The Win On Purpose Podcast
The Win On Purpose Podcast focuses primarily on health and fitness tips and discussions, but we love to celebrate ALL THINGS in regard to being the best you can possibly be in business, relationships, and personal development. Win on purpose means just that, purposefully taking action to become your best self, and following your purpose to develop the passion needed to excel at anything in life!
The Win On Purpose Podcast
Debunking Fitness and Nutrition Myths (Part 1): Are Artificial Sweeteners Friend or Foe?
Are artificial sweeteners slowly killing you or could they be helpful tools for weight management? In this myth-busting episode, we cut through the noise and fearmongering to examine what science actually says about those zero-calorie sweeteners in your diet soda.
As we launch our five-part series debunking fitness and nutrition myths, we're tackling one of the most controversial topics first. Rather than relying on social media claims or outdated information, we dive into current meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials to uncover the truth about aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, and other non-nutritive sweeteners.
The findings might surprise you. Despite widespread claims about cancer risk, weight gain, and metabolic disruption, the scientific evidence paints a much different picture. We explore research from the National Cancer Institute, World Health Organization, and Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics showing that artificial sweeteners, when consumed within normal limits, don't appear to cause cancer, don't lead to weight gain, and have minimal impact on blood glucose levels.
This episode isn't just about sweeteners—it's about the larger problem of health misinformation that causes people to abandon their wellness journeys out of fear. We examine why so many beneficial tools get demonized without evidence and how this affects real people trying to make positive changes. Through a balanced, evidence-based approach, we'll help you make informed decisions about whether these sweeteners deserve a place in your nutrition strategy.
Have questions or want to suggest topics for future myth-busting episodes? Reach out to us at adam@transformhealthcoach.com or connect with Coach Adam on social media. Whatever choices you make, ensure they help you win on purpose.
Studies Cited:
- Toews I, et al. (2019).
Association between intake of non-sugar sweeteners and health outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses.
BMJ, 364, k4718.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4718 - Rogers PJ, et al. (2016).
Does low-energy sweetener consumption affect energy intake and body weight? A systematic review and meta-analyses of studies in humans.
International Journal of Obesity, 40(3), 381–394.
https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2015.177 - Suez J, et al. (2014).
Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota.
Nature, 514, 181–186.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13793 - Magnuson BA, et al. (2016).
Biological fate of low-calorie sweeteners.
Nutrition Reviews, 74(11), 670–689.
https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuw032 - FDA – High-Intensity Sweeteners Approved for Use in the United States
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/high-intensity-sweeteners
https://www.facebook.com/coachadamkelley/
Instagram: @coachadamkelley
www.transformedhealthcoach.com
Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast with Coach Adam Kelly. In this episode, we are starting a brand new series that I am super excited about and can't wait to share with you guys, and we are demystifying and debunking fitness and nutrition myths. So this is a five-part series that we're gonna be covering, starting with this episode. So this is an introduction, but then we're gonna go into the actual topic of part one, and that is are artificial sweeteners bad for you? Ok, great question, and we all want to know.
Speaker 1:So we're going to dive into the science here, guys. We're not just going to take popular opinion or what's posted on social media, but we're going to look at meta analysis and randomized controlled trials that are up to date recent and we're going to try to find out the answer to this question question because we know a lot of people are plagued with this question and a lot of people make their decisions based off of what they hear. So we hope we can clear up the mess for you, get to the bottom of it Are they good for you or are they bad for you? So, as always, enjoy the episode and we will catch you on the other side.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast From health and fitness, business, personal development, relationships and more. We promise you will find inspiration to help you win on purpose in all areas of your life journey. Now for your host, adam Kelly.
Speaker 1:What's going on in the world. Welcome back to the Win On Purpose podcast. Or, if this is your first time listening, welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast with Coach Adam Kelly. We are represented by Transform Health Initiative. That is our private coaching program company. I'm actually the owner and head coach of that company, so this is not an ad. This is just us. That's who we are, guys. We are here to help in any way that we can. Wwwtransformhealthcoachcom.
Speaker 1:We are on episode number 32 of the podcast rocking and rolling, and I cannot tell you how excited I am for this episode. Matter of fact, I'm probably going to record all parts of this episode or this series within the next day because I just can't wait to talk about it with you guys, because it's very, very good information. And if you guys know me, if you've worked with me, if you've had any kind of conversation with me really about anything but especially about health and fitness, then you know I am very big into getting into the rumors and the myths and the to getting into the rumors and the myths and the misconceptions and misinformation and all these different beliefs that aren't really backed by any evidence or very weak evidence, and things that are promised to be so true. Everybody knows I have no problem being controversial in a respectful manner. I don't start problems, but I have no problem telling the truth, telling it like it is and trying to get to the root of stuff, because nobody has time to waste and I know my clients definitely don't have time to waste. So I try to stay on the cutting edge of the research that we have available to just the modern man, because, you know, I'm not a scientist, I'm not deep into anything, you anything. I'm just a health coach, transformation coach, personal trainer, all that good stuff who is here to help my clients and help my own health journey in the best evidence-based, safe way possible.
