Myth of healthy eating 2: Sugar-free foods and drinks help you lose weight

Myth of healthy eating 2: Sugar-free foods and drinks help you lose weight

With it! You can't win!

First, learn that sugar and refined carbohydrates can be a reason for your excess body fat. Now I'm telling you that sugar-free products are also a no-no?

How can this be when the food industry has been telling us for years that diet sodas, sugar-free drinks and low-calorie drinks are the solution to healthy weight loss? The shelves are stacked with these products!

Quite simply, the evidence is now the opposite. Recent research has found that people who regularly drink sugar-free/"diet" drinks are just as likely to be obese as those who consume full-sugar alternatives. It appears that when your brain registers the sweet taste of the artificial sweeteners contained in such products, it triggers a biochemical reaction similar to that required to process natural sugars.

An independent study by researchers at the Framingham Heart Study in Massachusetts showed results indicating that diet soda consumption is correlated with increased metabolic syndrome [abnormal response and ineffectiveness of insulin on blood glucose]. Of the 9,000 men and women studied, 4,320 had a higher risk of weight gain and elevated blood sugar.

Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, reported that not only was all soft drink consumption linked to overweight and obesity, but the risk of obesity was even higher among people who drank only soft diet drinks. In fact, when the researchers looked closer at their data, they found that almost all of the risk of obesity from soft drinks came from diet sodas. The risk of becoming overweight increased by 41% for each can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumed daily.

And then there is the problem of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are just that – artificial!

These are controversial non-food products that are usually man-made, offer no nutritional value and have long been linked to serious illnesses. Despite health concerns surrounding aspartame, saccharin, and others, there doesn't seem to be any letup in how quickly manufacturers can add them into our diets.

A preliminary study by Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami linked daily diet soda consumption to a 61% higher incidence of "vascular events" such as strokes and heart attacks.

Once again, it's really shocking to find that products that manufacturers claim are healthy and promote weight loss are just the opposite, isn't it? When can we expect honesty and transparency in food advertising?