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In today's episode we're diving deep into the massive SWEET study on artificial sweeteners (S&SEs), which directly compared them to sugary drinks.
For years, observational studies raised serious concerns about health risks, including links to higher body weight and cardiovascular issues.
Drawing on the latest randomized controlled trial data, we explain the surprising findings on weight management: the S&SE group maintained 1.6 kg more weight loss than the sugar group after one year.
We also analyze the effects on the gut microbiome, noting an increase in beneficial SCFA-producing bacteria, although a shift toward methane-producing bacteria was also observed, possibly contributing to discomfort.
Crucially, the study found no adverse effects on metabolic markers like fasting glucose or insulin levels.
Dr. Stanfield provides a final verdict on whether artificially sweetened alternatives are a viable option for those trying to cut sugary drinks.
Sources:
1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01381-z
2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-023-01336-y
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11501561/
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9449855/
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0:00
Yeah,
0:01
welcome to another video of Foodn
0:03
Nourish Deep Dives, the video cast of
0:05
foodnnerish.net, where we explore topics
0:08
like health, food, supplements, and
0:10
alternative approaches to health and
0:12
wellness. Today, we're tackling a big
0:14
one, artificial sweeteners. It's a topic
0:16
that is just swimming in confusion and
0:18
conflicting advice, but we're going to
0:20
clear it all up. So, what's the deal?
0:23
Are these things a dieter's secret
0:24
weapon, or are they some kind of hidden
0:26
health trap just waiting to spring? It's
0:29
a question that has sparked so much
0:30
debate. But you know what? A major new
0:32
study is finally giving us some real
0:34
clarity. And the answers are probably
0:36
not what you're expecting. Let's dive
0:38
in. Okay, first things first. To really
0:41
get why this new study is such a big
0:43
deal, you have to understand why this
0:44
whole topic has been a giant puzzle for
0:46
years. It really comes down to this
0:48
clash between what seems like common
0:50
sense and what some studies were
0:52
actually finding. And this slide, this
0:54
is the heart of the confusion right
0:56
here. On one side, you've got simple
0:58
logic, right? You swap a sugary drink
1:00
for a zerocalorie one, you take in fewer
1:02
calories, you should lose weight. Makes
1:04
total sense. But then on the other side,
1:06
you had these big observational studies
1:08
that kept finding the complete opposite
1:11
that people who used more sweeteners
1:13
often had a higher body weight. How does
1:15
that work? It seems like a total
1:16
contradiction. So, what on earth could
1:19
be going on? Well, scientists were
1:21
scratching their heads and they came up
1:23
with a few main theories. Maybe it was
1:25
something called reverse causality. You
1:27
know, people who are already struggling
1:28
with their weight are just more likely
1:30
to use sweeteners in the first place. Or
1:32
maybe it's psychological. You have a
1:34
diet soda and then you think, "Hey, I
1:35
save some calories so I can have that
1:37
brownie." And then, of course, there
1:39
were the more biological ideas that
1:41
maybe sweeteners were messing with our
1:42
insulin or disrupting the good bacteria
1:44
in our gut. The confusion got so intense
1:47
that some researchers, as you can see
1:49
from this quote, actually started to
1:51
wonder out loud if swapping sugar for
1:53
sweeteners was a good recommendation at
1:55
all. This just goes to show how badly we
1:57
needed a better type of study to finally
1:59
get a straight answer. And that that
2:02
brings us to our high quality clue, the
2:04
new sweet study. Now, this is not just
2:07
another observational report. This is a
2:09
randomized controlled trial, an RCT.
2:12
That is the gold standard in this kind
2:14
of research. And it was designed
2:16
specifically to solve this puzzle. So,
2:18
here's how they did it, and it was
2:20
really clever. They used a two-phase
2:22
design. First, they put everyone on a
2:24
two-month diet to get some initial
2:26
weight loss. Then, for the next 10
2:28
months, they split them into two groups.
2:30
One group got a little bit of sugar each
2:32
day, and the other group got
2:33
artificially sweetened products instead.
2:35
The big question was, who would be
2:37
better at keeping the weight off a year
2:38
later? And the results, they were pretty
2:41
striking. After one full year, the group
2:44
that used artificial sweeteners had kept
2:46
off an extra 1.6 kg, that's about 3.5
2:49
pounds compared to the sugar group. So,
2:52
in a direct head-to-head competition,
2:54
the sweeteners were clearly more
2:55
effective for weight maintenance. But
2:57
wait, it gets even more interesting.
2:59
When the researchers zoomed in on the
3:01
people who stuck to the diet the most
3:03
strictly, the effect was way more
3:05
dramatic. That group kept off an extra
3:07
3.8 kg. That tells us that if you're
3:10
really consistent, the benefit could be
3:12
even bigger. Now, this study didn't stop
3:14
at weight. It also dug into some really
3:16
fascinating effects on our gut health.
3:18
And we'll get to that in just a second.
