Jaume Fontanals, microbiota expert: “Sweeteners are sugar substitutes, but their consumption should be minimal”
The health professional shared a video on TikTok explaining whether sweeteners are a good substitute for sugar and why.
In the field of health, sugar consumption is linked to the development of various diseases. That said, there is no need for excessive alarm. As with most things, the key is moderation. Controlled intake is not harmful, but problems arise when consumption becomes excessive and continues regularly over a long period of time.
In this context, Jaume Fontanals, a microbiota specialist and social media educator, shared a video on TikTok addressing whether sweeteners are a good alternative to sugar: “Are sweeteners really a healthy alternative to sugar? Or are we just replacing one problem with another?” the health professional asks.
“Sweeteners are substances that add sweetness to foods or drinks but contain little to no calories. They are divided into artificial and natural sweeteners. The promise of all sweeteners is the same: to help control weight and blood glucose spikes,” Jaume explains. He then goes on to describe what happens in the body when we consume them.
@dr.fontanals Nuestro cerebro 𝗔𝗠𝗔 𝗘𝗟 𝗔𝗭𝗨𝗖𝗔𝗥: activa los centros de recompensa y nos hace sentir placer inmediato🧠 Eso explica por qué buscamos el sabor dulce una y otra vez...🍬 Sin embargo, en la búsqueda de “lo dulce sin culpa”🙄, muchas personas recurren a los 𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗦: son prácticos, poco o cero calóricos, y mantienen esa sensación de dulzor que nuestro cerebro aclama🙌🏼 Pero la forma en que la palatabilidad impacta tu microbiota y tu metabolismo es real y merece atención🦠 Como médico integrativo especialista en microbiota👨🏻⚕️, te explico en este Reel: ✅ Qué edulcorantes son más respetuosos con tu microbiota ✅ Cómo consumir los edulcorantes ✅ Si es más saludable el azúcar o los edulcorantes 👉🏼 Porque no se trata de eliminar el placer, sino de disfrutar lo dulce de forma inteligente💚 #edulcorantes #eritritol #stevia #microbiota #saluddigestiva
♬ sonido original - Dr. Jaume Fontanals Jorba
“Several studies have shown that these sweeteners can affect the composition of your microbiota, influencing inflammation, metabolism, and the gut-brain axis,” he says. However, these potential effects vary from person to person: “Their impact depends on the dose and each individual’s context, including genetics, metabolism, physical activity, lifestyle, stress, diet, and many other risk factors.”
“Sweeteners can be a tool”
To conclude, the microbiota expert addresses the key question: “Is it healthier to replace sugar with sweeteners?” His answer is clear: “Yes, but with careful judgment.”
“If you come from a diet high in sugar and replace it with sweeteners, they can be a useful tool in your lifestyle. But over time, we need to retrain our palate so that sweetener consumption becomes as low as possible in the future,” Jaume Fontanals concludes.
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