Artificial Sweeteners: Are Sugar-Free Products Actually Healthy?

00:00:00: Thirty-seven thousand times sweeter than regular sugar.

00:00:03: I mean some people actually do that, they take a spoon and then somehow rinse their mouth with it.

00:00:07: You really only have to watch out for...

00:00:10: And you save yourself one hundred thirty calories every day?

00:00:12: That's a whole kilogram of fat per month.

00:00:14: Cyclomate is banned in the US but in Europe its still...

00:00:20: Thats also a thing!

00:00:20: Well

00:00:21: just from your telling me about

00:00:23: this i've already started producing insulin.

00:00:25: Yeah, there you go.

00:00:26: Okay what do we learn from this?

00:00:27: Best to only drink water and tea.

00:00:29: jokes aside Hello and welcome To a new episode of Beyond Lifespan.

00:00:37: Hey there Max!

00:00:38: Hey Mario

00:00:39: Today were talking about sweeteners.

00:00:41: It's relatively controversial topic.

00:00:44: They've actually been around for seventy eighty years So it is by no means new.

00:00:48: Sweeteners have used in food especially In drinks For What feels like forever And of course, it's gotten a bit more attention in recent years with so many functional food products coming out.

00:01:02: So some any drinks and shakes being created where?

00:01:06: Of course as part of this big weight loss and diet trend people have tried to stop using sugar everywhere and use sweeteners instead.

00:01:14: That is why we wanted chat about the topic today.

00:01:18: Exactly yeah!

00:01:19: You said exactly right that there are also a lot critics.

00:01:25: Um, and I think we just want to clear things up a bit today.

00:01:28: Are the critics right?

00:01:30: Or are the hype people write?

00:01:32: or maybe nobody's right or our both right?

00:01:35: um We're just going to uh go through it in a structured way now What sweeteners actually are and so on.

00:01:42: explain a few sweetenters To you And then Get the gist of it.

00:01:47: dive into the studies.

00:01:50: Yeah, because in the end there are plenty of people who say yeah well with sweetness you're ruining everything.

00:01:55: So later today we'll talk about whether there's any basis for that or not.

00:02:00: and other than that I also found it quite interesting.

00:02:04: if you look a bit more often at the labels of drink cans or products that contain sweetness You often see this breakdown for sugar as well And As far as i know That hasn't been around For very long.

00:02:17: It says carbohydrates, then it says of which sugars that say zero grams.

00:02:23: And then it's as of which polyols for example.

00:02:26: right and Then next to it there is a Milligram amount For example those are the sugar alcohols?

00:02:33: We'll talk about those today too.

00:02:34: Right because That's exactly The first thing you have To separate.

00:02:37: on one hand There Are these sweetness and On the other hand They're A sugar Substitutes or Sugar Alcohol So called Polyols Sometimes it also says polyols on the back of the ingredients list.

00:02:49: And that's just not the same thing, and we'll try to keep those a bit separate today too if we maybe stick to this rough overview for now.

00:02:57: I mean sweeteners themselves per se.

00:03:00: people know them right?

00:03:02: Back in the day i can still remember my grandparents twenty years ago.

00:03:06: they started putting those sweetener tablets in their coffee at some point.

00:03:10: It was like one or two of them, right?

00:03:12: That had a particularly...

00:03:13: You find those in every bad hotel too!

00:03:15: You find them in every Bad Hotel exactly even individually wrapped.

00:03:19: so it creates extra waste,

00:03:20: right?!

00:03:20: Like one-one or two Of Those Tablets In A Separate Paper Bag In A Tiny One And Exactly..It's Been Like that For A Super Super Long Time.

00:03:31: You could tell back then that it's still sweet, but it just tastes different.

00:03:35: It doesn't really taste as good as real sugar.

00:03:38: That was my first when I tried it probably like fifteen years ago... ...I think that was my impression

00:03:45: Exactly!

00:03:45: Always get this bitter aftertaste.

00:03:47: A lot of these sweeteners have that and especially the ones in those tablets.

00:03:51: they're awful Like.

00:03:52: i can't drink that.

00:03:53: I find it gross.

00:03:56: That is especially awful.

00:03:59: We need to add And that's a classic sweetener, right?

00:04:02: So those are substances that either synthetic but they can also be natural by simply isolating them from plants.

00:04:10: They're thirty to thirty seven thousand times sweeter than regular sugar and thats already unique feature.

00:04:19: Sweeteners have very high potency and much sweeter then sugar and these sugar alcohols Half a sweet to just as sweet as sugar.

00:04:30: That's already the first big difference.

00:04:33: Then these sweeteners.

00:04:34: they are additives that I also declared with E numbers.

00:04:38: You've probably looked at a package before look at the back of a Coke can and seen that A lot of e-additives Are sometimes listed in the ingredients?

00:04:49: And those are very often sweetener right.

00:04:51: so this classic sweetener is that have such a high Sweetening potency.

00:04:57: But because of that, they're only mixed into a drink in very small amount.

00:05:02: So for example if you compare ten grams of sugar to soda which nowadays is not particularly little right?

00:05:12: I mean i can remember like half a liter of paulana spetzi has almost fifty grams.

00:05:18: so thats an insane amount.

00:05:21: But we just used the example of ten grams of sugar and that's equivalent to about zero point zero five grams of aspartame.

00:05:27: So you can already see The big difference in potency.

00:05:31: That's not much.

00:05:32: is it a bit sweeter, right?

00:05:34: Exactly And that's why in terms of sweetness they always try to bring it to a similar level.

00:05:38: but You don't have to mix in this sugar.

00:05:40: You can just mix in a fraction of these sweeteners which also Have no calories or few calories and are therefore Not supposed to have this classic blood sugar effect At least

00:05:51: totally

00:05:53: and then exactly.

00:05:54: And then there are also these polyols that is this sugar alcohols.

00:05:58: Yes, exactly I think they've become really trendy.

00:06:01: Also simply Actually because people realized okay you can just Put them in your mouth sort of.

00:06:08: i mean some People actually do That.

00:06:09: They take a spoonful Of xylitol or erythritol Or something put it In their Mouth Then Rinse Their Mouth With It.

00:06:15: Why?

00:06:16: Because The Cavity Causing Bacteria Practically can't metabolize it.

