Do keto treats with zero carb sweetener spike your insulin?
A 1997 study of the American Society of Clinical Nutrition tried to determine if sweet taste and glucose in the mouth will cause a cephalic phase insulin release (Spike of insulin before any sugar spike in the blood stream).
The study concluded that there is no significant insulin response to the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners.
Many other studies conducted with several artificial sweeteners seemed to reach the same conclusion.
Mark Sission of Mark’s Daily Apple wrote a blog post about this subject, and ended up agreeing with the studies.
For once I do not agree with Mark, nor with the studies.
First of all I am highly suspicious of medical studies, especially when they are funded by the same companies that produce the products or have invested interests in them.
As one of those studies (1) “However studies in humans are few because of the methodologic difficulties in assessing Cephalic Phase Insulin Response” . This particular study is done on 12 men only and measured the response to sucking on a sugar or sweetener tablet for five minutes.
Does not seem like a very extensive study…
Other studies have been conducted with the swish and spit method….Does not seem to replicate what really happens in life very well.
Bottom line is that studies have flaws! Also they can be manipulated easily to fit your agenda, so depending on the result wanted the data will be read in a different way!
My Experience Says..
What do you think is more valuable?
Basing your decisions on a couple of questionable medical research papers or on years of clinical practice with real people, observing real reactions?
Neurological response to substances when placed in the mouth is a fact, (2)
But how can we try to “scientifically” explain the connection between a taste sensation or a nutrient placed in the mouth and the corresponding physiological reactions when many of the brains’ mechanisms still remain unknown or unclear?
I am not a scientist or a doctor.
I do not need to present you with a lot of convoluted research full of difficult terminology, in order to prove my point!
But I have worked closely with a number of individual during the course of 5 years and I have seen reactions happen. I also have seen that modifying the stimulation to the brain by withdrawing sweet taste worked wonders in healing metabolism and the body’s functions.
My Conclusions
This is what I know and experienced as solutions that work:
- removing the sweet taste from the diet greatly helps in re-setting damaged metabolic functions.
- even if the sweet food has NO calories it will NOT elicit a sensation of satiety similar of the one of savory food, even if the macros are equal. ESPECIALLY in Insulin- and Leptin-resistant people.
- Eating sweet tasting foods will continue to cause cravings EVEN if no glucose is present in the food.
- Sweet taste is addictive, as it stimulates the same reward pathways in the brain as recreational drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
- Once an addiction / reward pathway is established it is much harder to control the use of a certain substance:
- Eating sweet tasting foods will lower the self-control of the person eating and make it much easier to lose control over portion size.
- eating sweet snacks basically means recreational eating. Your body does not need that and it only tends to spiral out of control.
- That is why even keto treats should be used in extreme moderation. Maximum once a week.
That is why I will start focusing more and more on savory snacks, and rewards here on the blog and on simple, but tasty meal solutions, that will leave you nourished and fulfilled, minimizing the risk of temptations.
