Health care misconceptions: sugar substitutes, health
Sugar substitutes do not equal health. While sugar substitutes can provide sweetness, soothe the mood, make people feel good and promote a sense of well-being, they are not a substitute for real sugar, and excessive intake of sugar substitutes can also pose health risks.
First and foremost, sugar substitutes are food additives that are designed to provide sweetness without affecting blood sugar levels. However, sugar substitutes do not provide the energy provided by sugar, and excessive intake of sugar substitutes can lead to excessive energy intake, which in turn can lead to problems such as weight gain and obesity. Almost all non-nutritive sweeteners in the human body do not contain glucose, which is not directly involved in the secretion of insulin, so theoretically speaking, non-nutritive sweeteners do not cause an increase in blood sugar, from this point of view, to control the intake of sugar, and trying its practical synthetic sweeteners does not mean that you can really control the intake of sugar, because sugar substitutes do not make you give up sweets, although the cravings for sweets can be satisfied through sugar substitutes, But on the contrary, there is a compensatory psychology that you can eat more other things unscrupulously because you eat sugar substitutes, which leads to the intake of more food, which causes obesity.
Second, some studies have shown that sugar substitutes may have adverse effects on the human gut microbiota. Some sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and acesulfame potassium, may inhibit the growth of beneficial populations in the gut microbiota, leading to an increase in the number of pathogenic bacteria, which can lead to intestinal problems.
In addition, some studies have shown that long-term high intake of sugar substitutes may increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. Although sugar substitutes themselves do not produce energy, long-term excessive intake of sugar substitutes may have the following adverse effects on the human body. When the human body ingests sugar substitutes, the brain will mistakenly think that the body has ingested a large amount of sugar and begin to secrete insulin, however, when the insulin assembly does not wait for the expected glucose, over time, the body is more and more sluggish to secrete insulin signals, and the cells are resistant to insulin fat, decomposition is reduced, synthesis increases, and then weight rises, blood sugar rises, leading to obesity and diabetes. At present, the qualified sugar substitute products on the market, although the added sugar substitutes are in line with food safety standards, but it is not a healthy food sugar substitute that can be used in large quantities for a long time, we must have a scientific and rational attitude, moderate use for some special groups, sugar substitutes are still a good choice, and then for diabetics who are very eager for sweets, eating sugar substitute food can soothe the mood, can make people feel happy, and enhance happiness, but the nutritional sugar substitute xylitol is also a kind of carbohydrate, although it has little impact on blood sugar, but eating too much will also bring health risks, and diabetics still can't eat more. Therefore, it is okay to consume sugar substitutes in moderation, but they should not be considered as part of a healthy diet.
To sum up, sugar substitutes do not equal health. To stay healthy, we should maintain a balanced diet, eat more fruits and vegetables, and reduce the intake of sugar and high-calorie foods. At the same time, physical activity and weight control are also important measures to maintain health.