00:06:20: So they die done and that is positive at first.

00:06:26: The problem, though which many people also notice when they swallow it swallow a lot of it They also have yeah I'll say Issues.

00:06:35: so be it bloating beat diarrhea.

00:06:37: That means it's not tolerated so well That's been known for a long time Also from chewing gum i think often contained in chewing gum too.

00:06:44: if you eat A lot of them It always says can Have a laxative effect definitely comes from these sugar alcohols too.

00:06:51: That means actually something that can be very, very beneficial but which is obviously not so healthy or not good for the body if you swallow it right?

00:07:02: And we'll get to a bit more later what studies say about those two.

00:07:07: and as I said at beginning they are basically barely sweeter than sugar If Not Even Just As Sweet Or Less Sweet Than Sugar.

00:07:14: So, the comparison isn't as extreme there.

00:07:16: As it is with aspartame where you somehow need much less but one gram of xylitol also roughly one gram sugar.

00:07:24: Exactly and all these whether sugar alcohols or classic sweeteners they have an acceptable daily intake.

00:07:34: that's like a upper limit up to which amount can be consumed per day per kilogram of body weight usually how its broken down because they are also considered safe, right?

00:07:46: That's why there was this controversy with aspartame for example which is then put on a special list by the WHO.

00:07:54: Exactly

00:07:55: and that's why these upper limits up to that point consumption of polyols or sweeteners is considered safe.

00:08:04: For Aspartame since we've already talked about it It's basically like forty milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

00:08:13: If I'm a person weighing seventy kilograms, then that's almost three grams per day.

00:08:18: And if you imagine that in more practical way... ...that corresponds to about ten-to fourteen cans of some diet drink?

00:08:25: That is quite a lot right!

00:08:26: There are certain

00:08:27: people….

00:08:27: It's definitely impressive yeah So it's already not bad Yeah

00:08:32: and thats' already quite bit but hopefully very few people do that.

00:08:37: You see every now & there on certain channels also shows Where where you see that kind of thing.

00:08:43: but exactly it's definitely not the rule and is definitely a very high amount for this acceptable daily intake.

00:08:50: You just have to be careful with children because children have much lower body weight right if u uh... imagine like three year old child weighs about ten or eleven kilograms, and off course this acceptable daily intake as much lower there right?

00:09:04: But of course children liked it because its sweet.

00:09:08: As soon as they've come into contact with it, They naturally always want more of It.

00:09:12: That's the same phenomenon With sugar as it is with sweeteners right?

00:09:15: Because because sweet Is simply a quality that our body or our taste buds really like.

00:09:22: You bet.

00:09:23: yeah Yeah then let's quickly.

00:09:25: so what we actually forgot as A class are natural Sweeteners extracted from from plants.

00:09:30: There is I think The most prominent example is stevia.

00:09:34: I think many have heard of that originally came on to the European market as bath salts.

00:09:37: I think mid-twenty tens No, I think even two thousands.

00:09:43: So it wasn't approved at first but people bought it anyway somehow and then it got approved And then it also started showing up in all kinds of drinks.

00:09:50: I Think there was also a cola where so it was green.

00:09:54: There were stevia in it too.

00:09:57: Yeah, i think everyone noticed It's now often in things, in combination with other sweetness simply because the combination then often tastes a bit more pleasant.

00:10:06: And there is also monk fruit extract or mogro seeds that are also often in supplements somehow but it isn't something like super abundant right now.

00:10:19: New in the US is Alulose.

00:10:21: That has not been approved yet But per se very exciting Also because so far at least there's no negative data on it.

00:10:30: Not really yet, that means its also in many like protein bars and the US now Because It has a pretty good reputation.

00:10:40: All of those are more products derived from plants.

00:10:44: I think you always have to keep in mind right?

00:10:46: That once again is new substance.

00:10:48: all the other sweeteners were about to discuss or sugar alcohols.

00:10:51: they're also new substances.

00:10:53: Once And In The Beginning A Lot Of Things Always Look Very Good And of course, only over time or when larger studies were done did people discover one or two minor or major issues.

00:11:03: That's why I think you have to take it with a grain of salt.

00:11:05: but alternatives are always good right?

00:11:08: Maybe the other has slightly better and more suitable taste profile.

00:11:13: We'll also learn later that sweeteners are frequently combined simply because these different taste qualities, right?

00:11:25: Some are a bit metallic.

00:11:26: some are a little bitter and some tastes like licorice.

00:11:31: because you want that natural sugar note, that natural sweetness.

00:11:36: That's why sometimes we have to use a combination.

00:11:40: But let us dive into this sweetener topic.

00:11:45: I think two of the most well-known sweeteners out there are Aspartame and Assasulfame K. They are also very often combined, including in Coke Zero.

00:11:57: If we look at that or also Diet Coke right?

00:11:59: Or any other soft drinks you know

00:12:01: a lot of them for sure here an awful lot

00:12:03: In Pepsi and Fanta and Sprite.

00:12:05: the combination of these two sweeteners is everywhere.

00:12:08: if We stick with aspartame For now it Also has A short a Short abbreviation Which Is E nine five one.

00:12:16: That's what's practically written on the back.

00:12:18: If anyone has a can of soft drink like that at home, just take a look at the bag.

00:12:23: I'd almost bet this E-nine five one is definitely in there.

00:12:27: Aspartame itself is almost two hundred times as sweet as sugar.

00:12:31: We had that rough comparison earlier.

00:12:33: how much aspartame corresponds to about ten grams of sugar?

00:12:43: with the metabolism of this aspartame, because it breaks down into different amino acids and one is phenylalanine.

00:13:00: And phenylalanine isn't a problem for most people but for small percentage there's a disease called phenylketonuria.

00:13:11: Simply put these are people who can't metabolize phenyl alanine.

00:13:15: these fennel ketones that are practically produced they make all kinds of functions in the body no longer work well especially cognition.

00:13:24: So, the brain can't work as well because it's overloaded?

00:13:27: That means all products also contain aspartame must contain a warning that phenylalanine is there and people who have PKU which is abbreviation... They're not allowed to drink it right?

00:13:41: So that's a shame because then Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Fanta Sprite and three hundred other soft drinks.

00:13:46: They are already out but maybe at the end of the day?

00:13:49: That's not a bad thing either.

