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That sweet it is a primary taste possessed since birth, which varies with age and decreases with the passing of the years. In recent times, research has led to the synthesis of numerous sweeteners which can be used as an alternative to sugar by those who, for whatever reason, cannot consume it. Among them, people who follow one definitely appear Slimming diet in the belief of losing more body weight.
The most common sweeteners
Based on their origin, sweeteners can be divided into:
NATURAL. Among these, the fructose (levulose), a monosaccharide normally contained in fruit which is absolutely harmless, but which must be used with caution in people with impaired renal function and severe liver problems. Also included are dextrose, honey, starch syrups and sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol. The latter have a sweetening power equal to or slightly higher than sucrose, but generally they are not cariogenic and are therefore used in products such as candies or “sugar-free” chewing-gum.
SEMI-SYNTHETIC, how aspartame. It is currently the best known sweetener and is used for its high sweetening power (about 200 times greater than sucrose) and for the absence of bitter aftertaste. It is not cariogenic and does not affect blood sugar.
SYNTHETICS, such as saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame.
All of these compounds, having a calorific value lower than that of sugars and, being less fermentable, they have been used instead of common sugar to make some low-calorie foods. Those artificially produced are then equipped with a very strong sweetening power (from 30 to 500 times higher than that of sugar) and are used to sweeten low-calorie foods and drinks, as they are practically devoid of caloric value.
Non-dangerous foods, as the experts of Crea underline in the most recent ones Guidelines for healthy eating. In particular, experts point out that there is no evidence that aspartame is carcinogenic in the quantities commonly consumed. The daily amount considered acceptable for humans is 40mg / kg of body weight.
Indispensable when on a diet?
In the recent Guidelines for a healthy diet we read that the consumption of substitutes for sugar, even if it has now entered into current use, it is not essential at all, even in cases where low-calorie diets are followed for weight reduction. In fact, the use of sweeteners is not enough, alone, to cause susceptibility weight reductions body if you do not simultaneously decrease the total amount of calories introduced with the diet and if you do not increase the level of physical activity.
Beware of compensatory behaviors
According to a review of studies on the subject, published by University of South Australia in the Current Atherosclerosis Reports magazine, the use of sweeteners could then even obtain the opposite effect to that desired, making increase the weight compared to those who do not use them. The lead author of the analysis, Peter Clifton, has explained that, among the researches analyzed, there is the one conducted in the United States on more than 5 thousand people followed for seven years from which it emerged that those who used many sweeteners he had gained more weight of the others. “Consumers of these products don’t actually reduce their overall sugar intake. In fact – explains Clifton – they use both normal and artificial ones, and they may have the conviction that they can indulge in your favorite foodsthe. Furthermore, sweeteners change the intestinal flora, and this could be linked to weight gain and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes“.
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