• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Artificial sweeteners - any correlation with diabetes?

theMark

Critical Thinker
T
Joined
Jul 25, 2007
Messages
281
Just today, I've had a little debate with a friend of mine who is of the opinion that artificial sweeteners can cause (or at least encourage (if that's the right word) ) diabetes, because "it tastes sweet, and then the body prepares for sugar that doesn't come, and that's got to be bad".

Uhm. Riiight. Well, maybe.

Except for the fact that various organisations that actually DO know a thing or two about it (like, the International Journal of Diabetes in developing countries) do RECOMMEND those artificial sweeteners to help in a dietary regime.

Now, "teh Google" isn't particularly strong in me, so all I found was how for a few decades, some sweeteners were linked to cancer, until that evidence sort of evaporated because some people decided to take a closer look at the old tests and found that the sweetener-cancer mechanism really only applied to rats. So it seems most if not all of those pseudo-sugars are OK for non-excessive use.

It's just that I didn't find anything clearly saying "sweeteners do (as far as we know today) NOT cause diabetes." (Alright, proving a negative and stuff, I know...)

The threads I've found at JREF were more concerned about headaches and other known side effects, but not the blood sugar thing...

Anyone around who has some peer-reviewed comments on the sweetener-diabetes thing? I can't believe I'd be the first one to bring this up on the web...

Thanks in advance from
theMark
 
There have been observational studies that show an association between diet soft drinks and increased incidence of diabetes (and other related conditions.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/116/5/480

However, the increased use of diet drinks may be in response to weight gain or the development of diabetes (it is what we recommend, after all), so it would be unreasonable to claim that diet soft drinks are responsible. Experimental studies looking at the role of soft drinks show that if you substitute sugar-sweetened soft drinks with diet and other low-calorie drinks, you lose weight, which contradicts the idea that sugar substitutes cause weight gain.

Linda
 
The thing about artificial sweeteners causing an increase in appetite or affecting how the body naturally assesses intake of calories, is something I have never been sure about how woo it is. I have read some stuff about it from non-wooish sources, but I'm not sure what the state of the evidence is.

Here are some stories thaty talk about some of the research:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040630081825.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=87080

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/JAMA-questions-sense-of-sweeteners-for-weight-loss
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/11/health/webmd/main3817821.shtml
 
I believe A.S. cause all sorts of health problems from Parkinson's to over weight, they are a neurotoxin. Money making scam that turns to formaldehyde in our bodies. When will we realize that the e-lite don't care what damage they do to us goyim,they are at war with us.
 
Old Bob said:
I believe A.S. cause all sorts of health problems from Parkinson's to over weight, they are a neurotoxin. Money making scam that turns to formaldehyde in our bodies. When will we realize that the e-lite don't care what damage they do to us goyim,they are at war with us.
Click to expand...

Bob, the OP is asking a serious question, you could have some respect.
 
I imagine that there is a correlation between artificial sweeteners and diabetes, simply due to avoiding sugars either because you know you have diabetes or are overweight.
 
I would ask: Which artificial sweeteners are you asking about? Each AS has a different chemical makeup, and therefore affects the body in different ways. If the question is just about AS in general, then I would have to agree with those here who have already said that the correlation is probably just that people who already have diabetes, or who already have the precursors to diabetes, are the most prevalent AS users.

To the person who said that AS are neurotoxins: Even if we assume you are correct, just how much of the compound would one have to ingest per day to see any sort of effect? One pound? Five pounds? One hundred? A thousand? And if you're ingesting that much AS a day, you probably have bigger problems than just the effects of the AS...
 
The theory here is that when your body detects a sweet taste without following infusion of sugars, that the regulation mechanism for food intake is interrupted, causing more intake. Not so much a correlation with diabetes but with obesity and of course obesity correlates with type-2 diabetes.
 
BenBurch said:
The theory here is that when your body detects a sweet taste without following infusion of sugars, that the regulation mechanism for food intake is interrupted, causing more intake. Not so much a correlation with diabetes but with obesity and of course obesity correlates with type-2 diabetes.
Click to expand...
And, Splenda is actually sugar, just modified. Unlike other artificial sweeteners. So my question still stands. Which artificial sweeteners are being referred to.

As purely anecdotal support for my opinions that AS has nothing to do with weight: If I put artificial sweetener in my iced tea before dinner, I don't eat any more or less food (sweet or otherwise) than I do if I use real sugar. Nor does anyone else I know. The only people I know that eat excessively after using an artificial sweetener are the people who eat excessively whether they use that artificial sweetener or not. These are, by the way, the same people who drink a soda for lunch (diet of course) instead of eating real food (in the effort to "lose weight"), and then stop at McDonald's on the way home from work and get another diet soda alongside their super-sized double quarter pounder with cheese meal.

I have no research studies to back up my suppositions. Just normal observation of human behavior. Given that: I put forth that the correlation between diabetes and AS is more that there is a level of woo-ish thought amongst the nutritionally uneducated (i.e. a very large portion of society) that leads them to believe that because they are cutting back on calories from sugar, it is okay then to increase the calories they get from fatty deep fried foods laden in transfats, which causes obesity, which leads to diabetes.