00:13:51: if you than just avoid these drinks and instead drink water I think your definitely doing yourself a favor with that.

00:13:59: But someone has something like that.

00:14:01: i think.

00:14:01: Three Hundred Other Soft Drinks they're all ready.

00:14:05: I've been living like aged or kind of got that right now.

00:14:07: So it's not really best to lose any of their drinks in big indefinite evening we have had.

00:14:11: I'd want the definite take home honor with either something like that and you're relatively early on, but You always do you have to check products?

00:14:17: To see if they contain fennel alanine And that's why there is a warning on all these soft drinks.

00:14:22: then aspartame Is i think especially well known because The who put it on a list in twenty-twenty three namely on A list of possibly carcinogenic substances.

00:14:31: There wasn't really a reason for that right.

00:14:32: i mean there's super low evidence for it.

00:14:34: also this.

00:14:36: This daily intake is acceptable.

00:14:37: daily intake that was shifted any further down either write because people said yeah okay watch out aspartame possibly carcinogenic so let's lower the safety threshold a bit.

00:14:48: they didn't do that right.

00:14:49: so practically everything state the same.

00:14:51: its also used just as frequently as before.

00:14:53: but who put on his list, We already talked in another episode about what else is on this possibly carcinogenic list, namely super many things that also simply occur in everyday life.

00:15:04: That's why I think you shouldn't overrate it.

00:15:05: but that's why it went through the media quite a bit and for short time everything sweetened with aspartame was demonized?

00:15:12: Exactly!

00:15:13: A prominent example of pickles too...

00:15:18: Yes, exactly.

00:15:19: They are also on the list of pos-

00:15:20: Exactly!

00:15:21: On The Possibly Casting Genic List.

00:15:22: that's why you cut it to me.

00:15:24: And components Of Coffee Are Also On There?

00:15:26: Yes,

00:15:27: a whole bunch.

00:15:28: so You Shouldn't Drive Yourself Crazy About That Either.

00:15:30: But I think in the end you should always use this as an indication To maybe not eat or drink excessively much of such things.

00:15:39: but yeah...you shouldn't drive yourself crazy.

00:15:41: i think the ADI wasn't really adjusted for that reason.

00:15:44: Exactly, and I mean there are already a few studies.

00:15:47: they've done on it also larger studies.

00:15:49: They've done as a result.

00:15:50: for example There was a cardiac study that looked at the metabolome And their in a very large group of people.

00:15:58: It was three thousand people where they looked at.

00:16:00: if they didn't really find a connection with metabolic biomarkers That can be all kinds of things right?

00:16:06: That could be small fatty acids that can be vitamins minerals everything somehow part of the metabolome and that's a lot, it is super broad panel you can do there.

00:16:18: And they didn't find anything at first.

00:16:20: as always have to be careful with these extremely high amounts right.

00:16:23: but I think thats also clear.

00:16:25: That applies everywhere Right?

00:16:27: Thats same with dietary supplement like sweeteners.

00:16:30: You should just guide yourself by this limit values not overdo i

00:16:36: think.

00:16:36: what was interesting that just recently a mouse study came out where they really consumed very large amount of Aspartame.

00:16:47: So, zero point one five percent off their entire diet in grams was basically aspartame which is huge amounts right?

00:16:55: And there inflammation and the cardiovascular system were actually promoted.

00:17:01: That means more inflammation on body and interestingly insulin levels went up probably also because the body generally reacts when something is sweet initially releases insulin.

00:17:11: People know that, I mean this phenomenon.

00:17:14: Yeah but in any case you can see that okay at high doses it can cause problems whether that's just the taste in the end who knows which then ends up triggering many many cycles Many hormone cycles.

00:17:26: But yeah High Doses are definitely not necessarily good

00:17:30: Exactly!

00:17:32: The next super well-known one right?

00:17:34: Which basically always ends up in combination In all drinks and chewing gums And whatnot is Assasol fame K

00:17:41: Exactly.

00:17:41: Yeah, so basically as a soulful MK has a very clear benefit Aspartame Has A Slightly Bitter Aftertaste and as a Soulful MK Mitigates That.

00:17:52: So To Speak So It Doesn't Taste As Bitter Anymore And that's Why it's in Coke Like That?

00:17:55: And thats why I think you often notice Especially When You Drink i'd Say Very Sweet Tasting Drinks.

00:18:01: Sometimes You Can Really Taste It Strongly Or You Get This Bitter after taste And Thats Actually Actually Terrible Right.

00:18:10: With Coke, it's somehow not like that.

00:18:12: And I used to always wonder how on earth did they manage... ...to make so much better than pretty much everything else out there?

00:18:19: Yeah and thats because of this combo.

00:18:20: in the end That works so well and also tastes so good.

00:18:24: It is also much sweeter then sugar Two hundred times sweeter.

00:18:28: But the ADI is much lower.

00:18:30: Its nine milligrams per kilogram So we're at about a quarter of aspartame.

00:18:35: Well!

00:18:36: Thats still quite alot when you think about it.

00:18:39: It's a bit more heat stable, so you could potentially use it in hot drinks.

00:18:43: But as I said, In reality is just often added to these, I'll say sodas and but so far there hasn't really been any data maybe a little bit regarding gut flora microbiome that always super vague and super individual.

00:19:04: So You shouldn't drive yourself crazy about either.

00:19:07: But I think if you notice that these kinds of drinks just don't agree with, then Of course.

00:19:10: That could be why right?

00:19:12: Um but as i said the data is super super unclear.

00:19:18: The latest thing i'll say Is the combination of these two As a salt But that's still relatively new.

00:19:25: um i couldn't even find any products where they actually used it.

00:19:28: So um that also has A specific e-number again E nine six Two.

00:19:34: and so in case You find that on the back Something

00:19:37: brand new.

00:19:38: Exactly, you have one less e-additive but it's still the same thing inside as when E nine five oh and E nine Five One are on the back exactly.

00:19:47: that also has a specific number again E nine six two.

00:19:51: And so in case you find That On The Back Somewhere So exactly You Have One Less E Additive But It Still The Same Thing Inside As When E Nine Five Oh and E Nine five One Are On The back.

00:20:02: Another very well-known one is sucralose, that's E-Nine-Five-FIVE.

00:20:06: It also significantly sweeter than acesulfame K and aspartame.

