Are sugar substitutes harmful?

Tomorrow – A research study on natural and industrial sugar substitutes has not found any beneficial effects on the health of the body, but it has not revealed any inconvenience.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, was commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop guidelines for the use of sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and stevia.

"Unfortunately, we do not have enough data to fully evaluate the potential benefits and harms of sugar substitutes," said Jürg Mierbol, chief researcher and director of the Institute for Medical Evidence of the University of New York. University of Freiburg in Germany.

"Most studies in this regard are small or concise." We need more and better research on this subject. "

Meyerbull and his colleagues have collected research on the effects of sugar substitutes on important aspects of health, such as weight and blood sugar. They finally chose 56 studies, including 35 clinical trials.

Some small studies have shown that sugar substitutes can slightly improve BMI, which measures weight based on height and blood sugar levels.

Two studies showed a very slight improvement in blood sugar levels among the 174 participants using sugar substitutes, reported Al Jazeera.

"For the vast majority of people, sugar substitutes have no health benefit," said Dr. Aziz al-Khatib, a cardiology specialist at the Detroit Medical Center in Harper Hospital, Michigan. . Consumers consume too much sugar, especially sugary drinks. The lack of calories is the least harmful alternative to health.

"One of the best strategies for losing weight is to drink a lot of water," he said.

He added in an email that a study had shown that switching from sugar-free drinks to water helped women lose weight and that the consumption of these alternatives overcame a major hurdle to a healthy diet: sugar addiction.