Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
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Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#2Interesting reading:
These data suggest that low-calorie sweetener consumption may deleteriously affect visceral fat deposition, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality.
Mechanisms for the association between low-calorie sweetener use and progressively rising prevalence of abdominal obesity remain unknown. One potential explanation derives from the physiology of the brain food reward system.
Therefore, individuals who consume low-calorie sweeteners may compensate by over-eating in order to experience the expected satiety. Another possible mechanism may involve the gut microbiome.
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#3Interesting reading: These data suggest that low-calorie sweetener consumption may deleteriously affect visceral fat deposition, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Mechanisms for the association between low-calorie sweetener use and progressively rising prevalence of abdominal obesity remain unknown. One potential explanation derives from the physiology of the brain food reward system. The…
Those two hypotheses are so radically different that until we figure it out it's like we know nothing :/
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#4Wouldn’t fatter people naturally try to switch over to low calorie sweetener in order to lose weight? whereas non fat people might just enjoy sugar instead?
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#5This seems incredibly weak because they haven't shown causation -- or, in particular, disproved reverse causation. (That people struggling with weight gain are more likely to use sugar substitutes.)
This is more of a "huh, someone should do additional research" paper than anything conclusive.
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#6Unless you can show that low calories sweeteners are directly responsible for weight gain; i.e. somehow the sweeteners affect how food is metabolized, fat is stored, etc., then these studies don't really say much other than people who are unable to control their appetites are unable to control their appetites.
Low calorie sweeteners are still a better option than sucrose with respect to flavoring.
In terms of annecdata, I've been trying to control my father's eating habits for years now (due to his numerous heart attacks and double bypass), and while I've not been completely successful, everything about my father's health has improved since he switched to diet pepsi from regular pepsi and since I got him to stop buying sugar for his coffee, convincing him to go with Stevia instead.
He still sneaks junk food, but that's not something that has changed. His blood sugar has decreased and his joint pains have improved.
To a certain extent, studies like this that make recommendations against recommendations seem irresponsible.
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#7This seems incredibly weak because they haven't shown causation -- or, in particular, disproved reverse causation. (That people struggling with weight gain are more likely to use sugar substitutes.) This is more of a "huh, someone should do additional research" paper than anything conclusive.
Came here to make exactly this point. It seems like the people already slim and petite are less likely to be drawn to such artificial additives, whereas many/most overweight people would at least be trying some "bare minimum" weight management through them.
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#8I pretty much live on this stuff. Huh, wonder if I should be dropping it altogether.
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#9Interesting reading: These data suggest that low-calorie sweetener consumption may deleteriously affect visceral fat deposition, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Mechanisms for the association between low-calorie sweetener use and progressively rising prevalence of abdominal obesity remain unknown. One potential explanation derives from the physiology of the brain food reward system. The…
Interesting, but unoriginal. I've known about both potential explanations for years, as well as the fact that switching to low calorie sweeteners does not seem to be a good way to lose weight.
Re: Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Risk of Abdominal Obesity Among Older Adults
#10I see this as, "What we thought was true actually is, and we still have no real idea why."
The fact that this is a longitudinal study lets us say that not only is heavier use of low calorie sweeteners tied to being fat, it is correlated with getting fatter faster. That's an important point that only longitudinal studies can verify.
However without being able to control people's diet, we don't know which way causation goes. Do low calorie sweeteners cause people to gain weight faster? Or does having a tendency towards gaining weight cause people to use low calorie sweeteners? And if it is a cause, why that would be.