Speaker 1:So, like I said, I have no problem with calling things out, calling things out for lies, for lack of evidence, because I just don't really like being lied to to and I don't like people being lied to and when you should know better, if you're a person in authority or you have a voice that is listened to abroad by many people, you should hold yourself to a higher standard, and that doesn't mean that you have all the answers. I probably say stuff wrong plenty of times, but I do my best to try to be as accurate as possible with what I do know and what I have at my disposal, and I have no problem coming out and clearing the record and saying, hey, I screwed up, I was wrong, I'm an idiot, forgive me. I'm doing my best and here is what I know now. Okay, and I've done this so many times throughout my career and just my life in general and really all areas of my life, especially health and fitness and nutrition and all that. So, if you guys have known me for a long time, I've been in this world for like a decade and a half now and I am a big nerd when it comes to health and fitness and nutrition and all that. So I've been very big into trying all the things that seem popular. I went through that phase all the fads, I tried everything. Some things I even tried just to say that I could, that I tried it so I can help my clientele better. You know, specifically the vegan diet or a vegan diet or just veganism Tried that last about five days was not a good experience, but that was my personal experience, but I wanted to at least try it, to say that I did, so I can actually maybe sit at the table when people are discussing different diet strategies and stuff. So, like I said, if you guys have followed me for a long time, even know me for a long time, you may remember me being on a really big kick for several years over the keto diet and low carb diets in general, and you know more of the paleo naturalistic lifestyle and I was a huge proponent of it and you know I I had a lot of success health wise from it and I helped a lot of people have success as well. But as I started to grow and learn and mature and want to become better at what I do and really be able to help people not just be a spreader of information but actually try to learn what we do know in human beings and what's been studied that's when my perspective started changing on a lot of things.
Speaker 1:In the keto diet, low carb eating lifestyle, whatever you want to call it. That was one of the things that I pulled back on was like, hey, I don't think I have this right. So now that there's anything necessarily wrong with those lifestyles, but as far as those being the best and the way to do it, and if you're eating carbs or if you're not ketogenic, then you're wrong. Blah, blah, blah that whole mentality from that camp. I dropped all that quick or not quick Cause it took a few years, but when I figured it out, I dropped it and I had no problem turning around and say, hey, I don't think I got this right, guys, so I'm going to test this other thing, I'm going to start looking into this other thing and I'm going to try to find, you know, the best option that works for me and also that I can spread to the next person. So that's just kind of how I've always operated, especially in my business as a coach, and so that's why, leading up all that talk, to lead up to this, that is, I'm so excited to do this series because I know it's going to help tons and tons of people.
Speaker 1:Everybody can probably relate to these topics, have had these thoughts, believe these ideas, so we're going to really dig into it, guys. So we are going to call this series Debunking Fitness and Nutrition Myths, all right. And this is a five-part series, all right. So we've got lots of good information coming out. I wish I could drop it all at once, but we're going to space it out so we stay consistent with the algorithm and give you an episode week by week, all right. So the next five weeks, we are breaking down barriers and exposing nonsense, all right.
Speaker 1:So you know, this is like I said. This is the Win On Purpose podcast. This is where we cut through the noise to bring you evidence-based insights on fitness and nutrition and all things health and lifestyle. So that's what you're always going to get here, guys, just kind of debriefing you a little bit, just in case you are new. I know I'm really good about picking up podcasts way deep into their catalog and then eventually making my way back towards their first episode. Some of them are, like you know, hundreds of episodes. So just you know, I like to reintroduce ourselves here and there. So let's go ahead and look at an overview of this episode.
Speaker 1:Okay, this is the start of, like I said, a five part series that we're beginning this week. The overarching topic that we're looking at is debunking fitness and nutrition myths. So we're going to look at five specific myths that are in heavy rotation on many social media circles have been for a long time, but they lack the evidence to hang their hats on them. All right. So our goal is to demystify these topics, destroy the myths and present up-to-date, evidence-based conclusions and recommendations. Because, again, that's what we stand on at Transform Health Initiative and the Win On Purpose podcast.