I blame this in part on woo-ish diets which give people the impression that sugar is evil, and all you have to do is eliminate that one ingredient from your food, and then you can eat/drink anything you want in any amount and be healthier and prettier than you were before.

Example: How many times have you seen the following in a restaurant -- "Oh, I'll get the 16oz steak. It's okay. I'll just skip dessert"
 
fls said:
There have been observational studies that show an association between diet soft drinks and increased incidence of diabetes (and other related conditions.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/116/5/480

However, the increased use of diet drinks may be in response to weight gain or the development of diabetes (it is what we recommend, after all), so it would be unreasonable to claim that diet soft drinks are responsible. Experimental studies looking at the role of soft drinks show that if you substitute sugar-sweetened soft drinks with diet and other low-calorie drinks, you lose weight, which contradicts the idea that sugar substitutes cause weight gain.

Linda
Click to expand...
One of the newer studies (I'll look for it again when I have time) has supposedly shown the the body recognizes the diet sweetners are not glucose/sucrose and makes up by signalling you to eat/drink something containing them or similar.
 
Last edited:
Splenda sweetener as I understand is sugar with the oxygen molecule swapped for a chlorine one, I use it to kill ants. the aspartamates are neurotoxin and if you lot can't be civil I go home. Just because certain people call me idiot, does that make me one? I may not be smart on the key board or expressing my self but I'm rich in many ways.
 
Old Bob said:
Splenda sweetener as I understand is sugar with the oxygen molecule swapped for a chlorine one, I use it to kill ants.
Click to expand...

I use soapy water. That must mean soap is lethal, right?

Old Bob said:
the aspartamates are neurotoxin and if you lot can't be civil I go home.
Click to expand...

So is caffeine, but unlike aspartame it actually manages to cross the blood-brain barrier intact instead of being metabolized.

That caffiene is a neurotoxin doesn't mean it's unsafe or possibly even beneficial in reasonable quantities(caffeine intake is correlated with reduced incidence of parkinsons and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in people aged >65 and not severely hypertensive).

Old Bob said:
Just because certain people call me idiot, does that make me one? I may not be smart on the key board or expressing my self but I'm rich in many ways.
Click to expand...

Are you or are you not being sarcastic?
 
Last edited:
fuelair said:
One of the newer studies (I'll look for it again when I have time) has supposedly shown the the body recognizes the diet sweetners are not glucose/sucrose and makes up by signalling you to eat/drink something containing them or similar.
Click to expand...

You were referring to the rat studies that Professor Yaffle mentioned earlier?

I was referring to experimental studies in humans (sorry I didn't make that clear), such as this one:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/76/4/721

Linda
 
The actor Michael Fox suffers Parkin's disease and he has blamed diet COLA, if that is the reason 2 or 3 drinks a day over some years is all you need for damage. The troops coming home from the middle east sick, one line of thought is diet drinks sitting on pallets in the heat which changers the aspartate to formaldehyde. Is that behind the "Gulf War Syndrome" ? I have been also told that the change happens below body temperature.
 
Mongrel said:
Got a proper link?

All I could find was lots of anti aspartame sites linking his Parkinsons and the sponsorship of some of his shows by Diet pepsi...
Click to expand...

No, it was old news and I should have said pepsi instead of cola, sorry.
 
Old Bob said:
No, it was old news and I should have said pepsi instead of cola, sorry.
Click to expand...

If it was 'old news' it's still news, it should be archived somewhere.

Even the anti AS sites had it as;

Michael J Fox (MJF) has Parkinsons
Some of his shows were sponsored by Pepsi and MJF drank diet Pepsi
"AS is a neurotoxin\dangerous"

Therefore

"AS caused MJFs Parkinsons!!111 eleventy!!"



F - try harder and show your workings
 
Some time ago I made the statement that compressed air cars would come on line and are already used in France, howls and yells, rubbish etc etc. Well now its happening in India. Say that M. J. Fox is suffering from diet cola when I should have said diet pepsi, big deal, it's the diet part that poisons. Soylent said "are you being sarcastic"? about what? Why are you all so cranky? Criticize politely if you like but some are just plain bloody rude. I try to enlighten others on bits that I know and not all knowledge is on line.
 
Old Bob said:
Some time ago I made the statement that compressed air cars would come on line and are already used in France, howls and yells, rubbish etc etc. Well now its happening in India. Say that M. J. Fox is suffering from diet cola when I should have said diet pepsi, big deal, it's the diet part that poisons.
Click to expand...

I couldn't care less about what brand of diet fizzy drink it was, I find it irrelevant to the claim, so stop acting the martyr. My main gripe was with the bolded bit;
The actor Michael Fox suffers Parkin's disease and he has blamed diet COLA
Click to expand...

If you're research is that shoddy then I have no expectations of useful info from you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom