American expert: Sugar substitutes better for diabetics and to lose weight

It's easy to get confused while walking around the grocery store because of the many brands and health claims on dozens of sugar substitutes. This may be particularly confusing for diabetics and those who are prone to infection who must maintain their weight and keep their blood sugar under control.

In his article in Newsweek, Jimmy Beetleck wrote that there is growing awareness of the use of added sugars in foods as diabetes and obesity increase.

The latest edition of the US Dietary Guidelines advises that the added sugar content is less than 10 percent of the calories used, because added sugars increase sweetness or flavor, but add little nutritional value to the food.

Because of this trend in reducing the use of added sugars, the food industry has embarked on a mission to find or develop an ideal alternative to sugar that has the same taste but without the calories that lead to weight gain when consumed.

"As a certified diabetes specialist, I talk with my patients every day about my blood sugar, ways to control it, and they usually ask me if the ideal alternative to sugar has been found, and I do not," said Beetleck. Long answer ".

Two types
Sugar substitutes can be classified into two main groups: sugar alcohols and high intensity sweeteners. Sugar alcohols include sorbitol, lactetol, zeolitol, mannitol, erythritol and maltitol.

High-density sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame and potassium asisulfam, as well as sucralose, nautami and advantami. It also contains stevia and the fruit extract of Serettia grospinori, known as the monk fruit.

Sugar alcohols are usually included in toothpaste, chewing gum and some "sugar-free" foods. Sugar alcohols are sugar-like carbohydrates, have a sweeter taste of sugar of 25% to 100%, and have the same taste. But the secret is that sugar alkaloids do not lack calories, most of which contain between 1.5 and 2 calories per gram.

If we compare this to the number of calories per sugar, also known as sucrose, we find that each gram of sugar is equal to 4 calories, equivalent to twice the calories of sugar alcohols.

Although sugary alcohols contain lower calories, these alcohols still cause a high blood sugar level, especially if treated excessively. But this effect is less severe compared with the effect of sugar, and this is due to the way these molecules are treated in the body. This process is measured using the blood glucose index.

The blood glucose index is a reference to how fast food is broken and absorbed. The larger the number, the faster the food would break down, and the faster blood sugar would get. Sucrose has a blood sugar index of 65, while sugary alcohols such as zyllitol have an index of about 7, which means that digestion of sugar alcohols is more difficult and causes slower and lower blood sugar levels after eating food, which is better for people with diabetes.

But if you consume a lot of sugar alcohols, the person may complain of digestive problems such as gas, cramping and diarrhea.

As for the negatives of food products containing sugar alcohols, they contain higher amounts of fat or salts to compensate for low sugar content.

Industrial sweeteners and high density sweeteners
High-density sweeteners are low-calorie alternatives or low-calorie alternatives. They are made up of multiple sources and have a taste of 100 to 20 thousand times sweeter than regular sugar, but some may leave a bitter or metallic taste after ingestion.

The two new variants of sugar, stevia and the fruit extract of Serettia Grosfinori (monk fruit) are from plants, and are usually referred to as "natural" alternatives.

According to the 2019 American Diabetes Association guidelines, the use of high-density sweeteners may reduce the intake of carbohydrates and calories. However, you can not replace these calorie-free foods with calories from other sources of food, as you will lose the benefits of weight loss and the benefits of controlling your blood sugar.

Researchers have observed this in some studies of high density sweeteners and some studies have shown no difference or any possible increase in weight. But in other studies where the ration was more organized and those who replaced these calorie-free foods with other high-calorie foods, weight loss was maintained.

Conclusion
All sugar substitutes are classified as food additives and are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. The recent cry was to label some sugars as extracted from plants, or as natural, but that does not mean they are safe to use or better to maintain blood sugar or lose weight. If used frequently, it may produce negative symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea.

High-density sweeteners, saccharin, aspartame and cancer have raised concern among researchers. But so far, the National Cancer Institute has concluded that there is no clear evidence that the use of these localities is linked to an increased risk of cancer.

As a pharmacist who specializes in advanced diabetes, there are three basic ways to control blood sugar: taking medication, increasing activity, and following a diet. The latter two are more important in the long term.

If a diet is not followed and activity is not changed, it is difficult to help patients reduce their blood sugar, as they will be asked to take more drugs, and this comes with a risk of the possibility of side effects.

So if I can convince patients to make changes in their diet, such as replacing a drink with an alternative to sugar, it will make a big difference in helping them control blood sugar levels and control the dosage of drugs.