DANGERS IN ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

Although dieters can see cakes, desserts and cookies that contain artificial sweeteners as a wonderful way to enjoy treats while losing weight, the bad news is that these sweeteners seem to cause serious health problems.

Firstly, there is the surprising issue of weight gain.

Although artificial sweeteners contain no calories, many of them (such as aspartame) seem to impair your body’s ability to detect whether your stomach is full, triggering overeating and stronger cravings that can thwart your attempts to lose weight.

For example, one study conducted in Texas found that the more diet sodas a group of participants drank, the more likely they were to become overweight.

Perhaps even more worryingly, people who consume the greatest amounts of artificial sweetener are two times more likely to suffer from impaired kidney function. This was discovered after scientists completed huge study that lasted over a decade, so the results are credible (though the precise mechanism of action remains mysterious).