Artificial sweeteners are linked to diabetes and obesity - researchers caution!!

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Artificial sweeteners  are widely used in many food items, cool drinks, etc  and this practise has been around fore more than a couple of decades or so.  A research study undertaken in July, 2017 in Canada says that artificial sweeteners may  have a close link with long-term weight gain and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. This study was  published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

That consumption of artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucrose is widespread and increasing has been a matter of serious concern among  government agencies world over. The bad news is  the new data  point out  that artificial or non-nutritive, sweeteners may have negative impact  on metabolic activities, gut bacteria and appetite, although the evidence is conflicting. 
Researchers from the University of Manitoba's George & Fay Yee Centre for Health care Innovation carefully carried out  a systematic review of 37 studies, following  more than 400,000 people for an average of 10 years. This was done by them with a view to confirming  whether consuming artificial sweeteners is associated with negative long-term effects on weight and heart disease.  Among them only 7 of  these studies were controlled random trials, using  1003 people and following  for a  6-month period on an  average.

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The  short term trials did not show any consistency  regarding effect of artificial sweeteners on weight loss. However,  the longer observational studies  did show and establish a  link between consumption of artificial sweeteners and relatively higher risks of weight gain and obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and other health issues.

According to Dr. Ryan Zarychanski, Assistant Professor, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. "We found that data from clinical trials do not clearly support the intended benefits of artificial sweeteners for weight management."Dr. Meghan Azad, Assistant Professor at the above-mentioned  University is of the opinion, "Caution is warranted until the long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners are fully characterized,"
 She  has also further stated: "Given the widespread and increasing use of artificial sweeteners, and the current epidemic of obesity and related diseases, more research is needed to determine the long-term risks and benefits of these products," .

A new research work reported from Australia points out artificial sweeteners  are tied to type 2 diabetes. The  review published in the ''Journal Current Atherosclerosis Reports''  has come up with a surprising  find.  It shows that '' People who use low calorie
sweeteners (LCB) are likely to  gain weight, the exact of what consumers expect''. This study, despite controlled clinical trials  shows that artificial sweeteners do lead to weight loss, according to the research study done at University of South Australia (UniSA). They noted that there had been  200% increase in LCS users and a 54% among adults over a span of 30 years. They used  low  calorie sweeteners in the place of  fructose, glucose and sucrose. The LCS stuffs had  intense sweet with no calories. The recent studies emphasized  on the adverse effects on the health by them.

The study was done on 5150 adults over a seven year period and the results showed that those who consumed  large quantities of AS had gained more weight than non-users. The inference is that AS may trigger  weight gain and cause type 2 diabetes.
People, who keep using  artificial sweeteners, must use discretion before using them and must understand their cumulative effects on the health over a long period.   
 Common Artificial sweeteners

     Aspartame. Sold under the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, or Sugar Twin, aspartame is 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
    Acesulfame potassium. Also known as acesulfame K, it’s 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It’s suited for cooking and baking and sold under the brand names Sunnet or Sweet One.
    Advantame. This sweetener is 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking and baking.
    Aspartame-acesulfame salt. Sold under the brand name Twinsweet, it’s 350 times sweeter than table sugar.
    Cyclamate. Cyclamate, which is 50 times sweeter than table sugar, was used for cooking and baking. However, it has been banned in the United States since 1970.
    Neotame. Sold under the brand name Newtame, this sweetener is 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking and baking.
    Neohesperidin. It’s 340 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking, baking, and mixing with acidic foods. Note that it is not approved for use in the United States.
    Sacchari. Sold under the brand names Sweet'N Low, Sweet Twin, or Necta Sweet, saccharin is 700 times sweeter than table sugar.
    Sucralose. Sucralose, which is 600 times sweeter table sugar, is suited for cooking, baking, and mixing ................................ (vide:https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners-good-or-bad#types)

Source:
The New Indian Express (Tiruchy edition)  dated 10th December, 2019: Page 16;  ''Artificial sweeteners tied to diabetes''.
Meghan B. Azad, Ahmed M. Abou-Setta, Bhupendrasinh F. Chauhan, Rasheda Rabbani, Justin Lys, Leslie Copstein, Amrinder Mann, Maya M. Jeyaraman, Ashleigh E. Reid, Michelle Fiander, Dylan S. MacKay, Jon McGavock, Brandy Wicklow, Ryan Zarychanski. Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2017; 189 (28): E929 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.161390
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170717091043.html
 https://www.thediabetescouncil.com/the-relationship-between-diabetes-and-sweeteners/