Artificial sweeteners give bitter taste to people's health

Agencies

August 3, 2018

New Delhi, Aug 3: If you feel artificial sweeteners are a perfect substitute to sugar, you might want to think again!

Marketed as 'sugar-free' or 'diet option', artificial sweeteners - commonly found in a variety of food and beverages, including soft drinks, chewing gum, jellies - give a person the same pleasure as sugar but reduce the calories.

But, are these popularly marketed sweeteners the right choice?

"People who are weight conscious or suffering from diabetes or cardiac problems usually prefer artificial sweeteners over table sugar as they are calorie-free.

However, many would not know that these are made from chemicals and prolonged use of these sweeteners destroys your taste buds, thereby making your essential foods like nutritional fruits and vegetables unpalatable," said Mohamad Yusuf N Shaikh of Kudrati Ayurved Health Center.

"Also, they increase craving for sweets and make people more inclined towards them. Later, precaution turns into the addiction to sweets, which leads to increased appetite and weight. So, if you take these sweeteners, consume them carefully," he cautioned.

Further, Dr Pooja Chaudhary, Wellness Consultant, Healthians, said the side effects of excessive usage of artificial sweeteners include migraines, obesity, among others.

"Most artificial sweeteners come with a bitter aftertaste. The top dangers of artificial sweeteners are migraines, obesity, dull taste buds, change in vision, nausea and vomiting, hormonal imbalance, insomnia / sleep problems, increased hunger/ overeating, abdominal and joint pains, allergic reaction and type 2 diabetes," said Chaudhary.

She added that a person consuming too much sugar-free foods can still gain weight if the food item contains other ingredients that are calorie loaded. For instance, in the case of diet soda or diet coke, sugar substitute can lower one's risk of tooth decay, but the acid in diet soda could contribute to dental erosion.

So, are you now looking for some healthier alternatives to sugar?

According to Dr. Manjari Chandra, senior nutritionist, India Virtual Hospital, things such as cane sugar, palm sugar, jaggery, honey are better alternatives to sugar.

"Research suggests that synthetic sweeteners like Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharin, Acesulfame Potassium and even Stevia might not be a great alternative to sugar. They could have a negative effect on gut microbes and thus lead to a higher risk of diabetes cause kidney injury, cancer and endocrine disorders," she concluded.

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Tea drinkers tend to have a longer and healthier life!

Agencies

January 11,2020

Europe, Jan 11: Researchers have revealed the people who drink tea at least three times a week have healthy years of life and longer life expectancy.

The research was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Dr Xinyan Wang, who is the author of the study, said: "Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death. The favourable health effects are the most robust for green tea and for long-term habitual tea drinkers."
The analysis that was conducted included about 100,902 participants of the China-PAR project2 with no history of heart attack, stroke, or cancer.

Participants were classified into two groups: Habitual tea drinkers and never or non-habitual tea drinkers and followed-up for a median of 7.3 years.

The analyses estimated that 50-year-old habitual tea drinkers would develop coronary heart disease and stroke 1.41 years later and live 1.26 years longer than those who never or seldom drank tea. Compared with never or non-habitual tea drinkers, the habitual tea consumers had a 20 per cent lower risk of incident heart disease and stroke, 22 per cent lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 15 per cent decreased risk of all-cause death.

The potential influence of changes in tea drinking behaviour was suspected in a subset of 14,081 participants with assessments at two-time points. The average duration between the two surveys was 8.2 years, and the median follow-up after the second survey was 5.3 years.

Habitual tea drinkers who maintained their habit in both surveys had a 39 per cent lower risk of incident heart disease and stroke, 56 per cent lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 29 per cent decreased risk of all-cause death compared to consistent never or non-habitual tea drinkers.

Senior author Dr Dongfeng Gu said: "The protective effects of tea were most pronounced among the consistent habitual tea drinking group. Mechanism studies have suggested that the main bioactive compounds in tea, namely polyphenols, are not stored in the body long-term. Thus, frequent tea intake over an extended period may be necessary for the cardioprotective effect."

In a subanalysis by type of tea, drinking green tea was linked with approximately 25 per cent lower risks for incident heart disease and stroke, fatal heart disease and stroke, and all-cause death. However, no significant associations were observed for black tea.
Dr Gu noted that a preference for green tea is unique to East Asia.

Two factors may be at play. First, green tea is a rich source of polyphenols which protect against cardiovascular disease and its risk factors including high blood pressure and dyslipidaemia. Black tea is fully fermented and during this process, polyphenols are oxidised into pigments and may lose their antioxidant effects. Second, black tea is often served with milk, which previous research has shown may counteract the favourable health effects of tea on vascular function.

Gender-specific analyses showed that the protective effects of habitual tea consumption were pronounced and robust across different outcomes for men, but only modest for women. Dr Wang said: "One reason might be that 48 per cent of men were habitual tea consumers compared to just 20 per cent of women. Secondly, women had a much lower incidence of, and mortality from, heart disease and stroke. These differences made it more likely to find statistically significant results among men."

She said: "The China-PAR project is ongoing, and with more person-years of follow-up among women the associations may become more pronounced."

In conclusion, the authors have found that randomised trials are required to validate the results and to illustrate nutritional guidelines and advice for lifestyle.

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Is coronavirus spreading through air?

Agencies

July 30,2020

New York, Jul 30: Can the coronavirus spread through the air? Yes, it's possible.

The World Health Organisation recently acknowledged the possibility that Covid-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions.

Recent Covid-19 outbreaks in crowded indoor settings — restaurants, nightclubs and choir practices — suggest the virus can hang around in the air long enough to potentially infect others if social distancing measures are not strictly enforced.

Experts say the lack of ventilation in these situations is thought to have contributed to spread, and might have allowed the virus to linger in the air longer than normal.

In a report published in May, researchers found that talking produced respiratory droplets that could remain in the air in a closed environment for about eight to 14 minutes.

The WHO says those most at risk from airborne spread are doctors and nurses who perform specialized procedures such as inserting a breathing tube or putting patients on a ventilator.

Medical authorities recommend the use of protective masks and other equipment when doing such procedures.

Scientists maintain it's far less risky to be outside than indoors because virus droplets disperse in the fresh air, reducing the chances of Covid-19 transmission.

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