Zero-calorie myth: Sweeteners are not sugar, so you won’t get fat if you eat them?

When losing weight in summer, be careful not to gain weight by eating sweeteners. Many people believe that "sweet and calorie-free" "sugar substitutes" may be the salvation of their sweet tooth, and some even think about taking them to lose weight. However, nutrition experts remind everyone that although sugar substitutes are not sugar and do not contain calories, long-term consumption still poses a risk of obesity and should not be taken lightly.

Bai Xiaoliang, a doctor of nutrition education at Columbia University in the United States, pointed out that obesity is the root of all diseases, but the most irresistible thing for losing weight in summer is sugary drinks. If you don't want to consume too much, sugar substitutes seem to be considered as the first choice. Therefore, there are many sugar-free drinks on the market that claim that they "will not make you fat" and have become popular overnight, attracting a lot of consumers.

Sugar Substitutes No Calories Artificial Sweeteners

Basically, sugar substitutes are a type of sweetener, which can be roughly divided into two categories . One is sugar alcohol substances, such as xylitol and sorbitol. This type of sugar alcohol has some calories and gives a cool feeling in the mouth, so sugar alcohols are used as sweeteners in sugar-free chewing gum or lozenges.

The other type is artificial sweeteners without calories, such as aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose, etc. This type of artificial sweetener is much sweeter than sucrose. Compared with sucrose, it not only releases about 150-200 times the sweetness, but also has no calories. Among them, the sweeteners contained in low-calorie cola and reduced-sugar fruit juice mostly belong to this type.

When losing weight in the summer, once you become addicted to sweetness, be careful not to gain weight by eating too much sweeteners.

Sweet addiction can easily make you fatter

In recent years, the scientific community has also repeatedly issued warnings about the concept of "sugar is sweet poison." When you eat high-glycemic foods such as sweets or starches, your blood sugar will rise. When blood sugar exceeds a certain concentration, it will cause inflammation, accelerate aging, and even have the risk of cancer.

Bai Xiaoliang, a nutrition doctor living in the United States, emphasized in his new book "Don't Let Wrong Nutrition Concepts Harm You" that when the human body consumes too much sweeteners, it only temporarily deceives its taste buds but does not give the brain a sense of fullness. Once the body becomes addicted to the sweet taste, it will eat more unhealthy foods to satisfy its needs, taking in a lot of extra calories and getting fatter.

Reducing sugar intake reduces disease risk

For the sake of long-term health, people are advised to stay away from sugar substitutes, especially aspartame, sucralose (such as Splenda), acesulfame K (ACEK) and saccharin . If you want to satisfy your desire for sweetness, you can use Stevia, which is not a chemically synthesized sweetener but extracted from natural plants.

In fact, European and American countries have long been concerned about the adverse health effects of sugary drinks, and have even actively introduced various methods to restrict them. For example, the governments of Britain, the United States, and Canada have actively advocated "sugar restrictions", strongly restricting the sale of sugary drinks on campus, and even increasing taxes on sugary drinks to reduce the number of people buying them. The UK also requires manufacturers to reduce the size of drinks in order to reduce the sugar content of the drinks consumed.

【Intimate Reminder】：

Basically, sugar substitutes can only be used as a substitute during the transition period of reducing sugar intake, or can be used in moderation by diabetic patients . It is recommended that when you are craving for something, you might as well replace refined sweets with natural sweet foods such as fruits and sweet potatoes, or add fruits and vegetables to boiled water to add a light sweetness and aroma to replace sweet drinks, which is also a good way.