Do Artificial Sweeteners Inhibit Fat Loss?
Do artificial sweeteners help, inhibit, or have no effect on weight loss and fat loss? Aren't they a better alternative to sugar?
Yes; Artificial Sweeteners Do Interfere With Fat Loss
This question recently came up with two of my clients, one male and one female, as a result of their body fat scores. In one case, the female made significant progress in all areas of her body but in the ones that she originally came to me for – her legs. In the case of the male: he lost significant body fat, but still had problems with fat around the waist, and on his back. Both times, the clients did everything correctly except for one thing: they had significant sources of artificial sweeteners in their diet.
How Artificial Sweeteners Interfere With Getting Lean
Artificial sweeteners are, at the heart of everything, chemicals. Most of them were actually discovered accidentally, when chemists were in the process of inventing better fertilizers or pesticides, and inadvertently tasted the chemicals they were working with, and found them to be sweet. A few bucks later, lo and behold, a chemical that tasted like sugar without the calories was patented, and artificial sweeteners were born.
Artificial Sweeteners Spike Insulin and Interfere with Normal Sugar Metabolism
Artificial sweeteners, as new molecules, have never existed before in the world. As such, when they are ingested, your body has no idea what to do with them to break them down and metabolize them.
In their whole state, artificial sweeteners become potent endocrine disruptors. They spike insulin, and make the metabolization of regular sugars more difficult. These two issues lead to an increase in fat deposition on the supra-iliac (love handle) and sub-scapular (upper back) areas. These problems lead to increases in stress in the body.
