TRUTH ABOUT “ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS”

Good new for diabetic when you're trying to reduce the sugar and calories in your diet, you may be turning to artificial sweeteners or other sugar substitutes. You aren't alone. The popularity of artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes is on the rise as manufacturers and consumers seek lower calorie alternatives to regular white sugar without sacrificing sweetness.

Today, artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages marketed as "sugar-free" or "diet," including soft drinks, chewing gum, jellies, baked goods, candy, fruit juice and ice cream. In addition, other sugar substitutes are being touted as healthier sweeteners than regular sugar, even if they don't have fewer calories, such as honey and jaggery.

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar. In addition, you need only a fraction compared with the amount of regular sugar you would normally use for sweetness. Some artificial sweeteners may leave an aftertaste.

Alternate sweeteners can be classified as nutritive and non-nutritive.
Nutritive sweeteners contribute energy, whereas on-nutritive sweeteners do not.

Nutritive sweeteners apart from sugar, jaggery and honey include fructose, corn syrup, refined sugars, lactose, glucose, dextrose, concentrated fruit juices.









Non- nutritive sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame –K and sucralose offer no energy but as they sweeten with little volume are also referred to as high intensity sweeteners.


People who are weight conscious moved to diet drinks, diabetic sweets, jams and use sweetener for all their beverages and fruit juices. But now the studies are showing a correlation between use of artificial sweeteners and weight gain over a time period; this is due to how complex our body regulation of calories and other nutrients works. Because of misconception about artificial sweetener people think it is calorie free and tends to take in excess which leads to weight gain rather than weight loss. One thing for sure though that it doesn’t help with weight loss.












Artificial sweeteners tend to habituate our taste buds to an extent where it starts to demand more intense sweet flavors to please itself.


Artificial sweeteners may be a good alternative to sugar if you have diabetes. Unlike sugar, artificial sweeteners generally don't raise blood sugar levels because they are not carbohydrates

The FDA has also established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for each artificial sweetener. Moderate consumption of these sweeteners as a tabletop sweetener can be recommended.

Anti Obesity Day

Anti-Obesity Day is observed all over India on November 26th, 2010. The initiative seeks to spread the word about the dangers of obesity and the steps to take to cut the flab and stay fit.

Sheela Paul, Aruna & Manonmani



Obesity, it is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount body fat. A certain amount of body fat is necessary for storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions. The normal amount of body fat (expressed as percentage of body fat) is between 25%-30% in women and 18%-23% in men. Women with over 30% body fat and men with over 25% body fat are considered obese.

Know your Body mass index:

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2).


Source: Adapted from WHO, 1995, WHO, 2000 and WHO 2004.

Another best way to predict your obesity is measuring waist hip ratio for women 80cm and men 95cm. this can be easily measured with the help of an inch tape. Waist Hip Ratio is calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement.


Best Waist-Hip Ratio for
- Men → 0.95 or less
- Women → 0.8 or less.

Causes of obesity

* Genetics
* Obesity and over-weight are caused by a chronic imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.
* High intake of dietary fat also causes obesity.
* Poor exercise and sedentary lifestyle are the main causes for obesity.
* Complex behavior and psychological factors also cause over-eating and thus lead to obesity.
* Disease & Hormones
* Metabolic errors in energy utilization may favour fat accumulation.
* Obesity in childhood and adolescence can lead to adult obesity


Risk factors associated with obesity

Being overweight or Obese the risk of myriad diseases & health conditions, including the following:
* Hypertension
* Dyslipidemia
* Type2 diabetes
* Coronary Heart Disease
* Stroke
* Gall Bladder Disease
* Osteoarthritis
* Sleep apnea & Respiratory problems
* Cancers (endometrial, Breast & Colon)


Dieting and Physical exercise are the mainstays of treatment for obesity



* Reducing calories is required for weight loss. Cutting only 100 extra calories a day from one's diet will lead to a weight loss of 5 kgs in a year, while cutting 500 calories a day will lead to a loss of 10 -12 kgs in a year.
* The combination of a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity will lead to better weight loss than either one done separately.
* Physical activity and exercise help burn calories (depends on the type, duration, and intensity of the activity).

Balance your intake and energy output


Healthy tips to Reduce Weight

* Eat less fried foods.
* Eat more fruits and vegetables.
* Eat more fiber rich food items like whole grains, grams and sprouts.
* Do regular exercise or keep the body weight within normal limits.
* Slow and steady reduction in body weight is advised.
* Severe fasting may lead to health hazards.
* Enjoy a variety of foods needed to balance your physical activity.
* Eat small meals regularly at frequent intervals.
* Cut down sugar, fatty foods and alcohol.
* Use low-fat milk.
* Weight reducing diet must be in rich in protein and low in carbohydrate and fat.

CHILDHOOD OBESITY

There is alarming increase in the number of children and adolescents developing Type-2 Diabetes (also termed as adult-onset diabetes) due to being overweight. Kids spending more time watching TV and eating a wide variety of fattening snack that have no nutritional value. These serious health problems can be life-threatening, physically uncomfortable or painful, and of course, downright depressing. A child that is overweight will likely be overweight as an adult.












Healthy habits start at home. The best way to fight and prevent childhood obesity and weight problems is to get the whole family on a healthier track. Making better food choices and becoming more active will benefit everyone, regardless of weight. And with the whole family involved, it will be much easier for your overweight child to make lasting changes.

“Obesity does not have to ruin your life; proper exercise and diet can overcome it”. Today is as good day to start reducing your weight.