I read an article that makes the statement that artificial sweeteners have been linked to increased waist circumference, increased appetite and increased vascular events. Does anyone have additional any information to back this up? I only add artificial sweetener now to coffee, but it is also in my Water Enhancer, which I drink a lot of every day. I will be weaning myself off of the water enhancers because of these health links. Please share what you know or have experience with.

That's what I've always heard too. I use truvia in my coffee.

Yes, I have heard that about artificial sweeteners...they say our bodies don't know how to process....going back to how our ancestors lived and ate, no such things existed, and so our bodies are "tricked" by these modern things...thousands of years of evolutionary history has not kept up w very recent modern times

Here is article I found on topic.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/2-ways-artificial-sweeteners-impede-weight-loss.html

Yes' date=' I have heard that about artificial sweeteners...they say our bodies don't know how to process....going back to how our ancestors lived and ate, no such things existed, and so our bodies are "tricked" by these modern things...thousands of years of evolutionary history has not kept up w very recent modern times

Here is article I found on topic.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/2-ways-artificial-sweeteners-impede-weight-loss.html[/quote']

Thanks for the article! Good read.

Artificial sweeteners are made from toxic chemicals, and I avoid them at all costs.

This is a great video from Dr. Oz:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/americas-dangerous-artificial-sweetener-addiction-pt-1

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/americas-dangerous-artificial-sweetener-addiction-pt-2

Artificial sweeteners are made from toxic chemicals' date=' and I avoid them at all costs.

This is a great video from Dr. Oz:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/americas-dangerous-artificial-sweetener-addiction-pt-1

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/americas-dangerous-artificial-sweetener-addiction-pt-2

[/quote']

I just watched the videos and find the information helpful in terms of explaining the anatomical reactions that occur when consuming artificial sweeteners. Dr. Oz talks about the metabolic syndrome that is a fancy name for high blood pressure, insulin resistance and weight gain. This all made sense. However, I tried to apply this information to myself and could not. I do not have high blood pressure (110 / 60), my resting heart rate is low (44), I do not have insulin resistance indicated by any blood tests and my weight is holding steady around 180 for my 5'11" frame (normal BMI). The artificial sweetener found in the Splenda added to my coffee (cut back to about 1 coffee a week) and the sucrolose to my Water (1-1.5 gallons a day) is not causing me to eat any more than normal nor is it causing me to seek out sugar. I must not be consuming enough of it for metabolic syndrome to be symptomatic? Does the operation of VSG somehow protect us from the metabolic syndrome? These are interesting questions because my water still contains a tone of artificial flavor day in and day out since surgery. Perhaps there is no need to cut out the Water Enhancer.

I've seen many conflicting reports on this. I recently saw an article on CNN news that says it does cause those those effects but that most of the population doesn't consume anywhere near enough of it to trigger any reaction. I can't drink plain Water and have to use propel zero packets to drink my water. I just try to limit it to that and an occasional item that has it also.

Jamie

They also aggravate or exacerbate neurological symptoms. If you have MS or seizures or other problems these chemical laden artificial sweeteners can trigger or magnify the symptoms. They basically turn to formaldehyde in your body due to the chemical combos. It's just bad for you period!

I think that the VSG surgery does help override symptoms of metabolic syndrome in the beginning, but eventually, I think it could catch up with you a few years out if you are consuming large amounts of artificial sweeteners. If you Google "Dangers of artificial sweeteners" you will find endless articles about the dangerous chemicals that are used in them, and that is why I do not use them at all, the chemicals. If you only have one cup of coffee a week, then using a sugar substitute would not be a problem- small, infrequent doses of chemicals will not cause a health problem. However, the artificial sweeteners you are drinking all day long can definitely have an effect on your body. To be fair, I have to tell you that I am a "clean" eater, and I eat as much organic foods as possible, and rarely eat any processed or artificial foods, so I am a bit on the extreme side when it comes to my food opinions. I know that I feel better when I eat better quality foods, and I can definitely tell the difference when I eat something with too much garbage in it. I have a strong family history of cancer (all four of my grandparents died of cancer and both of my parents are cancer survivors), so I do everything I can to limit my exposure to chemicals in my food and Water. This is a good article, with scientific research and evidence as to the dangers of the chemicals in artificial sweeteners:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/13/artificial-sweeteners-more-dangerous-than-you-ever-imagined.aspx

I quit using them a long time ago. They gave me headaches and brain fog. When I want to flavor a water, I basically really really water down a low sugar fruit juice to the point of little taste.

we dont eat them in our house. this was an issue with my nutitritionist. she was really pushing them.

i am 7 days post opt and doing fine. everything tastes weird from ketosis anyway. lol i use a natural Protein shake (plant fusion) and plain yogurt. i have small amounts of fruit. i'm not really into super sweet things anyway. i love chocolate.. eat the dark stuff. use small amounts of maple syrup and honey. bought coconut crystals to sweeten my ice tea after surgery. it has a low GI.

growing up, my dad was fat, drank tons of diet pop, used saccharine in his coffee, even sprinkled it on french toast and pancakes. lost weight, gained it back, died at 56 from a second massive heart attack. they dont help much.

Denise- thanks for another good read. These artificial sweeteners are scary stuff!

Ever since about February this year, my diet has been a mix of organic and Paleo. No breads, dairy, sugar (except a little in my Protein shake), nada. The physical response to eating this way is enormous in the amount of energy one has and the ability one can apply themselves physically at a workout or mentally at work. I truly do enjoy the benefits of eating this way.

I think what I am going to do is switch over to some true lime or similar product and see how well that works with drinking Water. It looks like there is also true lemon and true orange. I wonder if they make other flavor products like true strawberry or true grape. Those would also be good. Or how about true blueberry, true passion fruit, true coconut, etc. lol. The list could go on and on.

Thanks everyone for the useful information this morning.

Have you ever tried Stevia? It's an herb that is naturally sweet, and it has 0 calories and 0 carbs, so it is a great substitute for artificial sweeteners. You can buy it at any health food store, and some grocery stores carry it as well with all the other sweeteners.

I usually drink plain Water, but when I want something different, I make myself some iced herb tea- I brew it by the gallon and keep it in the refrigerator, and I sweeten it either with plain sugar or honey. My favorite flavors of herb tea are Red Zinger and any kind of mint.

Fiddleman,

True Lemon also makes peach lemonade, raspberry lemonade, orange mango, and cherry lime. I don't add flavor to my Water too often but when I do, I use the True Lemon products. I love them.

Fiddleman' date='

True Lemon also makes peach lemonade, raspberry lemonade, orange mango, and cherry lime. I don't add flavor to my Water too often but when I do, I use the True Lemon products. I love them.[/quote']

Thanks for the list of True flavors. They sound good and I will have to try out a few this week. Cancer is not on my bucket list of things to try.

Have you ever tried Stevia? It's an herb that is naturally sweet' date=' and it has 0 calories and 0 carbs, so it is a great substitute for artificial sweeteners. You can buy it at any health food store, and some grocery stores carry it as well with all the other sweeteners.

I usually drink plain Water, but when I want something different, I make myself some iced herb tea- I brew it by the gallon and keep it in the refrigerator, and I sweeten it either with plain sugar or honey. My favorite flavors of herb tea are Red Zinger and any kind of mint.[/quote']

I will use stevia only if it is not another artificial sweetener. Even though it is plant based, it would seem a lot of processing is required. What do you think?