Speaker 1:So, here at THI and the Win On Purpose podcast, we're all about practical ways to improve our health and life without all the noise that we hear through exhaustive amounts of social media, so-called experts. Okay, we've all been there, I've been there, you've been there. We know what it's like to get on the internet, log in and we start getting bombarded with all these different ideas and these people who are saying that this is best, this is best, this is bad for you, this is going to cause cancer, this is going to kill you, this is going to make you fat, this is going to give you diabetes, and it's just constant doom and gloom. But if you buy their supplement or you buy their book or you buy their program or you buy whatever it is that they're offering you, they're going to solve your problem for you, because they have the right answer and only they have the right answer. So those are the people I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:I'm not talking about people that are out here trying to do their best to spread sound information based on what they know and what they understand and they're genuine about it. Nothing wrong with that. Like I said, I mess up plenty of times, but we're talking about those people, the know-it-all experts, who don't actually have expertise in what they're talking about. So today we're going to be tackling a topic that's often misunderstood and surrounded by controversy. Okay, I say probably my favorite one out of all these as the first episode because, like I said, I'm super excited and I know that a lot of people this, this episode, is going to resonate with a lot of people.
Speaker 1:And we are talking about what Artificial sweeteners. Are they harmful, are they beneficial or are they somewhere in between? Okay, we're going to look at some studies, we're going to look at some cool information here and figure this out, all right. So our goal is to explore the current scientific evidence, not just opinions and anecdotal evidence. People's you know own perspective and their own understanding. We're going to look at the scientific evidence, particularly focusing on meta-analysis and randomized controlled trials. So we want high quality evidence to be looking at to understand the real impact of artificial sweeteners on human health.
Speaker 1:Okay, so, like I said, we're not going with what the you know most of pop, most popular influencers saying at the time. We're not going with what the you know most popular influencers saying at the time. We're going to go with what the evidence says, because that's going to be the better option out of the two, I would think. So we're going to go into our first part here and we're going to look at understanding artificial sweeteners Guys. We need to set the ground rules. We need to set not the ground rules. We need to set the groundwork. Sweeteners guys. We need to set the ground rules. We need to set not the ground rules. We need to set the groundwork. We need to build a good foundation on what we're talking about, because you may have heard artificial sweeteners, but if you haven't researched and really been in this world, then you may have no idea what I'm even talking about, or you probably have some preconceived ideas based on what you've heard. So we need to really figure out what artificial sweeteners are first.
Speaker 1:All right, so as far as the definition and common types of artificial sweeteners, they are also known as non-nutritive sweeteners, so you may hear that term. Non-nutritive sweeteners meaning they don't contain nutrients. They are substances used to sweeten foods and beverages without adding significant calories. So that's already a good thing, just starting there. But we're going to look at to see if you know, if these things cause any problems with us. So common types of artificial sweeteners or non-nutritive sweeteners are aspartame, cercolose, saccharin and this one I always struggle to say asulfame potassium, don't quote me on. Say, um, asphalt, asphalt, fame, potassium. Don't quote me on that. But that is it. Okay, you're going to hear that weird word and you're going to see it on a label and be like, oh, that's what he was talking about, the idiot that can't talk.
Speaker 1:Uses in diet All right, why are these in our food, to begin with? So they're prevalent mainly in, or mostly in, diet and sugar-free products. So your diet foods, your diet drinks, sugar-free candies, cookies, ice cream, all that stuff. And for the purpose of aiming to reduce calorie intake and manage blood sugar levels, okay, so again, two very good purposes that they're meant for. But do they actually do that or are they doing the opposite? We're going to find that out, guys, stay tuned. So regulatory approval OK, let's look at that. Why you know? Again, how are these in our food by the masses? So agencies like the FDA have approved several artificial sweeteners, deeming them safe for consumption within established acceptable daily intake levels. Okay, acceptable daily intake levels.
Speaker 1:That's a very important phrase, guys, because let me, let me just cut you, sorry. If you've had conversations with me, you've probably heard me say this phrase. When we're talking about nutrition, when we're talking about artificial sweeteners or any of the controversial things, red dyes, all that, and I am quoting Dr Damon, uh, not Damon, dr Lane Norton. There we go, quoting Dr Lane Norton, who says that and he may be quoting someone else, I don't know, but I've heard him say it that the dose makes the poison Okay. So it's not about how much of something, necessarily, it's how, or sorry, it's not about the individual thing, necessarily it's about the amount that is being ingested, okay. So a good example of this I like to use with people when they bring up all these different things that are supposedly bad for us. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but what I usually say is okay.
