Obesity in America

America has a big problem with obesity, not only does obesity affect American adults but it also affects many children as well. An enormous contribution to the problem with obesity in America is the massive consumption of sugar, and sugar alternatives that seem healthier.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 39.8% of Americans were affected by obesity between 2015 and 2016 (Overweight & Obesity).  This is a huge issue because of all the health issues associated with being obese like diabetes for example.  Many Americans work to fix this problem by taking sugar out of their diets, switching to non-nutritive sweeteners.  These non-nutritive sweeteners seem to be a great alternative as they do not have any caloric value but grant the same satisfaction from the foods people desire.  The switch to greater use of artificial sweeteners has increased production of diet drinks containing no sugar, and other foods attempting to replace sugar for these more attractive sweeteners.  The main issue with is this change from fructose to non-nutritive sweeteners is that there are a lot of potential dangers associated with non-nutritive sweeteners.  In the U.S there are six approved artificial sweeteners by the FDA including acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, and advantame.  Each of these sweeteners has their own recommended acceptable daily intake.  Studies have been done on all these sweeteners individually with many conflicting results, causing confusion to whether they are beneficial or harmful to one’s health.  Non-nutritive sweeteners can be detrimental to one’s health because they may cause a variety of health issues while increasing appetite.

One reason non-nutritive sweeteners can negatively impact one's health is that they cause an increase in appetite.  Many people believe that because of the non-caloric value of non-nutritive sweeteners it is allowing them to eat as much of similar foods with the same satisfaction they received from natural sweeteners.  The only issue with this logic is that artificial sweeteners and natural sugars do not release the same satisfaction associated with the experience of eating.  According to the Washington Post, “A functional MRI exam, which studies brain activity by measuring blood flow, has shown that sucralose, compared with regular sugar, decreases activity in the amygdala, a part of the brain involved with taste perception and the experience of eating” (Zhang).  This means that the brain does not get the same satisfaction from non-nutritive sweeteners as it would from natural sugars.  This causes the consumer to continue to feel hungry after having consumed food with non-nutritive sweeteners.  This can also contribute to health issues including obesity and diabetes. According to Szimonetta Lohner, a researcher from the University of Pécs, out of 49 similar studies, 10 of the studies showed an increase in appetite while 39 studies had no change (Lohner).  While it may seem like the majority of studies prove that there is no change in appetite, it is impossible to ignore the studies that have an increase in appetite, leading to overeating and obesity.  Not only that, but the brain also interacts differently and doesn’t trigger the same satisfaction from non-nutritive sweetener intake causing an increase in appetite in some consumers. Many people believe that there is still insufficient data to determine whether non-nutritive sweeteners are harmful or not. According to a scholarly article published by the Nutrition Journal called “Health Outcomes of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners: Analysis of the Research Landscape” stated “Our findings reiterate the need for prospective, well-controlled, prolonged exposure trials to determine the role of diet soda and [non-nutritive sweeteners] in metabolic health and to differentiate between independent effects of [non-nutritive sweeteners] and those which may be due to other ingredients in diet soda and/or synergism between sweeteners and other ingredients” (Sylvetsky).  While there have been mixed results to the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners to health, there has been no evidence of its benefits.  The results from these studies show either no effect or potential, detrimental, dangers to health.  Meghan Azad, a research scientist of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, stated "Based on all of the research done so far, there is no clear evidence for a benefit, but there is evidence of potential harm from the long-term consumption of artificial sweeteners" (LaMotte).  Regardless of whether non-nutritive sweeteners are dangerous or not, it is important to notice its potential dangers.  The potential harms of non-nutritive sweeteners could be extremely detrimental to one’s health, mainly due to the increase in appetite.

Another reason non-nutritive sweeteners are detrimental to one’s health is because of the potential health issues like diabetes.  According to Szimonetta Lohner, a researcher from the University of Pécs, there is not enough information to determine the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners.  She states “There are numerous gaps in evidence related to the health effects of [non-nutritive sweeteners] in both healthy and non-healthy populations. In healthy subjects’ appetite and short-term food intake, risk of cancer, risk of diabetes, risk of dental caries are the most investigated health outcomes, all of them without any conclusive evidence” (Lohner).  Lohner argues that with all the conflicting studies done on nonnutritive sweeteners there is no definitive answer on its impacts on our health.  While there are many conflicting studies on non-nutritive sweeteners, many of the studies show short-term effects while disregarding long-term effects.  According to Eunice Zhang, a Doctor of Medicine who studied at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, “Long-term use of these sweeteners has been associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. Sweeteners such as saccharin have been shown to change the type and function of the gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms that live in the intestine. Aspartame decreases the activity of a gut enzyme that is normally protective against Type 2 diabetes” (Zhang).  These effects on the gut can increase the risk of type two diabetes, and even with the conflicting studies, the decrease of the gut enzyme that protects against type two diabetes cannot be ignored.  With the increased use of sugar alternatives through diet beverages and other foods has increased Americas risk for type two diabetes.  Not only do non-nutritive sweeteners cause diabetes it does it in a different way than regular sugar does.  According to Brian Hoffmann, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University, the metabolic changes from non-nutritive sweeteners did not occur with natural suggesting that non-nutritive sweeteners could contribute to diabetes and obesity in a completely different way than natural sugars (LaMotte).  Since non-nutritive sweeteners cause these health issues differently than natural sugars shows how even though artificial sweeteners may seem as healthy alternatives they can, in actuality, cause the same issues people are trying to avoid.  Non-nutritive sweeteners can lead to type two diabetes through a different metabolic change than natural sugars making it detrimental to one’s health.

