So! You can’t win!

You first learn that sugars and refined carbohydrates may be the reason for your excess body fat. Now I tell you that sugar-free products are also a no-no?

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

Quite simply, the evidence is now to the contrary. Recent research has concluded that people who regularly drink sugar-free/”diet” beverages are just as likely to be obese as those who consume the 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 response similar to that required to process natural sugars.

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

Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, reported that total soft drink consumption was not only associated with overweight and obesity, but also obesity risk it was even higher in people who drank only diet soda. beverages In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all of the obesity risk from sodas came from diet sodas. There was a 41% increased risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soda a person consumed each day.

And then there is the matter of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are just that: artificial!

They are controversial, non-food products, typically man-made, that offer no nutritional value and have been linked to serious illness for quite some time. Despite the health problems associated with aspartame, saccharin, and others, there seems to be no let up in how quickly manufacturers can incorporate 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 discover that products that manufacturers claim to be healthy and promote weight loss are actually just the opposite, isn’t it? When can we expect honesty and transparency in food advertising?