Eating sugar is unavoidable because it is a component present in almost every food that we eat. On the other hand, too much sugar is terrible for our teeth and waistline. That is why artificial sweeteners tend to be one alternative to successful weight loss since they taste sugar without calories.

However, these sugar substitutes may not be the wonder foods that they are advertised to be. While the calorie savings are undeniable, some researchers are starting to question whether the compounds achieve what they set out to do or it fuels the risk of experiencing severe illnesses in the future.

To give you an overview of why you should not eat or drink food with artificial sugar, we will talk about what artificial sugar is and what it does to our body.

What is Artificial Sugar?

Artificial sugar, also known as sugar substitutes, is additive that is used to sweeten foods and drinks. They’re often referred to as “intense sweeteners” because they taste close to table sugar but are thousands of times sweeter. While some sweeteners contain calories, the amount required to sweeten products is so tiny that you consume very few calories.

Risks of Artificial Sugar Intake

No calories do not always imply that you will not experience any consequences. Artificial sweeteners may be just as bad for you as sugar, with your brain and stomach reacting in unexpected ways to the tasty, synthetic sweetness. Here are some of the risks you’ll encounter when you consume artificial sugar.

Causes Weight Gain

Contrary to beliefs, artificial sugar can lead to weight gain. It influences your gut bacteria directly, affecting your metabolism and ultimately leading to weight gain. Despite being “calorie-free,” it has been shown to lead to weight gain rather than weight loss, as they were intended.

If you think diet sodas can help you lose weight, think again. The truth is artificial sugar can lower a person’s metabolism. While being “calorie-free,” artificial sweeteners have been found to stimulate insulin development, the fat-storage hormone, in recent studies. 

Since insulin’s role is to bring nutrients into your cells, we’re in storage mode when our bodies release them. But, there are no nutrients in artificial sweeteners, so we’re in storage mode.

Damage Gut Bacteria

We all know that gut health is vital, and if our gut is in good shape, chances are we are as well. Our body’s beneficial bacteria in our gut assist in the synthesis of vitamins, the absorption of nutrients, the prevention of infection, and our immune system’s overall health.

Artificial sugars move through the digestive system untouched and undigested because they are just that: artificial. Recent research indicates that, although the body does not directly digest them, their chemical nature will affect your health by altering your gut bacteria.

May Cause Heartburn

Acid reflux, also known as GERD (Gastrointestinal Esophageal Reflux Disease), is an unpleasant and often painful condition. It’s also a disorder that a lot of singers fear. Acid reflux will make it difficult for the vocal folds to work correctly, even though it is a mild health issue for others.

You may be wondering about the connection between acid reflux and artificial sugar. It plays a significant role in exacerbating acid reflux and may also be one of the primary causes of reflux. Saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose are examples of artificial sweeteners that can disrupt gut bacteria.

Cause Diabetes

Artificial sugar may appear to be a treat for people with diabetes due to its low to no-calorie sugar content. On the other hand, artificial sugar can be misleading, particularly if you’re trying to treat or prevent diabetes, according to new research.

In reality, increasing sugar substitute consumption could be linked to an increase in obesity and diabetes cases. For glucose control, you’ll also want to keep an eye on your consumption, but these solutions are far superior to sugar-free goods.

Damage the Brain

One of the most commonly used artificial sugar in diet sodas, aspartame, is significantly damaging to the brain.  Consider how aspartate, an excitatory neurotransmitter linked to memory, learning, and pain perception, is affected. 

Furthermore, this neurotransmitter is stimulated by aspartame. It may seem to be a positive thing. Still, it overstimulates the brain, turning it into a neurotoxin that kills neurons, induces cell death, and is related to several issues, including memory loss and dementia.

Affects your Taste Buds

Our taste buds play an essential role in our bodies, so it’s vital to look after them and make sure they’re in good working order. Your taste buds will, however, be impaired if you drink artificial sweeteners. Since fake sugar has a much stronger sweet flavor than natural sugar, you and your taste buds become accustomed to super-sweet foods.

Those who eat artificial sugar can develop a taste for excessive sweetness. It could alter their taste preferences and reduce their enjoyment of naturally sweet foods such as fresh fruit and healthier foods that are slightly bitter, such as whole grains or vegetables.

Some Contains Calories

We must always consider that not every artificial sugar is created with the same ingredients. 

Artificial sweeteners are categorized as either non-nutritive or nutritive, with the majority falling into the non-nutritive category.

Furthermore, artificial sweeteners are expected to help us lose weight, but the reverse may be true. It also activates our sweet taste receptors, causing insulin levels to rise in the same way as sugar. 

It can cause us to consume more calories than we would if we didn’t use the artificial sweetener, increasing our risk of gaining weight around our midsection and increasing our heart disease and heart attacks.

Takeaway

Artificial sugar can be delicious to consume. However, due to the drastic differences between how our brains and bodies process these two substances and the potential adverse health consequences of overeating either, consuming artificial sweeteners in abundance (or as a replacement for sugar entirely) is dangerous. 

In addition to that, we should always be wary of the food we eat. It is best to eat fresh fruits and vegetables because they can bear nutrients to obtain a healthy body. Also, always eat in moderation because, as we all know, too much of everything is dangerous.