Why is there a need to consume less sugar and calories?

Sugary foods are loaded with calories and are known to have a detrimental effect on the body. From higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain to diabetes and fatty liver disease, an excess of sweetened foods and beverages can cause chronic health conditions. This is why experts recommend switching to healthier sugar alternatives or resorting to diet drinks that are said to have minimal health effect. Some nutritionists go as far as to recommend diet coke as a replacement to curb cravings. But the question remains whether these artificially sweetened diet beverages are healthy or better for your body? A recent study says no and has warned against consuming these alternatives.

About the study

According to a new study, published in JCI Insight, consuming artificial sweeteners as a teenager can lead to long-term memory problems in the future. In addition, it was found that the sweeteners slowed down the metabolism, leading to an increased risk of diabetes.

The US researchers also said that sweeteners could make the taste buds less sensitive to sugar, which could further increase the urge to consume more sugary drinks and foods just for taste sake.

“While our findings do not necessarily indicate that someone should not consume low-calorie sweeteners in general, they do highlight that habitual low-calorie sweetener consumption during early life may have unintended, long-lasting impacts," says study co-author Professor Scott Kanoski of University of Southern California.

Increased risk of memory loss

One of the most worrisome conclusions of the study suggested that diet drinks and sweeteners can affect brain functions and increase the risk of memory loss.

During the study, the team of researchers gave rats water sweetened with several different low-calorie sugar substitutes, including saccharin, ACE-K, and stevia. Another group of rat were given water to drink with food.

In the following month, the rats became adults and study researchers assessed their memory using two different tests.

It was found that the group of rats that drank sweetened beverages while growing up had difficulty in passing the memory test, whereas the group of rats who drank water were more efficient at passing the test.

As per the researchers, the rats were given levels of sweetener which fell within "acceptable daily intake levels" and were also given "only a single sweetener." This was to make sure that the study was as realistic as possible and to determine an acceptable amount of sweetener one can have.

Does it atleast support weight loss? Some experts say no

Many people avoid sugar and switch to diet beverages so as to lose weight and maintain it.

However, another study conducted by a team of Canadian researchers found that artificial sweeteners may be making people fat.

The researchers evaluated 37 studies involving more than 400,000 people over an average of ten years.

Surprisingly, the study authors found no consistent effect of artificial sweeteners on weight loss. On the contrary, it was said to harm the metabolism, which rather promotes weight gain than weight loss.

Water is your best friend

All in all, water should be your go-to drink when it comes to losing weight or keeping illnesses at bay.

Drinking 2.7 liters of water everyday not only keeps you hydrated, but also maintains high satiety levels, reducing calorie intake. Sugary drinks, artificially sweetened beverages do not stand a chance against this zero-calorie drink, which is why one must switch to drinking water rather than unhealthy drinks.