00:20:09: it's six hundred times a sweet as sugar but we're nowhere near the limit there right?

00:20:13: I mean... As will see later There's something goes up to thirty seven thousand times the potency.

00:20:19: So sucraloses actually still a Very weak sweetener in comparison In any case Six hundred times as sweet as Sugar.

00:20:28: This acceptable daily intake Is fifteen milligrams per kilogram So a bit higher than for asasulfame K, but lower then for aspartame.

00:20:37: It has an advantage and this advantages also disadvantage at the same time because inherently it is heat stable.

00:20:45: that means its very often used in baked goods.

00:20:49: so you probably know those pop open croissants right or pop open rolls.

00:20:55: they come into roll.

00:20:56: I mean i use to buy them every now And you open them up like that and then so basically pop open this cylindrical thing in.

00:21:03: it tastes slightly sweet right?

00:21:04: In the end, roll-up croissants yourself just spread a little jam inside and bake them.

00:21:08: You have fresh croissant that taste relatively okay but also find other baked goods anything that tastes a bit sweet.

00:21:17: Yes, it is heat stable but above a certain temperature and that's about one hundred twenty degrees Celsius.

00:21:22: And when you think of baked goods That reached relatively quickly.

00:21:25: right because what bread?

00:21:27: What cake?

00:21:27: What croissant do you bake at only One Hundred Twenty Degrees right usually It's like one hundred sixty one hundred eighty degrees than You have in the oven Because chlorinated organic compounds are formed from this sucralose Which in turn our bad for The body.

00:21:42: Right!

00:21:45: not to use sucralose for baking or deep frying.

00:21:48: Even if you want to use succralose yourself, to sweeten some cookies... ...or things you bake around Christmas time.. ..or for some strudels you make just don't use it right?

00:21:57: Because above one hundred twenty degrees Celsius there's a bit of tipping point and You have to be careful Not to heat too much but per se its glycemic neutral Right meaning It doesn't do anything to your blood sugar at first.

00:22:13: But That's why it is used just like acesulfame K and aspartame II, but you should basically be very careful with that.

00:22:24: Then of course there were studies on that too.

00:22:26: they didn't find any negative effects on blood sugar.

00:22:29: everything was fine with insulin levels.

00:22:31: two.

00:22:32: But what they found in a relatively recent study from this year Is these drinks containing sucralose?

00:22:38: They do something to the feeling of hunger Namely, they actually strengthen these hunger signals in the hypothalamus.

00:22:48: And I find that very exciting itself because you know from many earlier studies when we see something sweet... ...the body sometimes already starts in anticipation of this sweetness to produce insulin so it practically prepares its self.

00:23:06: oh!

00:23:06: Something sweet is coming now.

00:23:07: for example there's a bar on table And I'm going to eat this bar now, then the body already starts in preparation.

00:23:13: To produce a little insulin because it expects sugar to come.

00:23:17: but Now there's no sugar in at all.

00:23:20: But In The End There Are Only Sweeteners In It.

00:23:22: For Example They're Sucralose In It.

00:23:25: So

00:23:25: Just From You Telling Me That i've Already Started Producing Insulin.

00:23:28: Yeah you See.

00:23:29: and What Happens Now?

00:23:30: This Insulin that isn't just broken down again But it still tries to get this residual glucose that you somehow have in your blood out.

00:23:38: And then of course, you also have the danger of slipping into a little low-blood sugar.

00:23:42: and whenever you have no blood sugar You want to eat especially eat carbs.

00:23:47: That's why you get such a strong craving or hunger for carbs.

00:23:51: So just against that background It would make sense to me that sweeteners Also contribute to making you hungrier.

00:23:59: Then he kicks off

00:24:00: and whenever especially eat carbs.

00:24:03: That's why you get such a strong craving or hunger for carbs, so just against that background it would make sense to me that sweeteners also contribute Receptors in the hypothalamus where uh, the appetite center is located or where an appetite has also modulated.

00:24:24: Where hunger's also modulate it.

00:24:26: and then this study they looked at The people who drank these drinks containing sucralose were seventeen percent hungrier.

00:24:31: That's quite a lot right now you actually want to do something good for yourself

00:24:34: Then it kicks off.

00:24:35: definitely sounds very significant Right?

00:24:36: I mean we have To be honest.

00:24:37: yeah

00:24:37: Yeah It's quiet quite A lot right Now You Want to Do Something Good For Yourself And Drink that With Sweeteners Instead of Real Sugar But then you're seventeen percent hungrier afterwards than if you had just drunk something normal.

00:24:47: So in that respect, of course

00:24:48: That totally ruins this hypothesis that I mean succuloses and almost all protein powders at least All the ones that are commercially available from larger companies.

00:24:57: There are certainly a few niche ones where they sweeten differently?

00:24:59: I don't want to rule out but that would Of course destroy the whole hypothesis that If you slam down the sweetest protein powder he'll actually be less hungry afterwards.

00:25:08: You'd actually have to test it.

00:25:10: combination again.

00:25:10: Um, actually they say okay more protein you're definitely fuller.

00:25:15: More satiated You have less hunger but if you have so much sucralose in it at the same time The question is Okay does that really have a benefit?

00:25:23: In the end because I know that for myself too like If i eat protein bars regularly...I just get ultra snackish and They do absolutely nothing from my hunger to be honest.

00:25:34: So um And they still have like one hundred fifty calories.

00:25:37: As we always like to say, protein bars are nothing more than modern candy.

00:25:43: You can put a Mars bar here and next to it you have something that is called functional food nowadays... ...and that's the protein bar.

00:25:50: Yeah I don't think you could equate them one-to-one right?

00:25:53: The net benefit probably still there but whether its really as big people like to claim.. ..I'll leave that open!

00:26:01: There definitely will be some.

00:26:03: we need to find out.

00:26:06: No,

00:26:08: not that.

00:26:08: Yeah

00:26:09: But the study was about drinks containing sucralose Not about protein shakes Protein powder.

00:26:15: So good point right?

00:26:16: Maybe that just cancels itself out because protein is much more filling.

00:26:19: That could be case in end Exactly.

00:26:22: Besides sucralos Also well known And these are those little tablets people used to press into their coffee That were saccharine.

00:26:33: Yeah exactly I think you bring it up together with cyclomate.