Speaker 1:If we look at everything with that scope, we know that if we drink too much water in one sitting, too quickly, without enough sodium, that we will die basically from dehydration, from washing out all of our electrolytes. There's actually like a medical term for that, but I don't know it. So, anyways, it's not important for the example. So I'm, because that can happen. Does that mean that we should turn around and ban all water because it could kill you? No, obviously not. We know water is important for us. Matter of fact, we know water is vital for our existence. However, if we consume too much of it at one given sitting or for one period of time, it will still kill you. Okay, so you can apply that to most molecules and chemicals and everything else that people are so worried about out there in our foods. All right, I'm kind of giving a spoiler alert here, but just broadly, you can apply that same idea. Now, of course, there are things in this world that are literally will kill you. Like you consume any of it, or even a small amount, it will kill you. But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about. We're talking about things that are regulated by the fda and other governing bodies. Okay, so that's a different situation there, all right.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, moving on from there, now we're going to look at the evidence. Okay, we're going to start evaluating the evidence. We're going to look at some meta-analysis and some randomized controlled trials, all right. So this is where we get into the actual research, and you know, we have some modern studies.
Speaker 1:Here I like meta-analysis. I feel like they're probably one of the most accurate, you know, types of research that we have available and what they are is basically it's a study of studies. So if you have, you know, an accredited body who is looking into a certain topic, like, let's say, artificial sweeteners, so that group takes however many studies they plan on studying. They take all these different studies that are all testing basically the same theory, the same hypothesis or just the same thing in general, and then they give a grand conclusion on the bulk of the evidence All right. So instead of just basing everything that we do off of one study that comes out that's not very accurate, because the more it can be repeated, the more accurate it tends to be. So meta-analysis it shows us how much of the evidence points in a certain direction. So they're a lot more reliable, like I said, than just a one given study. And same thing with randomized controlled trials. They are very, you know, controlled. Obviously they are, you know, constructed very well, they're done in the right way, they're ethical, you know they're basically they're just very legitimate studies typically. So that's why we're going to go with those two types of studies. So our first one.
Speaker 1:Here we have meta-analysis number one from JAMA Network Open. I think it's JAMA J-A-M-A I'm assuming that's JAMA, jama, jama Network Open 2022. So a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open found that substituting low and no-calorie sweetened beverages for sugar-sweetened ones so swapping the artificials in place of regular sweetened beverages was associated with modest weight loss and improved cardiomet metabolic risk factors, without evidence of harm. All right, so that's pretty big deal, guys. So swapping out. According to this bulk of studies, swapping out low slash, no calorie sweetened beverages for sugar sweetened beverages, was associated with moderate weight loss. Now, unless it's making you sick and that's what's causing weight loss, I feel like that's a positive thing and improved cardiometabolic risk factors. So that's going to be things like your risk factors for diabetes, your risk factors for heart disease, different things like that, without the evidence of harm. So not only did they, did it look like it may be beneficial in these two areas, but also they add in there that there's not evidence of harm. Okay, so it's not like they're saying, hey, you know these molecules, these chemicals, they may do some good things, but they also have a trade-off and do bad things. They're saying these chemicals do good things and they don't appear to have a bad trade-off. All right, so just put a pencil in that, because that's just one. Obviously, we want more than that and we have more than that.
Speaker 1:Meta-analysis number two from the BMJ. All right, this is from 2019. So they published a review indicating that some studies report an association between non-sugar sweet sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, over-regular sweeteners, caloric sweeteners can reduce the risk potentially of type 2 diabetes, obesity, overweight, so that again sounds like a positive thing. So we have two meta-analysis here that are showing a lot of good, with really no bad, okay. So meta-analysis number three who? Systematic review? Who, which stands for world health organization? This is from 2022.
Speaker 1:So the world health organization systematic review concluded that non-sugar sweeteners may have little impact on glucose metabolism and result in lower body weight when coupled with energy restriction in the short term. All right, so in other words, they concluded that utilizing artificial sweeteners doesn't appear to have an impact on glucose metabolism. So, in other words of words, it doesn't seem to make glucose metabolism better or worse. It's kind of neutral when it comes to our blood sugar. So that's a good thing when it comes to people who are insulin resistant type two diabetic things like metabolic syndrome because it doesn't seem to spike glucose or anything like that, although there are claims out there that supposedly when you drink diet sodas, when you drink these artificial sweeteners, it tricks the brain that you're getting sugar or calories or sweetened calories, and so then it spikes your blood sugar and all this stuff. Well, we're not seeing that in the evidence. So, like I said, it also resulted in lower body weight. Again, this is a good thing, you know, assuming that they're not sick or something when coupled with energy restriction in the short term. That's a very important thing that they add on the back of that, because it almost sounds like this meta-analysis is saying that artificial sweeteners cause weight loss, but they're making it clear that no, with the calorie deficit, which we know, being in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you consume is how you lose body weight, so being coupled with that results in lower body weight. Okay, so what that means is calorie restriction is what's causing the weight loss, but when they're consuming the artificial sweeteners, it's not stopping them from losing weight. And if it was causing a glucose spike, if it somehow was metabolized and was making you fat which some people claim artificial sweeteners will make you gain weight somehow. Then we wouldn't see the people continuing to lose weight in a calorie deficit or calorie restriction. They would be, at least, you know, probably maintenance or a much slower rate of loss or even gaining weight, like the claims out there say. So the who saying there doesn't seem to be any negative effects, seems to be more neutral with the blood sugar, but also seems to result in low, lower body weight when coupled with a calorie deficit diet.
