Simcoluv, I totally agree, I use a sweetener in my tea and coffee, and have done for absolute years. It wasn’t a dietary thing, I just don’t like the actual taste of sugar. As for causing the craving for sweet things, It has never happened, maybe it depends on how much you use, but just one sweetener in a drink has no effect other than taking that sharp taste away. I also use zero coke on fasting days and find it filling, plus I do get coffee/tea logged 😉 so it’s nice to have a cold fizzy drink in the heat. The other thing, for many years, diabetics had no alternative so it has made their meals and drinks more palatable. …….CG 😀 xxxxx

Personally I don’t know why you’d bother with artificial sweeteners anyway. And I can’t abide fizzy drinks either.

However, with reference to Simco’s post, it’s hardly surprising that sugar industry research would be biased in favour of sugar and vice versa. I haven’t read the original research paper that Simco provides a Yahoo summary link to, but I’m not sure why that would be any more reputable than any other study on the subject? For starters, who funded that particular piece of research? I note the lead author receives funding from a variety of sources, including ‘industry partners’…

Published research papers should be taken with a pinch of salt (not sugar 🙂 ). They don’t necessarily present facts or full results, and studies can be seriously flawed.

And don’t be too hasty to discount anecdotal evidence. It’s as least as reliable as the ‘evidence’ presented by industry and it’s partners. And widely used in the medical profession to understand the risks/ side effects of drugs (essential since the drug company overstates benefits and underplays risks).

And anyway Simco, I know you’ve set yourself up as some sort of fasting guru and expert, but I’m not sure that you’ve ever provided your credentials…? Your posts are always interesting, but it’s mostly just your opinion based on a cherry-pick of the literature?

I’m not one for fizzy drinks apart from mineral water and the occasional tonic water to go with my gin 😉 but the way I see it is that if it is artificially made then I don’t want to eat or drink it. I do use sweetener occasionally and I’ve opted for stevia.

Rachel, if giving up Diet Coke works for you that is great and scientific evidence stating that artificial sweeteners don’t have the same effect on the brain as sugar is irrelevant as I’m certain that our brains are sophisticated enough to say “I want sugar not that artificial stuff” which might well lead us to the biscuit tin.

I’m with Happy as far as research papers are concerned. Reading the small print about the authors is imperative to take a balanced view as so many of them seem to be funded by whoever is promoting/manufacturing/selling the hero of the article.

The study was very small, only 10 participants, and it suggests the possibility of a sixth sense in the mouth for carbohydrates but offers no evidence to back this suggestion up. That is hardly convincing.

I’ve given up fried foods and junk foods to keep the weight off; don’t take away my Diet Pepsi too!

Bronx

Hi bigbooty:

What you describe is exactly what the research shows does not happen. All of the drinks were artificially sweetened – the brain only demanded more from the drinks containing carbs.

The signals from the mouth send a message to the brain and body that energy is coming, indicating “help is on the way,” which may allow a depleted body to keep going, he said.

“But if nutrients aren’t swallowed, and don’t arrive in the bloodstream,” Gant said, “the brain may be writing checks that the body can’t cash later in the race!”

OK I found the link. I’ll have to get the actual journal article to see the whole study. But at this stage I stand by what I said. Your interpretation of the two quotes above must be different to mine. So when help doesn’t arrive in the way of calories (ie you had an artificial sweetener) what do you think the body will be attempting to do soon afterwards? It will be demanding calories.

‘Trust Me I’m a Doctor’ (Michael Mosley UK TV program) has just reported a small study comparing the effects of saccharin vs stevia on blood sugar. Saccharin raised blood sugar, and for some (perhaps half the population) could push them into diabetes. Saccharin also quickly resulted in altered gut bacteria. The program suggested aspartamine might have the same effect (although this was not tested). Apparently stevia did not raise blood sugar.

Hmm, I think I’ll stick with my opinion that sweeteners are not a benign healthy product.

At best artificially sweetened drinks are benign and have no effect. At worst they stimulate a desire to seek real sweet calories. Water on the other hand has no detrimental effects although Im sure an industry sponsored study could find its use “dangerous”. I mean people drown in the stuff every day and Ive yet to read a report of someone drowning in diet coke.

It is probably best to wean the mind/body off any soda drinks, diet, zero or whatever version.

Sugar cravings is mainly a mental thing; the body can easily do without sugars for a short while. So when the body gets used to getting less sugars or sweet food/drinks, the mind will demand less too.

Spot on Stephen. There is no dietary reason we need to have sugary drinks and artificially sweetened drinks just top up the “sweet tooth” response. One just needs to look at the size of the persons drinking coke zero to see the concept of low cal drinks isn’t working. I drink sparkling mineral water.

And your right, the longer you don’t have sweet stuff the less you want it.

I agree, I rarely drink diet soda but if I do it would be maybe once a week (one soda) out with friends or something. I might have mine with a small cup of chili or side salad – not a triple bacon cheeseburger with fries, however.