Fake Sweeteners Might Help Keep Pounds Off

Action Points

·         The American Heart Association (AHA) has previously concluded that limiting added sugars is an important strategy for supporting optimal nutrition and healthy weights.

·         This new statement from the AHA and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) indicates that there are some data to suggest that noncaloric sweeteners may be used in a structured diet to replace sources of added sugars and that this substitution may result in modest energy intake reductions and weight loss.

Can artificial sweeteners help people reach and maintain a healthy body weight?

 Maybe, according to two major medical societies:

A scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association concluded that using non-nutritive sweeteners could cut down on added sugars and therefore lead to beneficial effects.

But an extensive literature search found sketchy, limited, and often contradictory evidence, researchers concluded in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and Diabetes Care.

"Smart use of non-nutritive sweeteners could help you reduce added sugars in your diet, therefore lowering the number of calories you eat," said lead author Christopher Gardner, PhD, of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

That reduction "could help you attain and maintain a healthy body weight, and thereby lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes," Gardner said in a statement.

But any beneficial effects, the researchers noted, could be undone if people "compensate" for the calorie cuts by eating more high-calorie foods – drinking a diet soda, for example, and then having an extra piece of cake later.

A high intake of dietary sugars has been shown to contribute to cardiovascular disease and obesity, which can lead to the development of diabetes. In 2009, the American Heart Association recommended a population-wide cutback in added sugars in foods, urging that women eat no more than 100 calories a day and men no more than 150 calories daily of added sugars.

For this analysis, the researchers looked at studies of the non-nutritive sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame-K, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, and stevia.

Few studies have looked directly at whether non-nutritive sweeteners can replace added sugars in the diet, the researchers found, although there are data about their effects on such things as obesity and cardiovascular disease.

But those data are inconclusive. In several studies, use of the substances was associated with unwanted outcomes, such as obesity, presumably because of reverse causation – those using the sweeteners were doing so because they already were overweight.

On the other hand, some people might clearly benefit from drinks and foods that replace sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners, according to co-author Diane Reader, RD, of the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

"For example, soft drinks sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners do not increase blood glucose levels, and thus can provide a sweet option for those with diabetes," Reader said in a statement.

But she cautioned that "just because a food product includes a non-nutritive sweetener" does not mean that it is healthy.

Reader added that non-nutritive sweeteners can be an important part of controlling carbohydrate intake in order to manage weight and control diabetes.

The researchers noted that the effect of non-nutritive sweeteners has to be considered in the context of the overall diet.

"Strategies for reducing calories and added sugars also involve choosing foods which have no added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners – such as vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, and non- or low-fat dairy," Gardner said.

What benefit is cinnamon in type 2 diabetes?

Reports about the possible benefits of cinnamon for people who have type 2 diabetes have been circulating for years, and not all of them have been positive. A new study from China, however, bears some sweet news and lends support to the research on the positive side of the issue.

A research team from Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, led by Yan Chen, set out to determine if supplements of cinnamon extract could help control blood sugar (glucose) and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes. The investigators used a water extract of cinnamon rather than whole or ground cinnamon.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 66 individuals with type 2 diabetes who were assigned to one of three groups: placebo, 120 mg of cinnamon supplement daily, or 360 mg daily for three months. All the participants were also taking the antidiabetic drug gliclazide, a sulfonylurea like glipizide and glyburide.

After three months, fasting blood glucose levels were significantly lower in patients who took cinnamon: an average of 1.01 mmol/L in the low-dose group and 1.62 mmol/L in the high-dose group. No change was observed in the placebo group.

Triglyceride levels also were significantly lower in the low-dose group by an average of 0.78 mmol/L, but only slightly lower in the high-dose group.

Based on their findings, the researchers proposed "that cinnamon be considered a promising supplement for the therapy of type 2 diabetes when hyperglycemia cannot be satisfactorily controlled by other strategies such as diet, exercise, and prescribed medication." They also noted that "the effect of cinnamon on blood glucose control is likely dependent on the form of cinnamon used for the patients," and that the "different extraction methods might affect the efficacy of cinnamon." Some studies, however, have seen good results with other forms of cinnamon.

