Sweetened sugar or artificial or zero sugar and the danger to health

Emobileclinic Researcher’s corner

The medical concerns to avoid too much sugar consumption for fear of increasing high blold sugar and gaining more calories have led to the increase consumption of sweetened drinks popularly known as zero sugar or artificial sweetener.  Experts are saying this is harmful to certain set of people. 

The lead researcher while talking on sweetened sugar says ‘consumption of low-calorie sweeteners has not been limited solely to those with a disease such as diabetes or obesity but has been adopted more broadly as a healthy habit’ Young, old, man and woman saw sweetened sugar as an alternative due to misperception’ as a healthy alternative to sugar – sweetened beverages and foods’ The growth of zero sugar or low calorie sweetener has risen even in America  from 0% in 1960 to 15% in 2003 and these artificial sweetener are also very common in Nigeria mostly in beverages and has become water for many.

The new researchers established the risk of diabetes on moderate body size (15% higher ) but this was not observed in obese people. The researchers did a thorough analyzing of a total number of 12,884 Brazilians who had no diabetes before the study. On a longitudinal analysis, diabetes was not noticed but when body mass index was used, the results change.  According to the lead researcher, ‘no such associations were seen for those with BMI ≥25. In fact, in overweight or obese participants, greater ASB consumption was significantly associated with improved indexes of insulin resistance and 2-h postload glucose.’ The effect was also noticed to affect B-cell function in moderate body size and led to poorer fasting glucose concentration .




Suez J, Korem, also observed the effect of sweetened drinks or food on some animals and it was noticed  that ‘artificial noncaloric sweeteners may contribute to glucose intolerance through alterations of the composition and function of intestinal microbiota, which may in turn upregulate de novo glucose synthesis pathways by the host ‘ Other past works also linked ASB to weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.

The researchers concluded that ‘Normal-weight, but not excess-weight, individuals with greater ASB consumption presented diabetes more frequently and had higher fasting glucose and poorer β-cell function.’

J Yarmolinsky,ETAL

The America  journal of nutrition