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Artificial Sweetners May Cause Type II Diabetes in Some
By Mark Schauss | May 10, 2010
My favorite science journal has to be Science News. It comes bi-weekly and it delivers synopsis of recent scientific findings in an easy to read manner. I’ve been getting it since 1984 and love it.
A recent (March 27, 2010) article entitled Stomach’s Sweet Tooth, talks about recent finding that show that not only does the tongue have taste buds but our gut does as well. So how would this affect blood sugar regulation? Well it turns out that when the gut taste cells run across an artificial sweetner (or any sweet substance) it notifies the pancreas to get ready to produce insulin. As the article states, “Diet drinks are often enjoyed without food, which means the gut may be preparing for fuel that never arrives.” We know that overproduction of insulin can strain the pancreas to the point that it begins to fail and you develop Type II diabetes.
Turns out there have been three studies that found a association between diet soda intake and Type II diabetes, on in Circulation in 2008. Another great quote from Science News is at the end of the article, “So beware those little white lies. Thousands of years of evolution have yielded a finely tuned digestive machine, one that recognizes incoming energy and knows how to make the most of it. These intricate chains of events evolved during a time when that sweet zing reliably indicated food rich in valuable calories. And for thousands of years, the gut reacted appropriately.
Perhaps the adage “trust your gut” should be accompanied with another edict: “Tell it no lies.””
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Topics: Food, Health | No Comments »