Micah Stanley
Daily consumption of artificial sweeteners during pregnancy means that children later in life are clearly more likely to be overweight than children of mothers who did not consume artificial sweeteners during pregnancy. Sweeteners are not only unfavorable for the woman, but also for her unborn child and should not be used during pregnancy.
Sweeteners during pregnancy
Sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame K, thaumatin, cyclamate, saccharin & Co are a guarantee for low-calorie feasting. People hope that this will result in faster weight loss, they want to be able to maintain their hard-fought waistline more easily, or they try to avoid excess kilograms during pregnancy.
For some people, all of this works fine. For others, the sweeteners lead to undesirable side effects. Yes, some people actually gain weight more easily than ever with artificial sweeteners.
Sweeteners promote obesity
We have already reported here that sweeteners can change intestinal flora in such a way that the person concerned tends to be overweight. Because the composition of the intestinal flora determines how the food is utilized.
If you are unlucky enough to have mainly intestinal bacteria that can, for example, also convert roughage into usable carbohydrates or fats, you will consume many more calories than someone whose intestinal flora does not do this to such a large extent.
However, a Canadian study has shown that not only those who regularly consume sweeteners can gain weight, but also, in the case of a pregnant woman, her child if the mother-to-be consumes sweeteners during pregnancy.
Sweeteners: effect on children
The consumption of sweeteners has increased dramatically in recent decades – as has obesity in children. Is there a connection here?
Women in particular use calorie-free sweeteners. If this happens during pregnancy – as we know from animal studies – this can lead to the offspring becoming overweight later in life.
Canadian scientists working with Meghan Azad from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg have now checked in a cohort study (CHILD Study) with over 3000 mothers whether this also applies to humans. They examined pregnant women and their offspring from 2009 to 2012.
Sweeteners during pregnancy: fatter children
Almost 30 percent of women used sweeteners during pregnancy, especially in the form of soft drinks. Compared to the women who did not consume any sweeteners, the children of the women who took sweeteners had a higher BMI at the age of one year, i.e. a higher body weight.
The risk of being overweight in these children doubled, meaning they were twice as likely to be overweight as children born to mothers who didn’t consume artificial sweeteners.
Other causes of obesity (child’s diet, mother’s BMI, total energy intake, etc.) were excluded.
No such association was observed for drinks sweetened with sugar. Nevertheless, the enjoyment of completely unsweetened drinks (mineral water) would of course make much more sense.
It is better to avoid sweeteners during pregnancy
Sweeteners should be avoided at all costs, especially during pregnancy – not least because sweeteners are seen in some studies in connection with an increased risk of premature birth.
Sweeteners are also said to irritate the blood sugar level even more than some types of sugar and therefore promote the development of diabetes. The kidneys are also not at all happy about sweeteners, as a study showed. It observed that women who preferred to choose light products lost 30 percent of their kidney function within a decade.
