If you’ve opened a website at any time in the last 20 years, you’re likely aware of all the controversies surrounding our food. In an age where everything is “harmful” to our body and causes weight gain, how can we stay healthy?
Rumours of so-called “appetite” foods (mainly ingredients that some say will make you hungry and run to the cookie jar!!) have been around for quite some time. Let’s take a closer look at some of these rumors and see if they are backed up by science.
Some reports in the media but mostly on the internet from unsubstantiated sources have (erroneously) linked low-calorie sweeteners to various health risks, including diabetes, cancer and the ability to whet the appetite and lead to further food consumption, beyond normal. All research and tests by international organizations regarding toxicological and safety issues have repeatedly certified their safety. In reality, however, there is extremely limited and conflicting scientific evidence to support the above claims.
Data from long-term interventions support the use of low-calorie sweeteners, especially when contained in beverages, since they can be a useful tool for maintaining reduced levels of energy intake, in place of sugary foods. However, beyond the weight issue, experts agree that low-calorie sweeteners can have a beneficial effect on postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels in healthy people and people with diabetes.
Two separate clinical trials published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (one of the most influential journals in Biology and Medicine in the last 100 years) found that participants who replaced sugar with low-calorie sweeteners were able to significantly reduce their daily calorie intake . The researchers also observed that participants who consumed foods and beverages with low-calorie sweeteners experienced reduced feelings of hunger and weighed less at the end of the studies.
The above conclusions confirm other positive results of recent scientific studies, which show that low-calorie sweeteners do not increase appetite and have no noticeable effect on the feeling of satiety, while in practice and under realistic conditions, they can enhance weight loss when are used as part of a behavioral weight loss program.
Similar to low-calorie sweeteners, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is another food ingredient that often falls victim to anti-scientific misconceptions.
MSG is found naturally in many foods, such as tomatoes and mushrooms, and was first discovered by scientists in 1909. The ingredients it contains have been rigorously tested for over a century, with no evidence or links between consumption and risks for health. The past linked to a Huffington Post article that states that MSG causes weight gain by destroying the appetite-regulatory abilities of the hypothalamus, but fails to mention that the only negative effects were found in newborn rats fed normal lean doses of MSG at 4 mg/g of body weight.
Even people who have consumed 10g burst doses of MSG (tens to hundreds of times higher than what is normally found in food) have experienced no ill effects on their health, and no increase in appetite.
While it may be easy to scapegoat certain foods or food ingredients as causes of obesity, the truth about weight management is one and it goes by the name of “Energy Balance.” If we consume more calories than we burn, we will put on weight, and vice versa.
By creating a balanced diet on a daily basis we expand the variety of our food and beverage choices to include nutrients (such as grains, carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables) daily and in combination with systematic physical activity, is a of the most effective schemes to lose weight.
So think twice the next time you hear the story of so-called “appetizing” foods. In the age of technology, where everything can be spread digitally to every corner of the world, the need to double-check everything we read and source becomes imperative. more information from reliable scientific sources in order to avoid falling prey to misinformation.
