Thursday, November 4, 2010

Put Down That Diet Pepsi! Here's The Bad News!

Effect of Diet Drinks and Artificial Sweeteners on Insulin Release and Appetite Control

http://www.suite101.com/content/obesity-the-pivotal-role-of-insulin-a253582

Most people consume diet sodas and artificial sweeteners because they are calorie-free. It is widely assumed that consumption of diet drinks would support strategies for reducing fat and body weight. Some people consume higher volumes of the dietary drinks compared to the volume they would normally consume from the non-dietary counterparts because it is assumed that no calorie is being added to the body. Concerns about the validity of this assumption are in focus again.

This assumption has been challenged by reports that insulin release was stimulated by artificial sweeteners [1,2 ]; and by the continued association of the consumption of artificial sweeteners and diet sodas with obesity and various metabolic disorders [3,4] Reports also showed that the appetite control mechanism was adversely affected by the artificial sweeteners [3,4,56], and increased food consumption resulted [3,,4,5,6,8]. This interference with the appetite control mechanism can lead to increased fat synthesis and obesity. The data from these studies suggest that consumption of diet sodas can undermine the strategies for body fat reduction.
Read on

The Mistake of Counting Calories in the Diet Sodas

The main conclusion from the above studies is that the potential effect of diet sodas on body weight and obesity is better reflected by effect of the diet sodas on the metabolic machinery. The caloric value of a sweetener is an invalid parameter for this determination. Additional studies, however, are necessary to strengthen these data. One of the key points that should be addressed is to compare the potency of glucose with that of the other sweeteners in inhibiting fat degradation and raising the body fat level. The data (normalized for the usual amounts of sweetener consumed) would enable the consumers to make informed choices about the sweeteners.

A second, and more important point, is to determine if artificial sweeteners can stimulate the release of insulin and inhibit fat degradation in conditions, such as starvation, where the body's fuels for energy metabolism are markedly lowered. To facilitate the synthesis of fat, artificial sweeteners would have to over-ride starvation-induced changes that accelerate the degradation of fat, such as increased stimulation of hormone sensitive lipase by epinephrine. The role of artificial sweeteners in supporting obesity would become clearer if they can support the synthesis of fat during starvation.

References:

1.Cellular Signaling. Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Insulin Release and Cation Fluxes in Rat Pancreatic Islets. Malaisse, W. J., Vanoonderbergen, H., Louchami, K.,Jijaki, H. and Maalaisse, F. 10: 10, 1998.

2.Hormone Metab. Res. The Effects of Sweeteners on Insulin Secretion. 1. Effect of Acesulfame-K on Insulin Secretion in the Rat Studies (In-vivo). 19: 6, 1987.

3.Physiol. Behav. A Role for Sweet Taste: Calorie Predictive Relations in Energy Regulation by Rats. Swithers, S. E., and Davidson, T. L. 100: 1, 2010.

4.Behav. Neurobiosci. High Intensity Sweeteners and Energy Balance. Swithers, S. E., and Davidson, T. L. 122: 1, 2008.

5.Behav. Neurobiosci. General and Persistent Effects of High Intensity Sweeteners on Body Weight Gain and Calorie Compensation in Rats. Swithers, S. E., Bakar, C. R., Davidson, T. L. 123: 4, 2009.

6. Physiol. Behav. Effect of Sweetness and Energy in Drinks on Food Intake following Exercise. King, N. A., Appleton, K., Rogers, P. and Bindell, J. E. 66: 2, 1999.
Copyright Michael Onwochei. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.


Read more at Suite101: Role of Insulin and Diet Drinks on Obesity http://www.suite101.com/content/obesity-the-pivotal-role-of-insulin-a253582#ixzz14Ld3y08N

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Exercise:

One hour plus . . . waterfront trail on the cruise bike. Steady, brisk pace, I pushed up to the edge on the glycogen stores. Getting the "rubbery bike legs" when I'm done. This is about the right duration for now.

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