Speaker 1:Meta-analysis number four the journal of the academy of nutrition and dietetics. This study is from 2024, so this is a super, super recent study. Meta-analysis. So a study in the journal of the academy of nutrition and dietetics found that randomized, controlled trials comparing non-nutritive sweeteners to non-caloric controls show no effect on adult body weight nor evidence of weight gain. Okay, so they had two groups. One group had non nutritive sweeteners, artificial sweeteners. The other one was a control group and we didn't see any difference in their weight. We didn't see them gaining weight or losing weight, just from that one difference. So again there's another meta-analysis. This is a very you know, highly accredited group. The you know, the Journal of Academy of nutrition and dietetics doesn't really get bigger than that in the you know nutrition world. And even they conclude that the non-nutritive sweeteners don't seem to impact body weight in a positive or negative. They seem to be more neutral. Okay, so that's a good thing at the end of the day.
Speaker 1:Now we're going to get to our last meta-analysis, and now you're probably if you have, you know, some resentment towards artificial sweeteners or a bias, or you believe that they're bad for you or whatever again, I was there, trust me. I bought all the zev. I stayed far away from all the artificial sweeteners. Been there, done that. But, like I said, you've heard all that You're like okay, well, they don't cause weight gain, whatever. They don't seem to affect diabetes, whatever. But there's one last fear that people drive when it comes to artificial sweeteners, and that's cancer. Okay, cancer's no joke, nothing to play with.
Speaker 1:So we need to make sure as well as we can, with the current evidence, that artificial sweeteners don't cause cancer and if they do, we need to absolutely exclude them from all of our food and just shut down the companies that are even making them. So meta-analysis number five, the National Cancer Institute, broader reviews. Okay, again, doesn't get much bigger than that. The National Cancer Institute states that reviews of studies have found no evidence that artificial sweeteners cause cancer or other harms in people. I'm pausing to let that set in. In. Just in case it didn't set in, let me read this again. This is from the National Cancer Institute. The National Cancer Institute states that reviews of studies have found no evidence that artificial sweeteners cause cancer or other harms in people. Okay, this is not found in evidence.
Speaker 1:So we have a big problem here because this food source, this sweetener source, these sweetener sources, have been demonized so bad in modern diet, nutrition world, health world, whatever you want to call it, especially the naturalists. They definitely are heavily against artificial sweeteners, anything artificial. You know these things have been demonized for for quite some time now. All right, and it's unfortunate, because when you don't have evidence to back your claim, you're just spewing out of your mouth, okay, and that can lead a lot of people astray.
Speaker 1:And the biggest problem I okay, I'm getting ahead of myself, all right, I'm gonna go and say it the biggest problem that I have with this topic is how many people have fallen off of their health journey, have given up, because they're constantly told that everything that they use that helps them actually achieve their goal is going to harm them somehow or is bad for them somehow and you can find this on any topic out there about protein, about exercise, cardio, weight training, about sleep, about so many different things. You will find people demonizing it out there Meat, vegetables, all swings of the pendulum and this causes a ton of people to fall off of their plan, to give up. Think that this isn't for me, because this is too hard. Everything is working against me. The whole world wants me to fail and in the big food wants me to get cancer and die, and big pharma wants me to take their drugs so I die faster. And big this wants to kill me this way and big that wants to kill me that way. How freaking depressing is that? Guys, sorry about my emotion, but obviously this is a touchy subject for me how depressing is that to think that everything in our environment, everything that's put out there, is made to kill us and that's complete and total nonsense. Now, there are things out there that will. There are things out there that are literally bad for us, and I'm not saying everything's fine, go do whatever you want to do in life and you're going to be as healthy as possible, but I'm saying there's a lot of things out there that can help a lot of people stay consistent and reach their goals and completely change and transform their health and their life. That are being demonized because someone's making money off of that tactic, and that's disgusting, in my opinion. So that's why, like I said, I'm very passionate about this series and it's going to be great because, man, I love just hammering down lies and showing people hey, if you're going to listen to them, you're wasting your time. All right, find the truth, get to the bottom, get to the bottom of it. All right, that's why we have a brain, that's why we live in a time of tons of information, information revolution, technology revolution that gives us access to all the information. It's our job now to utilize it and take advantage of it before they take it from us. All right, because somebody's out there to kill us and they're going to take away technology, so we don't know how to live and operate. All right, moving on. Thank you guys for making it. Through my TED talk. I'm going to step off of my Whatever they call that. I can't think of that phrase, but we're going to move on.