00:26:36: So saccharin and cyclometer, great names again.

00:26:38: E nine five four an e nine five two are basically just the things that are in those sweetener tablets you know from bad hotels

00:26:46: um And from grandparents

00:26:48: back in the day.

00:26:49: exactly Exactly so.

00:26:50: like I said my grandparents didn't have that but yeah fits well anyway.

00:26:54: i only know it From Bad Hotels

00:26:56: Um

00:26:57: In any case.

00:26:58: uh okay Yeah there Are all kinds of studies on That too?

00:27:03: Some are positive some negative.

00:27:05: There's nothing really conclusive.

00:27:07: The ADI is super low, but we also know those tablets are tiny so you shouldn't consume more than five to seven milligrams per kilogram body weight a day.

00:27:16: I don't think many people Exceed that.

00:27:18: anyway like i said the classic is sweetener tablets?

00:27:20: I think That's the only thing You need to know about Those two.

00:27:23: They're hardly in anything else anymore barely used.

00:27:27: Also just because this sweetness isn't particularly tasty.

00:27:29: Well maybe what interesting Is that cyclomate is banned In the US But in Europe, they still allowed it.

00:27:38: So it can still be used there.

00:27:40: that's actually the other way around for once right?

00:27:43: You don't usually see that.

00:27:45: and where does that come from?

00:27:47: with both saccharin encyclomate They found an animal testing That relatively high doses caused bladder tumors.

00:27:55: Right then of course everyone was like oh my god We have to ban this immediately.

00:28:00: but later they found out that its species dependent meaning It's not like that in humans.

00:28:05: it is due to the specific physiology of those rats they looked at or rather, those animals.

00:28:12: and In humans... ...it wouldn't happen.

00:28:15: That was the consensus.

00:28:16: But yeah Like you said, its' not used much anymore except in those sweetener tablets And otherwise Its not really relevant any more.

00:28:26: Although I mean Ciclamate Is super unknown.

00:28:29: but More people have heard of saccharin.

00:28:33: I think there's also a slightly higher proportion of saccharin than cyclomate in the sweetener tablets.

00:28:37: That's why it is probably more prominent

00:28:39: And probably because saccharine has much higher sweetening power, right?

00:28:43: It's three to five hundred times as sweet and cyclomates are only in quotes thirty-five times as sugar.

00:28:48: Yeah exactly

00:28:51: Exactly.

00:28:52: Then we have stevia.

00:28:54: We talked about that at the beginning.

00:28:55: It was extremely sweet Two hundred to four hundred times Like i said...it wasn't approved by EU for a long time, but now it's used frequently often in combination with sucralose.

00:29:08: I can imagine that is also just because when you do the combination and stevia has very strong sweetening power You manage to make not taste so bitter at the end Because your using two really strong sweeteners.

00:29:21: But they work independently of each other Right?

00:29:27: And that way...you don't get biter.

00:29:31: I'd say ultra sweet note at the end so quickly, which people are familiar with.

00:29:50: are a mix of sucralose and stevia, so really interesting.

00:30:04: Yeah they've also done a few studies on stevia right?

00:30:07: They looked at gut flora... And another interesting thing that it somehow interacts with the progesterone receptor So even has a certain hormonal effect.

00:30:17: Not particularly valid.

00:30:20: good strong data.

00:30:22: I mean found something once then didn't find anything next time.

00:30:27: drive yourself crazy over it.

00:30:28: for now, at least the current data doesn't support that.

00:30:32: Then there are a few exotic ones you might have heard of.

00:30:37: There's Neotame, Advantame, Thaumatin, Neohesperidin DC... All wild stuff!

00:30:44: I don't think we need to go super deep into that but these exotic ones are the ones that sometimes reach a thirty seven thousand fold sweetening effect.

00:30:52: For example, Advantame has a twenty thousandfold sweetening effects compared with sugar.

00:30:57: So it's enormously potent, I'd say.

00:31:00: And that's why only tiny amounts end up being used.

00:31:04: some of them are just chemical derivatives at this point and no longer have a natural origin.

00:31:12: Yeah well yeah yummy good.

00:31:15: Yummy exactly.

00:31:17: we've discussed a lot of sweeteners now from the most famous ones like aspartame assay cell fame K sucralose saccharin.

00:31:25: what's left?

00:31:25: Now Are these sugar alcohols And we can probably just look at the two most famous ones which are xylitol and erythritol.

00:31:36: Then there's also sorbitol, right?

00:31:39: Sorbitol is I think relatively well known.

00:31:42: basically as with all of these sugar alcohols you have to be careful.

00:31:46: large amounts bloating diarrhea symptoms in gastrointestinal tract.

00:31:52: that why it says everywhere do not consume in large quantities because consumption and large quantities can have a laxative effect.

00:32:01: If people stick to that, great!

00:32:03: And if they don't... They'll get the bill later anyway.

00:32:07: Xylitol you already mentioned is interesting for tooth decay.

00:32:12: Yeah

00:32:12: I kind of jumped ahead there That's true.

00:32:13: There was this trend where products are often called birch sugar.

00:32:19: In any case You could just buy it in big tubs or theoretically use them for cooking Or use it for baking, right?

00:32:29: Because structurally.

00:32:30: It's very very similar.

00:32:31: its crystalline like sugar is actually ideal for baking because Sugar also gives a certain structure all right.

00:32:38: so first of All of course super-ideal and A lot of people have used it.

00:32:43: Like I already mentioned you take a spoonful or rinse your mouth with it And that's like super good for your teeth.

00:32:50: it Also leads to um that yeah i'd say tata Or at least initial plaque can be broken down over time.

00:32:58: So if you really do it regularly, It works really well.

00:33:02: I did for a while too but then sometimes made the mistake of swallowing and You shouldn't do that because actually seems to increase the tendency Of blood-to-clot in blood vessels.

00:33:13: Blood vessels And thats even For few hours after consumption.

00:33:17: That means in quotes The blood gets thicker And that's of course what you absolutely don't want, which could especially in older people maybe cause a heart attack or stroke somehow.

00:33:29: Or just ultimately trigger it.

00:33:31: so we just have to be a bit careful.

