2023-05-07 04:52:08
Anyone who, for whatever reason, prefers foods that contain sweeteners should not forget that these sugar substitutes entail health risks.
Munich – Sugar in too high a dose acts like a poison and can cause diseases such as Diabetes cause. The maximum amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 25 grams per day. That is about a glass of soft drink. Many people are switching to artificial sweeteners. And that’s how they get from bad to worse: because sweeteners can become even more dangerous, as a new study shows.
They also increase the risk of diabetes. In addition, some change the bacterial composition in the intestine. With sucralose and saccharin, the body can no longer process normal sugar well after a short period of regular consumption. In addition, when the intestinal flora is damaged, the immune system deteriorates and those affected become more susceptible to diseases.
Sweeteners can become even more dangerous than sugar
Why sweeteners are harmful and why you should rather avoid them, even if you want to lose weight, explains nutritionist Dr. Martha Ritzmann-Widderich, Vice-President of the Federal Association of German Nutritionists and Vice-Chairman of the Medical Society for Therapeutic Fasting and Nutrition. The nutritionist also gives tips on how we can rebuild a damaged intestinal flora.
A new study shows that sweeteners raise blood sugar. How can that be explained?
We nutritionists have long observed that this is the case and have not been able to explain it to ourselves for a long time. I’ve been doing therapy for very obese people for 30 years, and it’s always struck me that even when people use artificial sweeteners instead of regular sugar, they don’t lose weight. For example, many years ago I had a very overweight patient with diabetes who drank a lot of so-called soft drinks with sweeteners. His sugar level skyrocketed, although there was actually no plausible explanation for it. But the measured values clearly showed that this was the case. The research results from Israel now explain this observation.
Sweeteners as a health risk: intestinal bacteria are reduced
And what is the reason?
The consumption of some sweeteners changes the composition of the bacteria in the intestine. These intestinal bacteria, also called microbiota or intestinal flora, have many important functions. Among other things, they influence the body’s ability to utilize sugar. Research from the Weizmann Institute in Israel shows that some sweeteners reduce bacterial diversity in the gut. According to the new findings, these worrying side effects of sweeteners already exist with the normal daily amount that is considered harmless.
How quickly do the intestinal bacteria suffer?
That happens fast. A so-called glucose intolerance can develop in as little as two weeks – with this disorder, the body can no longer metabolize sugar properly. The many different intestinal bacteria have many different properties and produce vitamins and satiety hormones, among other things. If the bacteria get into an imbalance, a so-called dysbiosis, food intolerance can also develop.
Side effect of sweeteners: Immune system can be weakened
How does the gut affect our health?
When beneficial gut bacteria are lost, the immune system is weakened. Because about 70 percent of all immune defenses are produced in the intestine. In addition, our intestinal flora becomes more permeable as a protective shield against pollutants and pathogens. You can imagine the bacteria as a kind of protective film on the intestinal mucosa. They direct the pollutants past the mucous membrane and out of the body again.
If too many harmful bacteria settle in the intestine, pro-inflammatory substances are formed. These get into the entire body via the bloodstream and can have an impact on completely different places than the intestine.
Can an unhealthy gut make you fat?
Yes, because if you mainly eat carbohydrates from sugar, starch and white flour, you create a bacterial imbalance. This means that he practically breeds more and more bacteria that can utilize sugar. Every single calorie is then used – unlike a healthy intestinal flora with many different bacteria.
A balanced diet promotes beneficial intestinal bacteria
How can the intestinal flora be kept healthy?
Through a balanced diet. Depending on what you eat and drink, you promote the beneficial (probiotic) or the harmful intestinal bacteria.
Can you repair a broken intestinal flora?
You can eat and drink the intestinal flora healthy again. It takes a while and doesn’t happen overnight. Because the intestinal bacteria first have to get used to the new variety of food. A sudden change in diet to include whole grains and raw vegetables can even cause severe abdominal pain and bloating. You have to be patient here and get your body used to the changed food step by step. Then the microbiome adapts to it.
How long does this conversion process take?
You have to know that sugar also influences the reward system in our brain, it creates a kind of addiction. So it takes some time to get rid of this addiction. But it works.
Do you have to give up sugar completely?
No. If we eat too much sugar on festive occasions, such as a birthday, it doesn’t upset our intestines. A tip: Pay attention to the ingredients of food in everyday life. In the first place is the ingredient with the largest amount. The nutritional value table also shows the carbohydrate or sugar content in grams. For orientation: A tablespoon of sugar has around ten grams. The maximum amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 25 grams per day, which is two and a half tablespoons. Normal household sugar is a mixture of grape sugar (glucose) and fruit sugar (fructose). Fructose, in turn, promotes the development of fatty liver, obesity and diabetes.
What should you eat if you want a healthy intestinal flora?
We need different dietary fibers, i.e. fruit and vegetables in all colors, if possible with skin, salad and whole grain products made from different types of grain. Foods fermented with lactic acid are also important, such as yoghurt. But be careful: fruit yoghurt often contains a lot of sugar. Better buy an unsweetened one and stir in a spoonful of jam. Sauerkraut and kimchi are also lactic acid fermented. If you don’t tolerate these foods very well at first, start with small amounts. (Interview: Susanne Sasse)
Sweeteners and natural sugar substitutes – these are the differences
There are big differences between artificial sweeteners (12 are authorized in the EU) and sugar substitutes. These end in -it and are called, for example, xylitol (birch sugar), sorbitol or erythritol, mannitol, isomalt, maltitol and lactitol. They are less dangerous than the artificial sweeteners. From a chemical point of view, sugar substitutes are so-called sugar alcohols. They are metabolized without insulin and do not cause an increase in blood sugar. But beware: Xylitol is highly toxic for dogs, for example, warns Dr. Martha Ritzmann-Widderich. In humans, xylitol accounts for 40 percent of the calories compared to sugar. Sugar substitutes consumed in excess can cause diarrhea. If too many of them get into the large intestine, they can damage the bacterial diversity there. Erythritol is usually absorbed in the small intestine and excreted through the kidneys. However, Ritzmann-Widderich warns that cardiovascular risk patients who often consume a lot of erythritol are more prone to arterial blockage. (Svs)
Few calories, but many disadvantages: These are the results of the sweetener study
Munich/Rehovot – A study from Israel shows for the first time that sweeteners can make not only laboratory mice sick, but also humans. Scientists analyzed how sweeteners affected the health of 120 test participants. The alarming result: Sweeteners damage bacteria in the gut. Some so strong that they negatively alter blood sugar levels.
Prof. Eran Elinav from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot warns in an interview: “After just a few days, the participants with the sweeteners sucralose and saccharin showed significant changes in the absorption of glucose – even though the daily dose of the two sweeteners was well below the recommended daily dose.” This promotes the development of diabetes.
Elinav observed that the participants who had been given saccharin and sucralose were suddenly able to use sugar much more poorly than before. After a so-called glucose tolerance test, they showed a noticeably high blood sugar level.
The results are amazing, because artificial sweeteners actually pass through the human body almost unused. So they have no influence on human cells – but on the bacteria in the intestine, as the researchers have now proven.
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