The jury is still out on whether the sugar substitutes help in cutting down carbohydrates and calories in the diet and thereby reducing body mass. Dietitians also feel that people who substitute for sugar at one time may overcompensate with extra ‘treats’ later. It is difficult to tease out the benefits of sugar substitutes because it is dependent upon so many other factors such as where in the daily diet, the foods and drinks containing them fit into the overall eating pattern of each person.
All too often a person watching their weight and calories will select a sugar substitute beverage, only to later ‘reward’ themselves with a treat of even higher added sugar value. This may be psychologically satisfying at the time, but will do nothing to move that person toward a more ideal body shape because they end up adding more calories than they saved with the original sugar substitute idea. Only by dropping the added sugar entirely, can the benefits of the sugar substitute be realized. These additives do not add to blood-glucose levels and can give wider choice to diabetes patients.
The Diabesity Epidemic
Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent form of diabetes. It is a condition where the pancreas either does not make enough insulin or where the body does not take the insulin up. Diabetes can and often does lead to heart disease and stroke. The risk for diabetes patients is between 2 and 4 times greater than for healthy people. Diabetes is a massive problem in America today with almost 26 million people having the condition. Nearly a quarter of these are probably unaware they have it and almost 2 million new cases are diagnosed each year.
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