00:33:33: there is actually some pretty good data on that showing that You should Be A Bit Careful

00:33:39: and you can also visualize That with a practical example I think because a drink With like thirty grams of Zidatol increases the clotting tendency for four To six hours.

00:33:49: Quite a lot, right?

00:33:49: So these thirty grams if we imagine now I mentioned earlier like a Polana Spezi half-a-liter that has like fifty grams of sugar.

00:33:57: If they were to go and just replace that with xylitol the sweetness would be very similar almost one two ones.

00:34:03: so you'd already have fifty grams Xylol in there.

00:34:06: That means it's not unlikely... ...that you've reached this amount And reach it regularly Right!

00:34:12: In the studies they did They actually found higher risk of heart attack stroke.

00:34:17: It makes sense Right.

00:34:19: in the end both of those are events let's say that are caused by a, um... By a clot.

00:34:25: It is logical consequence?

00:34:27: So it makes sense.

00:34:29: so only small amounts and Um.. In chewing gum its probably still okay right you'd have to Have a lot of chewing gum.

00:34:39: uh, chew a lot of chewing gum daily to even reach those thirty grams.

00:34:42: But in drinks that's already very often the case right?

00:34:45: And also if you start baking with it You might have one hundred fifty two hundred three hundred grams of xylitol In there.

00:34:50: and if you break three hundred grammes down To like ten pieces of cake from this bundt cake then One piece already has ten i mean thirty grams of Xylitol in It Right!

00:34:59: And... ...you're apparently not doing yourself any favors.

00:35:02: at least From what The data suggests

00:35:04: looks A bit Like That.

00:35:04: yeah Yeah an interesting thing is that With erythritol it seems to be Very similar.

00:35:10: So similar sweetening power a bit less than Zad et al.

00:35:13: But in the end, also stronger tendency for blood clots.

00:35:17: so yeah

00:35:18: Yeah.

00:35:19: and with erythritol The problem is that it's a bit Less sweet then sugar only about sixty to seventy percent.

00:35:25: That means you need more Erythrital To get the same sweetness?

00:35:29: You tend to especially if use it For baking.

00:35:32: I see It very often In supermarkets.

00:35:35: in the baking aisle There are always these Eryhthritol packages.

00:35:39: Um, exactly.

00:35:40: That's probably not good either.

00:35:41: the risk was somewhere in the range of twice as high right?

00:35:44: You always calculate that with this hazard ratio and it was somewhere In the range between one point eight and two point to.

00:35:49: so on average just too.

00:35:51: And um These yeah these cardiovascular events they were simply there.

00:35:56: So just be careful there.

00:35:58: Exactly That's a good takeaway.

00:36:00: those two.

00:36:01: I think we're hyped up for a very long time now.

00:36:05: There are some limitations.

00:36:07: i'd say that means Just keep the dosage low and then you don't really have to worry.

00:36:12: Yeah, at the beginning You also mentioned allulose.

00:36:14: sure that's the new rising star Also a sugar alcohol.

00:36:17: however there are already initial warnings.

00:36:20: Okay There could be the same effects as with xylitol an erythritol so maybe take that with Caution for now too but it's not even Available in Europe or the EU yet.

00:36:34: Now A big topic With sweeteners is actually weight loss Right?

00:36:38: Now we've dragged ourselves through these different sweeteners and now let's make things a bit more practical.

00:36:44: And the big story behind it was no calories, few calories but still you can... everything still tastes good!

00:36:52: That is why you lose weight if you use a lot of sweetenters.

00:36:57: What do studies actually say about that?

00:37:00: Yeah

00:37:01: so If You Want to Sum It Up Really simply, it's basically like if you really look closely at the end point of weight loss and also do a perspective forward looking study.

00:37:13: Then is indeed case that actually helps with weight reduction.

00:37:16: because your replacing right?

00:37:18: First of all its clear okay replace sugar with sweeteners means you have fewer calories makes total sense.

00:37:24: people lose weight.

00:37:26: but what was interesting?

00:37:27: then?

00:37:27: take observational studies which are a bit messier.

00:37:31: let just put in this way.

00:37:31: Then it often stands out.

00:37:33: Okay, that makes absolutely no difference and It's assumed That this is because overweight people reach for sweeteners more often Because they generally just eat a sweeter diet right?

00:37:45: That means Yeah.

00:37:47: So it still seems to be the case Right even if yeah, that seems to Be The issue.

00:37:53: okay sweetener are also You know by overweight People.

00:37:56: so maybe there Is Still A connection There That We don't Know yet.

00:38:01: But in principle, if you look at it very soberly and You look at okay.

00:38:06: I'm drinking the cola with sugar now And the one without sugar with sweeteners Then that is probably definitely better for my weight and from my metabolism right?

00:38:14: Uh...you can definitely assume That given the current state of research The only problem Is If you Eat so much sweet stuff overall that you sometimes have sweetener Sometimes sugar or whatever Maybe also ruin your microbiome quite a bit With that Then it could well be that there are also connections.

00:38:33: There we don't understand yet, right?

00:38:35: So it's not that clear-cut yet But yeah per se It's a good way to save sugar and I think that's the gist of the studies Right?

00:38:43: Yeah you say that observational studies are a bit messier In the end, they are also closer to reality or how people actually live their lives because these structured programs.

00:38:54: That's of course something that only very few do right.

00:38:56: instead many have maybe heard that sweeteners help me lose weight so I'll just integrate into my routine.

00:39:02: if thats done in an undirected way then it seems to bring less benefit.

00:39:08: Exactly So.

00:39:09: you really have to replace it a targeted way and its logical.

00:39:13: that works.

00:39:14: It is simple plus minus calculation Um, but yeah.

00:39:19: Yeah I'd say so and in the end that's also the benefit side of sweeteners right?

00:39:23: So classic use case saving calories.

00:39:26: if i drink a can of sugary soda versus A diet product then I save um like quite a few calories.

00:39:37: Right because the the the diet products simply has fewer Fewer calories.

00:39:43: If you do that on a daily basis do that regularly, then over time.

00:39:48: That really adds up in terms of what you save in calories and especially in sugar.

00:39:54: And sugar also has many other effects on the body because glucose is not only bad for say developing diabetes It's also bad for skin Because on the skin it also causes.

00:40:08: I mean Glucose attaches itself to everything it can get its hands On In The Body

00:40:12: The factor clues together

00:40:13: Exactly, exactly.

