Food plan drinks may affect blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and gut microbiome

‘Full fat’ sugary drinks corresponding to colas increase the chance of obesity and are generally off-limits for diabetics. But now a number one testing expert says there’s increasing evidence that many weight loss program drinks containing artificial sweeteners affect blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and our gut microbiome.

It’s well-known that ‘full fat’ fizzy drinks corresponding to colas, lemonades and energy drinks raise the chance of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Individuals who have one can or more a day have a 26% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Sugary drinks rapidly increase blood sugar levels and this will result in tiredness and increased hunger even in people without diabetes.

Until now, their sugar-free weight loss program equivalents have been thought to be the healthier alternative. While sugary drinks are generally off-limits for Britain’s 4.3 million registered diabetics (except in emergencies when their blood sugar levels have to rise rapidly), it’s not been thought that weight loss program drinks pose a risk for diabetics or anyone attempting to drop some weight.

Nonetheless, a number one medical examiner says there’s now strong evidence that many sorts of artificial sweeteners utilized in weight loss program drinks (and a few foods) affect our blood sugar levels, worsen insulin resistance and alter our gut flora.

Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: ‘The indisputable fact that many so-called “weight loss program” drinks might be exacerbating symptoms for known diabetics, in addition to severely affecting those that remain undiagnosed, is bad news.

‘London Medical Laboratory’s latest evaluation reveals a million people within the UK are more likely to have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. This invisible killer shortens lives by as much as ten years. That’s why we launched our “Give the finger to diabetes” campaign to discover undiagnosed cases with a straightforward fingerprick blood test. In 2019, there have been almost 14,000 diabetes-related deaths within the UK. The sooner individuals are diagnosed, the higher the end result.

‘Increasingly, diabetics and health-conscious people have turned to sugar-free versions of their favourite drinks. Nonetheless, our evaluation of the newest research finds that saccharin and sucralose are more likely to increase blood sugar or glucose levels and adversely impact the gut microbiome (the gathering of organisms that live in our digestive tracts). Researchers at John Hopkins University recently tested random groups of healthy, non-diabetic people and located that participants taking saccharin and sucralose had noticeable spikes of their blood sugar levels.

‘The researchers discovered that these sweeteners were influencing changes in bacteria within the gut and mouth. Changes were also identified of their blood samples. In reality, the blood metabolite changes in those people consuming saccharin and sucralose were so marked they were much like those in individuals with diabetes or vascular diseases.

‘The researchers concluded that “some commonly consumed non-nutritive sweeteners is probably not physiologically inert in humans as previously contemplated.” Gut microbiome changes may cause spikes in blood glucose, impairing the body’s ability to effectively regulate glucose levels.

‘This finding has been strongly supported by a 2022 paper published within the journal “Microorganisms”, which concludes sucralose consumption can induce gut dysbiosis (imbalance) and altered glucose and insulin levels in healthy young adults.

‘Concerningly, it’s not only saccharin and sucralose-based sweeteners which can be under investigation. Two recent trials reported in “Nutrition Reviews” have shown that consumption of one other popular sweetener, aspartame, may affect our body’s concentrations of glucose, insulin and a hormone that reduces appetite and releases insulin called “glucagon-like peptide 1”.

‘The foundation reason for a few of these results continues to be being debated. Intriguing research published within the “Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care” in 2020 investigated the likelihood that ingestion of artificial sweeteners leads to the erroneous release of insulin from the pancreas (as a consequence of their sweet taste). This increases the degrees of insulin in our blood, eventually resulting in decreased receptor activity as a consequence of insulin resistance.

‘Alarming discoveries like these latest artificial sweetener findings emphasize why Britain’s 4.3 million diabetics need regular, accurate blood testing. While “old-fashioned” traditional fingerprick tests using meters and strips are worthwhile, the next-gen “HbA1c” fingerprick tests are so sensitive that they may replace diabetics’ annual visits to their surgery for a full HbA1c blood test.

‘London Medical Laboratory’s fingerprick HbA1c “Diabetes – Diagnosis and Monitoring” test is taken into account the gold standard in regular testing. It’s used to measure the common level of blood glucose over the past two to 3 months and each accurately monitor and diagnose diabetes. It may be taken at home through the post, or at one in every of the various drop-in clinics that provide these tests across London and nationwide in over 95 chosen pharmacies and health stores.