Speaker 1:All right, next section we're going to discuss here addressing common concerns. All right, I may have just did that. I may have gave you more concerns. You may have already tuned out because you're like this guy's losing his crap, but let's address some of the common concerns because, let me, let me say this, with all this stuff I just said I'm not picking on anybody. I'm not calling you out. I'm not saying you're wrong or anything like that. Okay, I'm just saying let's try to get to the bottom of things and have the best understanding that we can and, regardless of what you may believe, I don't judge you for that.
Speaker 1:All right, I'm not. I don't sit on my high horse like, oh, look at these civilians. They think this and this and they don't know what they're talking about. That's not how I roll, guys. I'm very, very empathetic of the situation we're in as a whole because, like I said, I've fallen for all these lies. I've fallen for all this nonsense, and that's why I make it part of my duty as a citizen of this great nation to use my freedom of speech to blast the nonsense.
Speaker 1:All right, but the concerns that you have are legitimate and there's nothing wrong with that. We should be we should be super pessimistic, in my opinion, about most of everything that we trust somebody else to do for us. Ok, outside of, like your, your spouse, who you know obviously should have your back no matter what. But companies, whoever people are out to make money, I get that Like I'm not saying that these companies are out there to make money, that they don't do shady stuff to make money, that they don't cut corners or all that. I'm not saying these companies are good for us and they love us. Kumbaya, no, I'm a realist. I'm just saying not necessarily everything in existence is your death.
Speaker 1:However, we're going to address some of these common concerns because it's important that we, you know, use evidence to line up what we think so that we can be better informed on what's most likely true. So what common concerns are we going to address? First, we're going to address the cancer risk. Again, I've already kind of opened that can of worms, but let's dive in a little bit more. So with the cancer risk.
Speaker 1:Despite widespread concerns, extensive research, including reviews by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, have found no credible evidence linking approved artificial sweeteners to cancer in humans. Because we're talking about humans, I'm not talking about your mouse pet that you've been feeding artificial sweeteners and you're afraid they're going to get cancer, because there's some mice studies that show whatever people are saying. They show that's not what I'm talking about. Obviously, I'm keeping it to who's listening and actually retaining what I'm saying, and that is human beings. So there has been no credible evidence none linking approved artificial sweeteners to cancer in humans. All right, so we can rest that one, we can let that rumor die, we can let that false information die and move on, because it ain't true that diet coke is not giving you cancer. Sherry, go ahead and drink it and you're missing out on those calories that you don't need because they're not going to help you get to your goal. All right, I don't know why. I said sherry, just sounded right.
Speaker 1:Metabolic effects another common concern some observational studies suggest associations between artificial sweetener consumption and metabolic issues. But caveat, these studies often cannot establish causation. Rcts, randomized controlled trials, provide more reliable evidence, generally associating no adverse effects when consumed within recommended limits. All right, the dose makes the poison again. So let me break this down a little bit, because that was a lot of big words. So some observational studies they suggest associations between artificial sweetener consumption and metabolic issues. So what does that mean?
Speaker 1:So observational studies are typically studies that are long-term studies, that they study a ton of participants we're talking like usually hundreds of thousands of people over 20, 30 years, and they have. They ask them questions about their life, about a certain thing that they're testing, and then they just observe and see what happens with this person's health in this situation. So they do the same thing with artificial sweeteners. They've done the same thing with saturated fat, red meat, all of that. They do these observational studies. So they ask the people how many times per week do you consume artificial sweeteners? Okay, they get that information. They watch these people, they keep checking in with them every so often. How many times in this amount of time have you, how many times have you, consumed artificial sweeteners? So when they conclude the study, they look and say, okay, out of all the people that we observed, all the ones that reported they consume artificial sweeteners regularly, how many of them end up with cancer 30 years later? Okay, you've got 40% of them that had cancer, 30% of them that had cancer. And this is just hypothetical. I'm not saying this is exactly what happened, but this is how it happens. So they say, okay, well, there we go. Artificial sweeteners can be linked to metabolic issues and cancer and these different things because what these people answered, but obviously that's not a very good study set up to try to really prove something right or wrong, because there's so many different factors that play into that.