Other studies of cinnamon in type 2 diabetes
A meta-analysis conducted at the University of California-Davis included eight clinical studies of the impact of whole cinnamon and cinnamon extract on people with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetics. The authors reported that both types of cinnamon use resulted in a statistically significant decline in fasting blood glucose. In a more recent meta-analysis, this one from the University of West London, investigators examined the impact of cinnamon on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Six randomized controlled trials with a total of 435 patients were considered.

Overall, the reviewers found that use of cinnamon resulted in a significant decrease in mean hemoglobin A1c and mean fasting plasma glucose. They concluded that cinnamon had a good effect on glycemic control and that the short-term effects looked "promising."

As always, more research is needed to better determine the role of cinnamon in managing this growing epidemic. The most recent study provides some sweet news for individuals with type 2 diabetes who are looking for natural ways, like cinnamon, to help them with this task.

Exercise and a Smart Diet Are the Dynamic Duo to Lose Weight

You may have noticed that exercise alone isn't enough for most of us to lose weight. Even on the TV show "The Biggest Loser," for which contestants exercise for hours and hours a day, contestants still need to use portion control to reach their goals. Still, physical activity is important if you want to reach and maintain a healthy weight because, by the same token, diet alone doesn't give you the muscle tone, endurance, and aerobic capacity that exercise does. In fact, diet alone may increase visceral fat (belly fat) and boost your risk of disease. But combining the two? Like Batman and Robin, this dynamic duo is much better together.

Here's the latest news: Eating right helps your body handle potentially damaging particles called free radicals that are generated when you exercise. In a recent, headline-grabbing study, people who munched watercress daily had an easier time processing these free radicals after a session on a treadmill than those who skipped the leafy green.

Free radicals created by a moderate amount of physical activity, such as a daily, half-hour walk, are actually helpful. Physical activity switches on your cells' antioxidant defenses, increasing their ability to neutralize free radicals, which keeps your cells healthier -- possibly the main health benefit of physical activity. Leafy veggies, such as watercress, kale, spinach, and turnip greens, help out because they contain flavonoids that, along with physical activity, increase your natural antioxidant defenses.

No matter how you exercise, combining good nutrition with regular workouts makes your heart and lungs fitter, and your bones and muscles stronger. It also lowers your risk for everything from diabetes and cancer to plus-size, elastic-waist pants.

Greens aren't the only edibles you should pair with your comfy socks and running shoes. Here's the lowdown on three more nutrients that belong in your diet:

1.     Protein: Strength-training with resistance bands, dumbbells, and hand weights, those fancy machines at the gym, or even moves that use your own body weight -- is necessary to maintain and build muscle, as is eating enough protein -- something up to one in three men and two in five women don't do. Nuts, whole grains, fish, skinless chicken, beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy, and egg whites are all great protein sources. To build muscle, it helps to get some protein within an hour of doing resistance exercise. You need about 0.5 grams of protein a day for every pound you weigh (about 75 grams if you weigh 150 pounds).

2.     Calcium: Strength-training and weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, taking the stairs, lunges, and squats, put good stress on bones and help keep your skeleton sturdy, but from your spine to the tiniest bones in your toes, your frame also needs calcium. Half of us don't get enough of this important mineral, and even more don't get enough vitamin D3, which is necessary for calcium to do its work. You need 1,000 mg of calcium (1,200 mg if you're 60-plus), and 1,000 IU of D3 (1,200 if you're 60-plus) daily. Start with veggies, such as kale and collards (you might consider nonfat dairy or milk substitutes), and add a supplement -- especially necessary for D3 -- if you're not hitting your goals.

3.     Good fats: A sharper brain is one of the most amazing benefits of regular exercise. Moving not only encourages the growth of new cells in your noggin, it also nudges these cells to form new connections -- essentially lowering your risk for cognitive decline as you age. Add great fats (especially DHA omega-3s) and good fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, walnuts, avocados, salmon, and trout, to a pre- or post-exercise diet and you'll help keep your mind younger.