Really confused about artificial sweetener

[Derby Simon]

Hello everyone,
I am really confused about artificial sweeteners after I started looking in to them more.
I have recently developed Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD and am type 2 diabetic.
Looking into IBD I learn some artificial sweeteners cause issues in your bowel and could have played a part in my IBD developing as it did - sucralose being one regularly mentioned in articles.
Some years ago I swapped to sugar free fizzy drinks to help my teeth, a couple of years later diabetes sprang up. I have read that artificial sweeteners can cause your sugars to rise or mess with things. Did my swap put me on a slippery path? now with IBD in the mix where sweeteners like sucralose can be bad for IBD I am finding it hard to find for example drinks like squash or fizzy drinks that DONT have sucralose in or other sweeteners with questionable gut impacts. Am I actually better going back to using just a bit of sugar as a sweetener instead of putting faith in sweeteners that might be making my conditions worse?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Artificial sweeteners do seem to be one of those things which are surrounded by lots of conflicting information.

Some seems more reliable than others, and it can be difficult to spot which sources are making extravagant and alarming claims with little evidence to back them up.

Diabetes UK have produced these position statements which try to filter the facts from the fiction

Our position statement on the use of low or no calorie sweeteners

Low or no calorie sweeteners receive much publicity and controversy remains amongst both consumers and healthcare professionals surrounding their use. This is in part explained by the inconsistent and sometimes contradictory information that is presented in relation to their safety, role in...

www.diabetes.org.uk

In general I am happy to include them in my diet, but try to keep my intake down to relatively low levels (a glass or three of sugar free squash each day)

Though, of course, thanks to the sugar tax, low calorie sweeteners are now also common in the full sugar soft drinks I use for hypo treatments 🙄

 

[Specs]

Hello everyone,
I am really confused about artificial sweeteners after I started looking in to them more.
I have recently developed Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD and am type 2 diabetic.
Looking into IBD I learn some artificial sweeteners cause issues in your bowel and could have played a part in my IBD developing as it did - sucralose being one regularly mentioned in articles.
Some years ago I swapped to sugar free fizzy drinks to help my teeth, a couple of years later diabetes sprang up. I have read that artificial sweeteners can cause your sugars to rise or mess with things. Did my swap put me on a slippery path? now with IBD in the mix where sweeteners like sucralose can be bad for IBD I am finding it hard to find for example drinks like squash or fizzy drinks that DONT have sucralose in or other sweeteners with questionable gut impacts. Am I actually better going back to using just a bit of sugar as a sweetener instead of putting faith in sweeteners that might be making my conditions worse?

Hello, I think people use sucralose based sweeteners because they're calorie free as part of a weight maintenance or weight loss diet.
They're seen to be safe as they're on the supermarket shelves. Saccharin is regarded as more risky than sucralose. Now there's a plant based sweetener which is twice as expensive. called Stevia. It has a funny taste. Sugar is just BAD according to my GP and dentist. I wish I'd looked after my teeth and facing root canals/extractions. I love sugar free Coke and lemon but with the cost of living crisis, tap water might be a better option. Gastric issues are really common. I try to avoid spicy foods and alcohol but stress can be a trigger too. Herbal teas like peppermint tea work a treat.

 

[Sarahp]

Hi I have diverticulitis and other GI conditions along with my diabetes (t2) and years ago was told to stay away from sweetners and just have small amounts of low Sugar treats such as a small amount of plain chocolate now and again or a portion of grapes. I sometimes have a small amount of fruit juice in a glass topped up with sparkling water, I use about the same as a portion/measure of squash. You could try slices of lemon or lime or small amount of berries as well.
Generally I find the more artificially sweetened foods I have then the more I crave sugar and sweet things.
It’s hard but each of us seems to be different in what we crave so try find the balance that works for you plus keep an eye out for new recommendations x