Image from SugarStack.com; This picture represents how the sugars literally stack up, gram for gram.
A healthy daily amount of calories measures your carbohydrate intake. This is because when carbohydrates travel the bloodstream, they turn directly into sugar. As a result, your carbohydrate levels are your sugar levels. Therefore, if you take too much sugar, it is not good for your health. Sugar does not have any minerals or vitamins. Many studies have shown the extremely dangerous effects of high intakes of sugar.
Why is Real Sugar bad?
The most typical issue regarding the intake of sugar is tooth decay. A lot of studies have shown that too much sugar also causes an increase of insulin in the bloodstream which results in diabetes. Another factor why we should avoid taking sugar is because it has the most substantial effects on people leading to access weight and obesity. Moreover, sugar and vitamin C compete for the occupation of your white blood cells. Therefore, the more sugar in your body, the harder it will be vitamin C to do its job and the weaker your immune system will be.
So, should we use Artificial Sweetener instead?
If you’re trying to reduce the sugar and calories in your diet, you may be turning to artificial sweeteners or other sugar substitutes. The popularity of artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes is on the rise as manufacturers and consumers seek lower calorie alternatives to regular white sugar without sacrificing sweetness.
Today, artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages marketed as “sugar-free” or “diet,” including soft drinks, jellies, candies, fruit juice and ice cream.
What are the artificial sweeteners?
Image of Saccharin (Sweet'N Low) from everydayhealth.com
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar. For example, Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), Neotame, Saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet’N Low), Sucralose (Splenda) are approved and known kinds of sweetener.
What are possible health benefits of artificial sweeteners?
Unlike sugar, artificial sweeteners do not contribute to tooth decay and also do not raise blood sugar levels since they are not carbohydrates. The most appealing aspects of artificial sweeteners are that they are non-nutritive which means they have no calories.
However in June 29, 2004, professor Terry Davidson and associate professor Susan Swithers, both in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University found that increasing numbers of people lack the natural ability to manage body weight because artificial sweeteners disrupt the body’s natural ability to regulate calories based on food’s sweetness.Take a look at this video now.
Which one would you prefer?
I would recommend none of the above. If you really want sweetness then take honey instead!
References
Everydayhealth:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes-pictures/sugar-substitutes-for-diabetes.aspx#/slide-3
Study done at Purdue:
http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/2004/040629.Swithers.research.html
Pros and cons of Sugar:
http://www.advancedphysicalmedicine.org/blog/2010/09/21/182pros-and-cons-of-sugar-in-your-diet/
