Sugar-free drinks replace it with sweeteners which are also bad for your health because they increase blood sugar, blood glucose levels, and can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.
- Sweeteners can have similar harmful effects on the body as sugar.
- Too high consumption could therefore also promote the development of type 2 diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes affects 90% of people with this disease.
By opting for a sugar-free drink, we believe we are doing the right thing… False, according to Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan, clinical manager of London Medical Laboratory : “Many so-called “diet” drinks can increase the symptoms of diabetics and seriously affect those who are not diagnosed. he indicates in a communicated.
Sweeteners have an impact on diabetics
To replace sugar, saccharin and the sucralose are among the sweeteners often used. “Our analysis of the latest research reveals that[ils] are likely to increase blood sugar levels and negatively impact the gut microbiomesays Dr. Avinash Hari Narayanan. Researchers from John Hopkins University tested random groups of healthy, non-diabetic people and found that participants taking saccharin and sucralose experienced large spikes in their blood sugar levels”.
In this study, scientists at John Hopkins University found that these two sweeteners changed the bacteria in the gut and mouth. “Changes in metabolites (organic compounds) present in the blood of people who consumed saccharin and sucralose were so impacted that they were similar to those of people with diabetes or vascular diseases”, says Dr. Avinash Hari Narayanan. Changes in the gut microbiome can cause spikes in blood sugar levels, impairing the body’s ability to effectively regulate glucose levels.”
Another article, published in 2022 in the journal Microorganismscorroborates these results: consumption of sucralose can alter glucose and insulin levels – hormone produced by the pancreas and which regulates blood sugar levels – in healthy young adults.
“Two recent trials reported in Nutrition Reviews showed that the consumption of another sweetener [très utilisé]aspartame, could affect the levels of glucose, insulin and a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 [(GLP1), une hormone intestinale qui intervient dans la régulation du glucose sanguin]” develops Dr. Avinash Hari Narayanan.
Sweeteners cause the same insulin production as sugar
Why do these sweeteners have effects comparable to those of sugar on the body? When a person consumes sugar, their blood sugar level increases and the organ responsible for regulating it, the pancreas, activates by producing insulin. In a study published in the journal Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, scientists show that sweeteners cause insulin production that is not needed. This hypersecretion of insulin can wear out the pancreas in the long term and promote the onset of type 2 diabetes, from which 90% of diabetics suffer according to theNational Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by improper use of insulin by the body’s cells. Patients therefore often suffer from hyperglycemia, a ttoo high blood sugar. But this disease can remain silent for a long time because the symptoms are discreet depending on the Vidal : difficulty healing, loss of sensitivity in the feet, vision problems, kidney failure, heart attack or stroke.
“This invisible killer can reduce life expectancy by 10 yearsexplains Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan, who is participating in the screening campaign “Put your finger on diabetes”. According to Inserm, 20 to 30% of adults with diabetes are not diagnosed.