Speaker 1:So same thing with, like, the red meat. When they do those type of observational studies, they'll ask people you know how many times do you eat red meat at McDonald's per week or at fast food per week? Oh, you know, three times per week. Okay, after this much time, this many people had this issue. So red meat causes heart disease because this percentage of people, through our observational studies over these 30, 40 years, reported that they've ate red meat approximately this many times per week over the last 30 years that they're reporting on, and this percentage of people have this condition. So there's an association between this thing and this condition.
Speaker 1:So, like I said, that's not a lot to hang your hat on, because if someone is eating red meat three times per week at fast food, you think they're only just going and buying a steak and just eating a steak by itself. You think they're going and just getting a burger and taking the bun off and just eating the meat by itself, or do you think that they're getting a full burger and a large fry and a milkshake with it or a regular soda with it, because they're obviously not worried about calories. They're getting a burger and fries, or they go out and get a steak, but they also have the potato and the chips and the appetizers and the dessert to go with it. So if we're not weeding out all of these other things and there's no control here over what they're consuming, there's really nothing to test this against. It's a little hard to hang our hat on that type of evidence, because how do we know it's not the french fries? How we know it's not the grease that they're cooked in? How do we know it's not the air that they're breathing from the chemtrails when they walk outside? How do we know that it's not the water that the fluoride's getting into their skin while they're showering? How do we know it's not all these different things outside of this one thing that we're asking them about.
Speaker 1:So that's why we like the randomized control trial is it doesn't pick just a certain type of people, it's randomized. Things are controlled, you have a control group, they are well tested, well reviewed, and most of them, if anybody's going to use them as actual evidence, should be repeatable. Okay, you should be able to see similar results from different scientists from different labs, from different parts of the world, different time periods. All that, okay, should be replicable, all right. So that explains why those observational studies sometimes show associations but not causation, because you can't prove that artificial sweeteners cause that. And when we look at meta-analysis and randomized controlled trials, we see no causation between artificial sweeteners and any of these health issues.
Speaker 1:Last one, because it's a big one gut health. All right, a lot of people talk about. Well, it messes up your microbiome, it throws it off, it causes you to crave sweet things, it does this, it does that, all right. Well, one, before I even read this little paragraph here, matter of fact, let me just read it first and I'll say what I'm going to say. So, emerging research is exploring the impact of artificial sweeteners on gut microbiome.
Speaker 1:While some studies indicate potential changes, the clinical significance of these changes remains unclear and warrants further investigation. So, in other words, we don't know. We got to keep watching, all right, and this is how it is with almost everything that has to do with the gut, the microbiome. Okay, we know so very little about the microbiome, so very little. Basically, you can say we don't really know anything about it. We're just really getting to the technological advances to really start trying to study and understand the microbiome. It is literally a world within bodies, okay, and we know very little about it and notice how it says, while some studies indicate potential changes all right, there's changes that happen.
Speaker 1:But let me tell you this your mic, your gut microbiome, is changing constantly, no matter what your diet looks like, especially if you go from extreme. So maybe you go like more with a low carb diet. For a while you're eating very low carbs, lots of meat, and then you switch to more of like a vegan approach or a vegetarian approach. Well, now you go from eating almost all meat, no plants, to eating all plants. So this gut microbiome, this good bacteria in your belly, in your GI tract, that's responsible for breaking down these foods and breaking down these molecules and absorbing in it, so we can absorb these nutrients and they feed off of it. They break down certain molecules. Okay, certain bacteria eat certain molecules, break down certain foods. They don't break down all foods. So we have different types of gut microbiome, different types of gut bacteria that break down different types of food, and if you've had primarily one type of food, then a lot of those gut bacteria that aren't actually being utilized they die off, they starve and die Like there's no food for them to consume. But once you start reintroducing those foods, because your body has such a hard time digesting them, because you don't have those gut microbiome, you begin to regrow those bacteria and then they start breaking down food and then your digestion goes back to normal. So that's really a lot of almost all we know about gut health and the microbiome.
Speaker 1:So all these claims that people have that it messes up your microbiome or that anything messes up your microbiome, you can pretty much throw out what they're saying for the most part, because we just don't have enough evidence, there's not enough information to really come to a conclusion on anything in that matter. We can have assumptions, but we can't say that things are right or wrong. All right. So let's look at some practical takeaways and recommendations. All right, this episode went on a little bit longer than I expected, but it's good stuff. Obviously, it's the introduction plus episode one, part one. So practical takeaways and recommendations, guys, all right. So the one of the biggest takeaways that we we can we can take away from this conversation is moderation is key. Okay, obviously cliche, but absolutely true. Moderation is key. Okay, obviously cliche, but absolutely true, moderation is key.
