published in the journal Obesity suggests even to drink water half an hour before meals helps in weight loss.

But until a fierce criticism of low-calorie sweeteners like Swithers argues that they can be an element of "transition" for those who need to diet.

"A diet soda may be helpful in your diet as (a beverage) transition if you are taking common soda all day and finds it difficult to stop," he said.