Artificial Sweeteners Guilty For Child Diabetes?

People all over the globe suffer from obesity, but nobody suffers more than an obese child — whose health is permanently put in jeopardy and who gets teased for their weight. Have you ever sat back and thought about what could be making the youth of today overweight? Is it a lack of exercise? A bad diet?

Unhealthy foods? Genetics? Or something else? Children who suffer from obesity are at an increased risk of many different health-related problems which include diabetes and heart disease. Parents all over the world might wonder about certain things, but one of the most pressing thoughts could be whether artificial sweeteners are to blame for child diabetes.

What Do Scientists know About Artificial Sweeteners and Their Link to Childhood Obesity?

For the first time in history, researchers have proven that there is a link between the cheap artificial sugars used in food products and metabolism damage. Fructose, a corn sweetener, is responsible for the growth of fat cells around the vital organs of the body (an especially dangerous type of body fat) and the substance can also increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The information is startling when considering recent advertisements which beg to differ about the dangers of fructose contained in certain foods such as soft drinks, powdered drink mixes and children’s cereal and snack cakes.

Medical experts believe that fructose (also found naturally in certain fruits), can be a contributing factor in the development of childhood diabetes. With the soaring obesity rates among young children all over the world, it does make a person wonder if artificial sweeteners to blame for childhood obesity. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. This area requires much more study by medical science in order to better understand the link between the two.  The impact of obesity in childhood can also follow into adulthood and lead to more serious problems, it is a situation that needs to be addressed now in order to help millions of children grow up to be healthy adults.

Study Information about Artificial Sweeteners

Recently, in the UK, researchers studied the effects of fructose on human beings, rather than rats as previously used.  The results of the study were alarming; sixteen subjects were placed on a strict dietary plan which included large amounts of fructose.  The study found that over a ten-week time period each subject experienced a frightening increase in fat around the heart, liver and other organs of the digestive system.  Subjects that were given sucrose in lieu of fructose did not experience the same problems, though people in both groups gained a similar amount of weight.

Why Is Fructose so Bad for You?

Fructose enters the body and completely bypasses digestive organs that break down other types of sugars and get to the liver intact.  Once in the liver, fructose is responsible for causing a vast array of abnormal body reactions and the substance causes a disruption in the mechanism of fat storing and burning. Knowing this information has allowed scientists to determine with absolute certainty that high fructose consumption leads to heart disease, weight gain and diabetes.

Read More: Sugar Substitutes: A Guide to Artificial Sweeteners

Prognosis

As a parent, it is up to you to make sure your child has a healthy and balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, drinks plenty of water and receives adequate exercise, which will help the child maintain a healthy body weight and avoid obesity. 

Could artificial sweeteners guilty of child diabetes be a real problem? The topic requires more research in order to better understand how fructose affects the mechanism of action in fat storing and burning in the human body, which can lead to childhood obesity and many other problems down the road. However, artificial sweeteners are never the sole cause of obesity. If your child is putting on weight and you are worried, it's up to you to seek medical attention.