00:40:14: So it attaches itself to everything It gets.

00:40:17: it glues together and also if you imagine the skin fibers as a kind of net that normally glides nicely over each other If you put a drop of superglue aka glucose on it then it's just stuck right?

00:40:30: It doesn't glide anymore And causes this net to break at some point and then you lose this elasticity in the skin.

00:40:36: You get wrinkles But that's.

00:40:39: The wrinkles are maybe visible But the exact same procedure also happens in the blood vessels and so on, right?

00:40:45: So you damage yourself all year round.

00:40:49: You just have to be aware of that.

00:40:50: like with alcohol... One drop is already bad.

00:40:54: With sugar it's not one milligram of sugar.

00:40:56: It can utilize glucose but these negative effects mitigate them a bit.

00:41:06: That saves calories blood sugar effect, so the blood sugar doesn't spike.

00:41:13: Insulin doesn't spiked to that extent either although there are sometimes... So with some sweeteners they have found these small compensatory reactions where insulin still went up a bit probably just because of this anticipation we talked about earlier.

00:41:30: exactly.

00:41:31: and for teeth it's also better for dental hygiene or oral hygiene simply are something that bacteria just don't like streptococcus mutants.

00:41:43: That's definitely an advantage too

00:41:45: exactly, so that definitely helps.

00:41:48: but yeah sure!

00:41:49: That is the benefit side.

00:41:51: on the other hand there also a few caveats to watch out for.

00:41:54: Yeah totally But maybe in the benefits side what I found super cool which i had written down as a calculation if you now every day give up one can of cola with sugar thats about three hundred milliliters and drink a cola zero instead, then you save one hundred thirty calories every day.

00:42:12: That's the whole kilogram of fat per month.

00:42:15: actually pretty wild right?

00:42:17: So it has really crazy impact.

00:42:20: so that can work very well for people definitely.

00:42:26: but yeah no you summarize everything nicely.

00:42:28: let take quick look at risk side because there are super many potential risks where sometimes not clear.

00:42:37: So I think we've already mentioned the topic of microbiome and metabolism several times.

00:42:41: There are just a few studies that show, okay it seems to somehow alter the microbiome?

00:42:48: And there is now probably incredibly individual how people react to it.

00:42:54: if you're susceptible or maybe have some difficulties with gastrointestinal tract You'll be more susceptible to altering your microbiome even more causing problems.

00:43:07: Just have more inflammation in the body, more cravings and so on.

00:43:13: And a worse insulin response right?

00:43:17: How clear that is now hard to say.

00:43:20: we also mentioned earlier.

00:43:21: sucralose obviously makes you hungry causes cravings Makes you have seventeen percent more of them.

00:43:27: So it's quite interesting definitely something that can somehow affect metabolism and microbiome.

00:43:34: But in principle, okay.

00:43:35: so we don't need to drive ourselves crazy at either.

00:43:37: We just don't know exactly yet does it really have a bad or negative effect on the microbiome?

00:43:42: It's very individual because the microbiom consists of many tens and millions of bacteria that are different for everyone.

00:43:50: How do you control your study there?

00:43:51: It is incredibly difficult.

00:43:53: The problem with this is that initial composition of the microbioma was already so different.

00:43:57: So starting point could be super different.

00:44:03: fits your metabolism and the other doesn't, like it fits mine well but not yours.

00:44:08: That's why so much research is still

00:44:10: needed.".

00:44:11: And I'd say we know practically nothing about it yet right?

00:44:14: I mean microbiome is a nice buzzword i think but there's still so much to investigate before we can maybe say one thing or another about it.

00:44:22: what I found very exciting that was relatively large study where they looked at on the one hand you take soft drinks one group that drinks soft drinks, those with sweeteners.

00:44:37: And the other group drank normal drinks with sugar so real sugar and well no sweetener's.

00:44:45: The group with the soft drink had a higher risk of diabetes than the group who only drank real sugar right?

00:44:52: I mean i found kind of crazy too!

00:44:55: If you compare it in percentages ,the ones with soft drinks have a thirty-eight percent higher risk the ones with real sugar drinks at a twenty-three percent higher risk of diabetes.

00:45:06: I found that kind impressive too, right?

00:45:09: So you can already see there's also an effect on...

00:45:17: Just the sweetness obviously makes a difference whether it was maybe just overreach in this study because who knows what other factors play into it but could well be.

00:45:30: what it actually shows is that has an effect on the metabolism.

00:45:33: That's just wild, right?

00:45:35: It could of course also be a dose-effect because this... So it was about one drink.

00:45:43: so they really only compared one soft drink versus one sugary drink.

00:45:48: I mean even if i only drank one sugory drink every day now you don't necessarily develop diabetes because of that.

00:45:56: maybe it was just a dose relationship and to like three or four, then it might have reversed.

00:46:02: Because you say okay now the sugar effect is somehow a bit more severe and only than does the positive side of soft drinks in quotation marks come into play?

00:46:11: That could also be but there were over thirty thousand people in this study.

00:46:15: so that was already alot right?

00:46:16: Yeah yeah exciting really interesting

00:46:18: exactly.

00:46:19: The second point is cancer With the risks, we actually already figured out that Aspartame was indeed put on this list by the WHO as possibly carcinogenic.

00:46:32: Otherwise... But it also says in a classic everyday situation if you stick to these maximum amounts You don't necessarily have anything to worry about right?

00:46:44: So thats how its classified and safe.

00:46:46: That's why as long as stay below those forty milligrams per kilogram of body weight Everything should be fine so far.

00:46:56: Yeah,

00:46:57: yeah I mean there was also

00:46:58: that i think Was already the cancer statement in actually?

00:47:00: There was a study where Where with high consumption it looked like The overall cancer risk increased slightly.

00:47:08: You always have to say right High consumption is not representative

00:47:12: Exactly It's just hard To Say

00:47:13: for us and probably many of the people who are listening to the podcast Right now too.

00:47:18: So exactly With aspartame For sure I Mean That was very Very I'll say I'll Say dragged Through the mud and hated.

00:47:25: It doesn't seem to be that bad,

00:47:27: yeah?

00:47:27: Yeah it even went so far.

00:47:28: some advertised on their bars or drinks they are aspartame free because suddenly a unique selling point took on special proportions back then but I don't see those labels anymore at least not lately right?

