If you like to enjoy a little bit of sweetness without facing the repercussions of excess calories, you may keep your kitchen stocked with artificial sweeteners to add to your coffee, sweet sweets, and more. As it turns out, though, these sweeteners may not be as healthy as they seem. Contrary to popular belief, they may even be just as bad for you as refined sugar in the long run; experts say that although artificial sweeteners have fewer calories, they could still ultimately lead to weight gain for several reasons.
To learn more about the health effects of artificial sweeteners and why you especially may want to avoid them if you’re trying to lose weight, we spoke to registered dietitian and nutritionist Krutika Nanavati. She outlined a few of the risks at hand, from gut health issues to inflammation and more. Find it all below!
Health effects of artificial sweeteners
While you may think that artificial sweeteners make a healthy alternative with refined sugar (which certainly comes with its own fair share of health risks), Nanavati warns that they're not always the healthier option.
In fact, artificial sweeteners can negative impact your gut health and could ultimately result in weight gain.
"Artificial sweeteners have been linked to disruption of gut bacteria, which can affect metabolism," she warns. The health of your gut not only impacts your digestive system, but can also play a significant role in practically every area of your health (even your mental health), including your ability to lose weight.
Additionally, these sweeteners are highly inflammatory, which can also hold you back from your weight loss goals and disrupt your body's metabolic processes. "One of the most significant effects of artificial sweeteners is inflammation and weight gain," Nanavati says. "Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame are not absorbed well by the body, which leads to an increase in circulating toxins that can cause inflammation."
Believe it or not, she says that artificial sweeteners can even elevate your blood sugar levels, which is just another reason you may want to avoid them if you're trying to avoid weight gain. "By increasing the amount of glucose in the blood, these sweeteners can cause the body to store more fat, leading to an increase in weight," Nanavati explains. Yikes!
And to make matters even worse, artificial sweetness might cause you to crave more sweet stuff later on—which may even result in you eating actually sugar. And that's never a good thing while you're trying to lose weight.
The bottom line
While artificial sweeteners may seem like a healthy way to get your sweet fix, that's not necessarily the case. Instead, experts say it's best to stick to natural sweeteners such as monk fruit and stevia.
Ultimately, it's important to remember that many things can affect your ability to lose weight. However, making healthy swaps like this is one way get one step closer to your weight loss goals.
