We all crave something sweet every now and again. But, given the health risks surrounding excess sugar intake, including inflammation, weight gain, and even high blood pressure, many people are opting for artificial sweeteners as alternatives.
Unfortunately, artificial sweeteners can present health risks of their own. In this article, we’ll present the key reasons to avoid sucralose, one of the most widely-used artificial sweeteners in the world.
The main risks of including sucralose in your diet include:
Weight Gain
Swapping sugar for sucralose, which contains virtually zero calories, may seem like a great weight loss strategy. Unfortunately, in reality, the effects of sucralose often negatively affect weight management.
An 18-month trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine evaluated how sugar-free and sugar-sweetened beverages affected body weight in children. 641 children were given an 8-ounce can each day of either a sugar-free beverage, which included 34 milligrams of sucralose, or a sugar-sweetened beverage.
By the end of the 18-month period, the overall weight gain was only one kilogram higher for the children in the group that received a sugar-sweetened beverage.
Additionally, a 2021 study published in JAMA Open revealed that women and individuals with obesity experienced heightened activity in the brain’s reward center. Furthermore, women consumed more food at a buffet after fasting.
These and other studies show that sucralose often doesn’t help with weight loss and may even inhibit it.
Risk of Crohn’s Disease and IBS
After observing a major spike (643%, to be precise) in IBS in residents of Alberta, Canada, Xin Qin, M.D., Ph.D., conducted a study on the effect of sucralose on gut bacteria. This study revealed that sucralose can trigger IBS, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
As sucralose moves through and leaves the body, it negatively affects gut bacteria more than other artificial sweeteners.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Given that the body can’t digest sucralose, it moves through the gastrointestinal tract and may cause damage on its way. Sucralose may injure the wall of the intestine and lead to a leaky gut syndrome, which can cause symptoms including gas, bloating, chronic diarrhea, poor immune system, fatigue, and more.
These are just a few of the health risks that consuming sucralose can present. For more
information about protecting your gut health, reach out to Body Flow Wellness today!