00:47:41: maybe just took off again

00:47:43: Exactly!

00:47:44: That's been debunked by now.

00:47:46: we're actually late for the party here probably.

00:47:50: Then cardiovascular.

00:47:51: We already discussed that anyway, right?

00:47:52: Erythritol xylitol be careful Yeah

00:47:54: you should exactly.

00:47:55: You just shouldn't consume it in too high a dose But you can of course still rinse your mouth with it.

00:48:01: So definitely because yeah

00:48:02: or just stick to uh to a chewing gum That um then you have better control Or you just spit It out again.

00:48:09: Right that certainly has A benefit.

00:48:12: With sucralose, we already pointed out you have to be careful with heating it right?

00:48:16: So don't use it for baking.

00:48:17: Don't use It for frying because harmful byproducts are formed.

00:48:21: just Be Careful there.

00:48:22: and the another very exciting thing was appetitie.

00:48:28: We Already went into that a little bit also with sucralos Right That they found stronger hunger signals There.

00:48:37: yeah sometimes its maybe Just classic compensation mechanism where you say, okay now I've eaten and drunk diet products here.

00:48:45: Now i've saved myself some calories...I can somehow get them back elsewhere or treat myself to more because of that?

00:48:54: That would be a psychological explanatory mechanism for why there's more hunger behind it but only with sucralose.

00:49:03: did they really look at that with uh functional MRI But that's only related to sucralose for now.

00:49:11: In general though, I could imagine it just because of the...

00:49:16: It makes sense to a certain extent right?

00:49:17: You know from yourself when you drink all those sugar-free things..I mean i do think you crave more than is how it is.

00:49:26: at least thats my enic data.

00:49:28: Because if the insulinemic aspect yeah doesn't feel as good When you eat something with sweeteners For dessert compared to when you ate real piece cake or something That's just a different quality.

00:49:38: Yeah,

00:49:38: that's getting very detailed again

00:49:40: and as long it is within limits its all fine right?

00:49:44: As long you don't do every day.

00:49:46: I definitely came across something yesterday really late in the evening actually yeah i thought was a bit clearer.

00:49:54: And this topic of cognitive decline.

00:49:57: What was interesting?

00:49:58: there were prospective studies that ran over eight years twelve thousand participants.

00:50:04: They divided into three groups so to speak low consumption of sweeteners, moderate and then high.

00:50:12: Low was up to thirty seven milligrams a day so really not particularly much.

00:50:16: Then moderate up to one hundred two And high up to eight hundred fifty.

00:50:20: So now you're definitely in this moderate group already if you've drunk a Coke zero right?

00:50:26: That means it's just a lot of people that this could affect.

00:50:31: the interesting thing was over these eight years they saw They did various cognitive tests regularly, that the groups with moderate or high consumption had a greater cognitive decline.

00:50:46: And that's actually really wild and really something where I would say now okay... With study design like that they made sure that confounders were excluded as much as possible Like BMI age and so on.

00:51:00: yet it was apparently significant.

00:51:02: That is of course something you have to think about.

00:51:05: And interestingly, especially when you reduced it down to erythritol and xylitol... ...it was very significant.

00:51:13: There we are again.

00:51:14: that also causes cardiovascular issues so basically makes the blood thicker simply put So increases risk of clotting.

00:51:23: It could make sense right?

00:51:25: That just leads poor blood circulation

00:51:28: Or all these small fine vessels in your brain.

00:51:32: I mean, that's why you don't have a stroke right?

00:51:35: Because the microvessel gets clogged somewhere.

00:51:38: But if it happens over time of course... That is definitely negatively impressive

00:51:46: Exactly!

00:51:46: So there again with aspartame, sucralose and stevia You can leave those aside.

00:51:50: for now It wasn't clearly obvious but erythritol and xylitol was pretty clear There.

00:51:57: so i found this really crazy because also very well structured study where you can really say, okay.

00:52:04: Hey this is quite clear data right?

00:52:07: That's rather

00:52:08: rare.".

00:52:09: And Sakharin was also included I think besides Erythritol and Xylitol but do only find that in bad hotels anyway.

00:52:15: so maybe it's just the bad hotel then.

00:52:18: We made a lot of people angry because we keep saying that right

00:52:22: yeah oh well Okay what did we learn from this?

00:52:25: best to drink water and tea.

00:52:30: avoid sugar, avoid sweeteners.

00:52:32: No joking aside.

00:52:33: so yeah replacing sugar definitely has a certain justification right?

00:52:39: Simply because sugar has a lot of negative effects anyway.

00:52:42: but you should do the whole thing with a bit of let's say foresight or vision and not just compensate for this sugar.

00:52:50: You might save at point A by somehow consuming more at Point B Or maybe not compensating with sugar But compensating Because then in the end you're not doing yourself any favors.

00:53:03: and with certain sweeteners or sugar alcohols You should just know the limitations.

00:53:09: So especially erythritol xylitol, that you don't heat sucralose That when you drink an aspartame drink your careful if you have PKU so phenylketonuria.

00:53:22: I think it's important to use low all these limitations.

00:53:26: And then in practice i think its also Okay, if you buy drinks or products that also contain sweeteners as long as you don't consume them in excess.

00:53:38: Yeah exactly so.

00:53:39: overall most of them I'd say we probably claim are relatively safe right?

00:53:44: As long as You don't overdo it.

00:53:46: Um...you shouldn't suddenly consume more of It just because it doesn't contain sugar anymore as If you were consuming sugar but really Just replace it and if possible I mean, the classics are still healthier.

00:53:59: Um, I think we can establish that after looking at this study a bit.

00:54:04: drinking water or drinking normal things is still better right?

00:54:07: But The net benefit is probably there if you consume instead of sugar, sugar substitutes.

00:54:17: Yeah okay i think with That We've covered Or discussed the topic relatively well.

00:54:24: If there are any questions from your side, just get in touch at podcast.beyondlifespan.de or comment on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and also YouTube.

00:54:35: We look at all of that and reply to your comments will do another Ask Me Anything episode together with Dominic where we can discuss a few more questions in detail.

00:54:45: Otherwise thanks for listening and watching!

00:54:49: Max I'm already looking forward next time

00:54:52: you.