Lastly, non-nutritive sweeteners can also lead to obesity.  Obesity in America is a big problem, and it affects more than 39.8% of Americans (“Overweight & Obesity”).  There have been many studies done linking non-nutritive sweeteners to obesity, and the evidence is hard to understand a can be confusing.  Many people believe that non-nutritive sweeteners are helpful to the obesity problem because it allows for not caloric alternatives.  Rebecca J. Frey from Yale University believes that “Although the rise in obesity in children and adolescents is a complex problem that cannot be attributed to a single factor, preliminary studies suggest that nonnutritive sweeteners may be useful in reducing adolescents’ consumption of drinks sweetened with HFCS” (Frey).  It is true that the reduction of sugars is beneficial to children and adult’s health but replacing those natural sugars with artificial sweeteners is just as bad.  Not only can non-nutritive sweeteners cause diabetes and an increase in appetite, but they lack the nutrients in many naturally occurring sugars that are beneficial to human health.  Non-nutritive sweeteners affect the human metabolic system differently than sugar does.  The CNN article published on April 23, 2018, called “Health effects of artificial sweeteners: where do we stand?” stated “Hoffmann presented his new research Sunday at the annual Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego. Relying on rats and human cell cultures, his team identified a number of pathways linking artificial sweeteners with metabolic changes at the genetic level that could lead to diabetes and obesity” (LaMotte).  Brian Hoffmann is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University and his study shows how different people also react differently to non-nutritive sweeteners which can also lead to health issues and obesity.  If Americans decided to reduce their sugar consumption instead of switching to diets solely based on non-nutritive sweeteners, America could help decrease its obesity problem.  Even in a study published last year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, they found that “regular use of artificial sweeteners was tied to weight gain, increases in waist circumference, as well as a higher incidence of obesity, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular events” (Beck).  The digestion process and brain states that non-nutritive sweeteners have differed from natural sugars causing them both to produce health issues and obesity.  Not only do non-nutritive sweeteners cause an increase in appetites causing people to consume more food even after having eaten, but it also metabolizes differently causing diabetes and a higher incidence of obesity.  Non-nutritive sweeteners can be used but in moderation as long as people do not abuse its consumption because it could lead to potential health issues in the future.

In conclusion, non-nutritive sweeteners are detrimental to one’s health because it can lead to obesity, increase in appetite and other health issues like diabetes.  There have been hundreds of studies done on the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on health, with varying results.  These results have caused many misconceptions and false realities of these non-nutritive sweeteners.  Most people do not understand how these artificial sweeteners affect the human body, creating many debates.  Even though many studies contradict each other, it is still essential to notice non-nutritive sweeteners potential dangers.  Since many studies are linking artificial sweeteners to health issues including diabetes and obesity, it is essential to recognize those as possible, long-term, outcomes from non-nutritive sweeteners.  It is imperative to limit the use of these sweeteners due to their potential harms.  All in all, non-nutritive sweeteners are potentially dangerous to human health, so it is essential to be careful of consumption.  This does not mean people should completely take artificial sweeteners out of their diets, but it means that people should be cautious and limit the intake due to its potential dangers.

Works Cited:
Beck, Leslie. “Evidence Suggesting Artificial Sweeteners May Be Harmful Should Give Us Pause.” The Globe and Mail, 13 Oct. 2018, www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/article-evidence-suggesting-artificial-sweeteners-may-be-harmful-should-give/.
Frey, Ph.D., Rebecca J. "Artificial sweeteners." The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, vol. 1, Gale, 2008, pp. 75-80. Gale Virtual Reference Library
LaMotte, Sandee. “Artificial Sweeteners: Where Do We Stand?” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/health/where-do-we-stand-artificial-sweeteners/index.html.
Lohner, Szimonetta, et al. “Health Outcomes of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners: Analysis of the Research Landscape.” Nutrition Journal, vol. 16, Sept. 2017, pp. 1–21. EBSCOhost, Academic Search Premier.
“Overweight & Obesity.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2018, www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.
Sylvetsky, A. C., et al. “Hormonal Responses to Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Water and Diet Soda.” Nutrition & Metabolism, vol. 13, no. Oct., Jan. 2016, p. 1. EBSCOhost, Academic Search Premier.
Zhang, Eunice. “Diet Drinks May Seem like a Good Idea, but Their Effects May Surprise You.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 June 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/diet-drinks-may-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-their-effects-may-surprise-you/2018/06/01/85859710-5d06-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html?utm_term=.c13cf5a2829f.