| There are two crucial problems with low-carb | | | | ultimately, to weight gain. A provocative study by |
| diets, and they both concern the artificial | | | | Professor Terry Davidson and Associate |
| sweeteners so prevalent in the low carb diet | | | | Professor Susan Swithers, psychologists working |
| world. Both the sugar alcohols and sucralose | | | | at the Ingestive Behavior Research Center at |
| (Splenda) are threatening low-carb dieters with a | | | | Purdue University, suggests that artificial |
| whole host of new concerns. | | | | sweeteners disrupt the body\'s natural ability to |
| The sugar alcohols known as maltitol, xylitol, | | | | count calories. |
| sorbitol and mannitol are partially fermented | | | | In a study published in the July 2004 issue of the |
| substances that taste like sugar but are | | | | International Journal of Obesity, the researchers |
| metabolized in a very different way, which leads | | | | discovered that rats had a powerful response to |
| to major gas, hours-long bloating, and even | | | | sweetness. When they were given high-calorie |
| diarrhea in many people. | | | | sweet foods, they seemed able to regulate their |
| Mannitol is the worst culprit - it sits in the gut | | | | intake, apparently because of some kind of |
| longer than any other sugar alcohol. As a result, if | | | | internal calorie-counting mechanism that led them |
| you treat yourself to two or three low-carb | | | | to read sweet foods as more caloric. But, the |
| confectionary bars, you will have easily consumed | | | | researchers found, when rats were given foods |
| 20 grams or more of the stuff that can cause | | | | that had been artificially sweetened, the rodents |
| diarrhea. | | | | quickly learned that the sweet taste was no cue |
| The intestinal problems are bad enough. But | | | | to stop eating. |
| there\'s also a potential weight issue. Sugar | | | | Then, ten days later, the rats used to eating |
| alcohols are generally listed on the package as | | | | artificially sweetened food were given a chance to |
| having zero carb content. If your metabolism | | | | eat a high-calorie chocolate-flavored snack. If |
| cooperates, this may be true. But if you happen | | | | you\'ve ever overindulged in chocolate yourself, I |
| to be one of those people who metabolize sugar | | | | bet you can guess what happened. The \'artificially |
| alcohols differently, you may be getting more | | | | sweetened\' rats, used to eating as much sweet |
| carbs than you realise. If you\'re an | | | | stuff as they wanted, overate on the high-cal |
| insulin-resistant or otherwise carb-sensitive | | | | chocolate. |
| individual - a description that fits an estimated | | | | The control group - rats used to only naturally |
| third of the population - you\'ll find yourself piling | | | | sweetened foods - ate more moderately. |
| on the weight. | | | | Likewise, the rats seemed to have an internal |
| So if you\'re still counting carbs, you must read | | | | mechanism that led them to correlate viscosity - |
| the labels on low carb diet snacks that contain | | | | thickness - with calorie density. Rats given a kind |
| sugar alcohols very carefully. Divide the amount of | | | | of chocolate pudding seemed to gain less weight |
| sugar alcohol by 3 and add the result to your carb | | | | than those given a kind of chocolate milk, even |
| count. In other words, a \'low-carb\' or \'no-carb\' | | | | though both substances had the same number of |
| snack cake with 15 grams of sugar alcohol should | | | | calories. Apparently, the thickness of the |
| really be counted as having 5 grams of carbs. | | | | high-calorie food helped the first group of rats |
| But its not just the sugar alcohols that may | | | | count calories. Again, if you\'ve ever overdone it |
| threaten your weight. Sucralose is the sweetener | | | | with fizzy or other sweet drinks, you\'ll know just |
| of choice in every low-carb recipe book on the | | | | how those rats felt. |
| market today. It\'s used in every low-carb | | | | These results led the researchers to express |
| product where sugar alcohols aren\'t. As sucralose | | | | concern over the number of people consuming |
| is a chlorinated sugar derivative, I suspect that it | | | | sugar-free sweetened products, which, in |
| is related to our friends the chlorinated pesticides, | | | | America, rose from less than 70 million in 1987 to |
| a major source of xenoestrogens. | | | | more than 160 million in 2000. Over the same |
| We used to think that sucralose passed through | | | | period, the consumption of regular soft drinks |
| the system undigested, but now we know better. | | | | rose by 15 gallons per capita. |
| The latest estimates suggest that up to 40 per | | | | \'Increased consumption of artificial sweeteners |
| cent of the stuff is absorbed and probably stored | | | | and of high-calorie beverages is not the sole |
| - just like its xenoestrogen relatives - in your | | | | cause of obesity, but it may be a contributing |
| body fat. So my advice is Stay away from | | | | factor,\' Swithers commented. \'It could become |
| Splenda - and if you have been over consuming | | | | more of a factor as more people turn to artificial |
| artificially sweetened foods, consider following a | | | | sweeteners as a means of weight control and, at |
| detox diet in the near future. | | | | the same time, others consume more high-calorie |
| Other artificial sweeteners may also lead, | | | | beverages to satisfy their cravings. |