3:20
But first, a quick word. If you're on
3:21
your own health journey, a fantastic
3:23
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3:26
That's where you'll find all the latest
3:27
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3:29
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3:30
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3:33
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3:35
The link is right down there in the
3:37
description for you. Okay, so we've
3:39
established that sweeteners seem to help
3:40
with weight, but the sweet study went
3:42
deeper and it looked into one of those
3:44
theories we talked about before. How do
3:46
they affect our gut microbiome? And this
3:48
is where the story gets really, really
3:50
interesting. The study found that
3:52
sweeteners definitely did change the gut
3:54
bacteria, and it was well, it was kind
3:56
of a mixed bag. On the good side, there
3:58
was a boost in beneficial bacteria that
4:00
make something called short- chain fatty
4:01
acids. But on the other side, there was
4:03
also an increase in bacteria that
4:04
produce methane gas, which can lead to
4:06
uh some uncomfortable situations.
4:09
So why are these short- chain fatty
4:11
acids or SCFAs such a big deal? Well,
4:14
they are absolute rock stars for our
4:16
health. They can help our bodies burn
4:18
more energy. They make us feel fuller
4:20
after we eat. They reduce inflammation.
4:22
I mean, they might even help protect
4:24
against obesity and type 2 diabetes. So,
4:26
getting more of the bacteria that make
4:28
these, that is a huge win. And the other
4:31
part of that microbiome story, well,
4:33
this explains something a lot of people
4:35
anecdotally report. Some of the people
4:37
in the sweetener group mentioned having
4:39
more bloating and discomfort. And yep,
4:41
that increase in methane producing
4:42
bacteria is almost certainly why. So,
4:45
for some folks, it seems sweeteners can
4:47
be a little gassy. So, we know they can
4:49
help with weight and we know they have
4:51
this mixed effect on the gut. But what
4:53
about all those scary health warnings
4:55
we've heard about from older studies?
4:57
This is where the sweet study provides
4:59
some serious reassurance by telling us
5:01
what it didn't find. This is a massive
5:04
takeaway. Despite all the fears and
5:06
worries, this really welldone year-long
5:08
study found zero negative impact on
5:11
major health markers. We're talking
5:13
blood sugar, insulin, LDL cholesterol,
5:16
blood pressure. None of them were made
5:18
worse. Those scary metabolic effects
5:20
that people were concerned about, they
5:22
just didn't show up. Now, of course, no
5:25
study is perfect and we always want a
5:27
balanced view. So, we got to look at the
5:28
limitations. The great news is that this
5:30
was funded by a European Union grant,
5:32
not by the sweetener industry. That's a
5:34
huge plus. On the other hand, a few of
5:36
the researchers did have some industry
5:38
ties. The study also had the tough luck
5:40
of running during the CO 19 pandemic,
5:42
which created a lot of challenges and
5:43
led to a pretty high dropout rate of
5:45
40%.
5:47
Okay, a single study, no matter how
5:49
good, is never the final word in
5:51
science. So, for our last step, let's
5:53
put these findings into the bigger
5:55
picture and see how they line up with
5:57
other top quality research. And this is
5:59
where things get truly mind-blowing.
6:02
There was another year-long RCT that
6:04
compared artificially sweetened drinks
6:05
directly to plain water for weight
6:08
maintenance. You'd think water would
6:09
win, no question. But unbelievably, the
6:12
sweetener group maintains significantly
6:14
more weight loss. We're talking more
6:16
than double. How is that even possible?
6:19
Well, the researchers figure it's all
6:21
about psychology. When the water group
6:23
gave up all sweetness in their drinks,
6:25
they might have subconsciously gone
6:27
looking for that sweet taste in other
6:28
foods, which ended up making them eat
6:30
more calories overall. The human mind is
6:33
a funny thing, isn't it? So, when you
6:35
put all the best evidence together,
6:37
what's the bottom line? The picture
6:39
actually becomes incredibly clear.
6:41
Sugary drinks are packed with calories
6:43
and have clear metabolic risks.
6:45
Artificially sweetened drinks, on the
6:47
other hand, seem to be a genuinely
6:49
helpful tool for maintaining weight
6:50
loss, and they don't carry those same
6:52
metabolic risks that we see in these
6:53
rigorous trials. It looks like they are
6:56
a very viable alternative for anyone
6:58
trying to cut back on sugar. So,
7:00
ultimately, this whole journey has been
7:02
about moving from a state of confusion
7:03
to one of clarity. The best evidence we
7:06
have right now points to the idea that
7:07
for people who are trying to ditch a
7:09
shupy drink habit, switching to a zero
7:11
sugar option can be a really helpful
7:13
positive step. Which leaves the final
7:15
question for you to think about with
7:17
this evidence in hand. What role, if
7:19
any, will sweeteners play in your diet?
7:21
I really hope this has cleared up a
7:22
pretty tricky topic for you. If you want
7:24
to dig even deeper, we've put links to
7:25
the resource articles in the episode's
7:27
description below. If you found this
7:29
useful, please do us a favor and like
7:30
the video. It really helps us grow our
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channel and continue delivering these
7:33
deep dives. And of course, subscribe so
7:35
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7:37
for joining us.
7:42
[Music]
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