To date, sweeteners are widely known, which is increasing every year.
Some people use them for medical reasons (for diabetes), while others use these supplements to reduce weight.
Moreover, sometimes sweeteners are added to your diet and simply because a person refuses to use traditional sugar, because he knows about its negative impact on health. On the benefits and harms of sweeteners - later in the article.
Sweeteners: benefits, history and types
Sweeteners were first discovered by chance. This was done by a chemist who tasted sulfamibenzoic acid and revealed that it has a very pleasant, sweet aftertaste. After that, the first saccharin was withdrawn. It became especially popular during the First World War, when the deficit of regular sugar was more than noticeable.
Today, there are many types of sweeteners on sale.
All of them are divided into two large groups:
1. Sweeteners that are made exclusively from natural substances.
2. Sweeteners that are made from artificial raw materials.
Natural sweeteners (fructose, xylitol, sorbitol, etc.) are made from natural ingredients. Their main disadvantage is that they are very high-calorie, so if you take too many doses of such supplements, you risk getting extra pounds.
In addition, natural sweeteners quite often cause unwanted side effects and can actually provoke the development of a number of diseases.
It is also worth noting that there is only one natural sweetener that is absolutely safe for human health. It is called stevia.
With regular use of stevia, it not only does not worsen a person’s well-being, but his immune system is also strengthened, blood pressure is normalized, the activity of pathogenic bacteria is suppressed, and stevia helps to rejuvenate the epidermis.
This substance is made from a plant of the same name.
Interesting! The stevia plant can be grown at home on its own.
Synthetic sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, suclamate, etc.) are made from artificial mixtures and additives. According to scientists, they are more dangerous than natural sweeteners. Their only advantage is that they are less calorie.
Despite this, artificial sweeteners (if consumed in large quantities) can cause a number of dangerous diseases in humans, so with their admission and selection you need to be extremely careful.
For this reason, before you start using this or that sweetener, scientists recommend that you first consult with a gastroenterologist, nutritionist and also an endocrinologist. These experts will help a person choose exactly the supplement that is best suited in each case, depending on the state of health and the person’s testimony.
It’s also important to say that, despite being low in calories, it is synthetic sweeteners that often lead to rapid weight gain. This is justified by the fact that when such a substance enters the blood, insulin begins to be produced in the body, which leads to a drop in sugar level. In this state, the body prepares for the processing of carbohydrates, but does not receive them.
Thus, with the subsequent intake of synthetic sweetener, the body will produce more insulin, and create a reserve of fat mass "for later".
Sweeteners: harm and features
The most commonly used sweeteners are:
1. Fructose. She is loved by many for the fact that in terms of richness of taste it practically does not differ from ordinary sugar. Moreover, to give the dish sweetness, it needs to be used less than sugar. Fructose is also allowed for people suffering from diabetes, which is its undeniable advantage.
Fructose is made from honey, nectar and fruits. In terms of sweetness, it is almost twice as high as sugar, but at the same time, its calorie level is thirty percent lower.
A fructose deficiency is considered to be that it can cause heart disease, as well as negatively displayed on the weight of a person who consumes it in large quantities. To prevent this, no more than 25 g of fructose can be consumed per day.
2. Sorbitol is a natural sweetener that is extracted mainly from apricot and mountain ash. Most often it is used by diabetics.
Compared to regular sugar, sorbitol is three times less sweet, however, in terms of caloric value it is not inferior to it.
The advantage of sorbitol is that it helps foods stay fresh for a long time. The harm of this substance lies in the high calorie content and also the risk of indigestion.
Up to 40 g of sorbitol can be consumed per day.
3. Xylitol. It is also allowed for diabetics, but if you want to lose weight, it will not help, since it is very caloric.
With an overdose of xylitol, a person may develop an upset stomach. The optimal daily dose is 40 g.
4. Saccharin. As a rule, it is available in the form of tablets. Saccharin is several times sweeter than traditional white sugar, but it is also considered low-calorie.
With saccharin, you can really put your figure in order and permanently get rid of annoying extra pounds.
The negative side of saccharin is its negative effect on the human stomach, which is why in some countries it is simply prohibited. The optimal daily dose of saccharin is 0.2 g.
5. Aspartame. It is often used by confectioners to add sweetness to their products. Aspartame itself is much sweeter than traditional white sugar. It is available in tablet form with a clear dosage.
The advantage of aspartame is that it is low in calories. Less - aspartame deteriorates at high temperature, causes nausea, loss of appetite, allergies and depression. It is considered the most harmful sweetener.
The daily normalized dose of such a sweetener is 3 g.
The use of sweeteners and how they can be replaced
If you want to eat sweet food, but without sweeteners, experts advise using regular honey. It needs very little to give the dish the necessary sweet taste. Moreover, honey is not only tasty, but also very healthy, because it contains many essential substances. Also, honey has a beneficial effect on the immune system, mood and sleep of a person.
With diabetes, you can also use maple syrup. It contains some sucrose and monosaccharides. Moreover, from maple syrup you can get good solid sugar.
It is important to know that even if you use sweeteners for a diet or to reduce weight, you need to know the measure in everything, because otherwise, unwanted complications cannot be avoided.
Moreover, it is also worth considering the fact that sweeteners are often added to yoghurts, bars and sports nutrition, so a person may not know that he consumes more sweeteners than he needs. For this reason, you should be extremely attentive to those products that are contained in your regular diet.