Speaker 1:Consuming artificial sweeteners within the established ADI levels is considered safe for the general population. Okay, so within the, you know, recommended amount. Basically, that's been studied. They appear to be safe for the general population. Okay, so that's the moderation thing. Now, if you're, like you know, eating bags of circulose every day as like, for whatever reason, because you're trying not to eat food so you want only non-caloric things going in your body, I can't say what's going to happen because that's going beyond what we even are testing. But within the limits that we test which normal consumption, you know very normal, even if it's somewhat heavy. It may appear to you like you drink a lot of diet soda. You're nowhere near anywhere where we've even seen issues with animal studies. Okay, so you would have to try very, very hard for quite some time to even get to those levels to see if that would actually cause you problems, but within the recommended amount it seems to be safe.
Speaker 1:So, individual considerations People with specific health conditions such as PKU and I'm not even going to try to pronounce this condition because, okay, I guess I will Phenylketonuria, I don't't know, but if you have that condition you obviously know I'm talking about pku should avoid certain sweeteners like aspartame due to their inability to metabolize phenylalanine okay, I don't know how to say that, but anyways, if you have that, you may avoid them, or avoid aspartame specifically. So there may be some warrant for that. All right, so outside of that, there's not really many considerations because it seems to be pretty safe for us. So, looking at more of a whole diet approach, this is where I feel like all of us should be, regardless of where you stand on this conversation. It should be something that you're adding in to your diet, not a staple of your diet.
Speaker 1:So the whole food approach, focusing on an overall balanced diet rich in whole foods, is more beneficial than fixating on individual ingredients. So if you're eating mostly whole foods, lean meats, fruits and veggies, whole grains, and that's your diet, you're going to be probably in pretty good shape, health-wise okay, within control, obviously. If you're overeating, that's bad, but within control, within a calorie control, you're probably going to be good. And if you sprinkle in extra things here and there fun foods, that's what I call junk food. Basically, fun foods, artificial sweeteners, dyes, all these different things people freak out about. You're probably wasting your time because they just don't really show any issues. All right, so let's wrap this bad boy up with our conclusion.
Speaker 1:So just kind of recap a little bit the current scientific evidence from meta-analyses and rtc or rcts sorry, randomized controlled trials suggest that artificial sweeteners, when consumed within recommended limits, do not pose significant health risk and may aid in weight management when replacing sugar. All right, that's what the bulk of the evidence points to. As of now, as of 2025, 2025, may 22nd. All right, I'm recording this a little bit early. So my final thoughts as with many aspects of nutrition, context and moderation are essential guys, essential Context and moderation, context, context, context with all things. I'm really, really big on that.
Speaker 1:Making informed choices based on credible scientific evidence empowers us to take control of our health. All right, so this is where we use science to our benefit. Now, I'm not a science guru and I'm not a worshiper of science. All right, I don't. I know science doesn't give us everything. We don't really know very much at all. Matter of fact, because science doesn't prove anything, anything. It just points towards certain things and certain things look more convincing based on the evidence. But it's not a black and white, true or false? We're still constantly learning as we go. But we can utilize science and we can use utilize this evidence and what we know as humans about humans to dictate our choices and then see what happens.
Speaker 1:You know, because there's lots of things out there that are that are healthy you know just in a general context but for individuals cause problems, for example, broccoli is one of them. Broccoli sorry for all the carnivore people out there broccoli is not bad for you people. Broccoli is not bad for you. However, for me, I don't know if it's the fiber content, I don't know what it is about it, but I get really bloated when I eat broccoli. So like my stomach hurts, I get kind of gassy, tmi, but it is what it is. My stomach swells, like I just don't feel all that great as I'm digesting it. So I have to not eat very much broccoli, even though I really enjoy it, because it doesn't sit well for me. So that doesn't make it unhealthy, it just makes it not best for me. So that's what we always want to figure out is what's best for us. And we test things and figure out what's best for us. But we want to be smart about it not just test things for the sake of testing them, but test things that appear to be true in most people and see if it's true for us, because that's going to be a better idea than just aiming in the dark, throwing stuff at the wall, to see what sticks, all right.
Speaker 1:So if you guys happen to have questions, or or if you have topics that you would like us to explore in further episodes or further series, feel free to reach out. You can email me at adam at transformhealthcoachcom. You can email our admin email at results at transformhealthcoachcom. You can email our admin email at results at transformhealthcoachcom. You can reach out on the website transformhealthcoachcom. You can reach out social media Coach Adam Kelly, k-e-l-l-e-y on all platforms and we'd love to talk with you about it. If you want more specific detail or more information, or you just want to chat about it because you care, so we'd love to talk with you about it. So, as always, I hope this was beneficial for you and, whatever you do with this information, make sure you do something good for yourself, something good for your health, something good for those you care about and, whatever you do, make sure you win on purpose. Talk at you next time, thank you.