I know. Sweeteners have much fewer calories, so it seems that substituting sugar for saccharin, aspartame or other sweeteners should help you lose weight, but … the bad news is that the mechanisms by which we lose weight are more complicated than adding or subtracting calories. And it's a shame, because the sweet tooth seems to be behind the excess weight of many people who consume more food than necessary to satisfy this craving.
Although it is not yet clear what makes the use of sweeteners not translate into weight loss, currently working on two hypotheses that would provide an explanation.
THEY COULD ALTER THE INTESTINAL FLORA
A first explanation is that saccharin and aspartame, and to a lesser extent also sucralose, another no calorie sweetener, could alter the intestinal flora. These sweeteners would release molecules that can modify the microbiota –reducing bacteroidetes bacteria and at the same time increasing firmicutes–, and this could contribute to maintaining a chronic low-grade inflammatory process that promotes weight gain among other problems.
Although it must be said that in general their consumption is usually below the risk amounts, in addition to altering weight, they can also increase the risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes, which is more common.
THEY WAKE EVEN MORE APPETITION FOR SWEETS
The second theory suggests that instead of removing the craving for sweets, they promote it. A sweet product seems to stimulate the consumption of other sweet drinks or foods. This would be due to the alteration of the hunger and satiety control pathways. It seems that artificial sweeteners do not activate the sensations of pleasure and well-being in the same way as natural ones, and tend to generate greater dependence on a flavor and more appetite.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO LOSE WEIGHT?
What studies tend to show is that frequent and high consumption of sugar or sweeteners causes, by one means or another, weight gain. Therefore, they recommend occasional consumption. What is my advice then? Re-educate the palate. Extreme flavors, whether sweet or salty, unbalance the diet, so it is recommended to gradually reduce the amount of sugar - or salt - added to a food and get closer to the flavor it has naturally. By doing it gradually, we will be able to consume many of the foods that we sweeten (coffee, yogurt, juice …) without sugar or any of its substitutes. I know it doesn't seem easy at first, but many of my patients have succeeded, why not you?
