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Artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar are currently in great demand by many people, because they are considered healthier than sugar or brown sugar. However, research shows that consuming large amounts of low-calorie sweeteners can actually stimulate fat formation, especially in obese individuals.

According to research, artificial sweeteners actually promote fat production

According to the Drug and Beverage Supervisory Agency (BPOM), artificial sweeteners are a type of sweetener whose raw material cannot be found in nature and is produced through a chemical process. Examples of sweeteners that are also called low-calorie sweeteners are aspartame, cyclamate, sucralose, and saccharin. This type of low-calorie sweetener is commonly used in processed foods such as syrup, soda, jam, to special foods intended for diabetics or special diet foods.

Researchers at the University of Washington, examined the effects of sucralose (a type of artificial sweetener) on stem cells derived from human fat tissue and abdominal fat samples.

This study found that stem cells show an increase in a gene that is an indicator of fat production. In addition, stem cells show increased fat accumulation, especially when exposed to higher doses of sucralose.

This research further involved eight people who will perform abdominal fat biopsy. These eight people actively consume artificial sweeteners, especially sucralose and aspartame. Four of them were obese, and four of them were in good health and had no medical conditions.

This sample of eight people was then compared with samples taken from people who did not consume artificial sweeteners. As a result, a sample of eight people who actively consumed this low-calorie sweetener not only showed an increase in glucose transport into cells, but they also showed an increase in genes related to fat production. Meanwhile, a sample of people who did not consume artificial sweeteners did not produce the same results as people who consumed artificial sweeteners.

How to safely consume artificial sweeteners so you don't get fat?

Aspartame and sucralose are both approved by the FDA for human consumption, but the FDA also establishes a daily consumption limit for each artificial sweetener, which is the maximum amount deemed safe to consume each day for a lifetime.

For aspartame alone, the FDA has set a maximum amount of 50 mg per kilogram (mg / kg) of body weight. So if you weigh 50 kg, the maximum consumption of aspartame per day is 2,500 mg.

According to nutrition and food expert Jennifer McDaniel said, although one can of soda generally only contains 200 mg of aspartame, you should still consider limiting its intake. Why?

Because aspartame has 200 times the sweetness of sugar, it causes you to want to continue consuming sugary drinks and increase the desire for more processed foods.

Although the FDA states that this low-calorie sweetener is safe for consumption, in fact there is no research that fully determines its long-term health effects.