Have you been using artificial sweeteners in the effort to stay healthy?

This new research might give you pause.

The work, done by scientists Segal and Elinav from Israel, with mice and humans, suggests that artificial sweeteners could raise your blood sugar levels more than if you indulged in sugar-sweetened sodas and desserts.

We have already seen this in a previous post, but it is important enough to merit its own post.

Blame it on the bugs in your gut, scientists say. They found that saccharin (a.k.a. Sweet‘N Low), sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda) and aspartame (a.k.a. NutraSweet and Equal) raised blood sugar levels by dramatically changing the makeup of the gut microorganisms, mainly bacteria, that are in the intestines and help with nutrition and the immune system. There are trillions of them — many times more than the cells of the body — and they account for roughly 4 pounds of your body weight.

Although saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame are three different compounds, “the effects were quite similar to each other,” Segal said. Those three sweeteners make up the bulk of the market. Segal said more research is needed to see whether others, such as stevia, can also change the collection of microorganisms in the gut.

The scientists studied nearly 400 people and found the bacteria in the guts of those who ate and drank artificial sweeteners were different from those who did not. People who used artificial sweeteners also tended to have higher fasting blood sugar levels and a forerunner of type 2 diabetes called impaired blood-sugar tolerance.

Between 1986 and 2010, the number of American adults eating and drinking sugar-free foods and beverages jumped from 78 million to 187 million, according to the Calorie Control Council. Diet soft drinks are the most popular sugar-free products, followed by non-carbonated soft drinks, gum, and sugar substitutes.

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So what can we do?

If the craving is really really uncontrollable, go for the natural sugar, just limit the amount. Artificial sweeteners are just that, artificial. Don’t put anything artificial into your body, its not safe or healthy.