SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Beware: Splenda(R) is not sucralose, but 95% dextrose (D-glucose) and + maltodextrin combined with an undisclosed small amount of mostly indigestible sucralose. "These findings further reinforce the idea that 'sugar-free' varieties of processed food and drink may not be as inert as we anticipated. Artificial sweeteners can actually change how animals perceive the sweetness of their food, with a discrepancy between sweetness and energy levels prompting an increase in caloric consumption," Professor Herzog said according to the press release the University of Sydney published last week alongside the publication of a study that was co-authored by Herzog in CELL Metabolism - a study with the telling title "Sucralose Promotes Food Intake through NPY and a Neuronal Fasting Response" (Wang. 2016). You can learn more about sweeteners at the SuppVersity Aspartame & Your Microbiome - Not a Problem? Will Artificial Sweeteners Spike Insulin? Sweet...

Artificial sweeteners - Could they really be less toxic and obesogenic than half of the blogosphere has it? The study at hand suggests so, but its significance is limited.. The recently posted SuppVersity Classic "Sweet, But Not Innocent!? The Fattening Effects of the Non - Nutritive Sweeteners Erythritol & Aspartame Are On Par With Equally Sweet Sugar Water" ( read more ) has gotten quite some attention on Facebook, against that background I suppose that today's SuppVersity article will, once more inflame passions. The use of artificial sweeteners as dieting aids is after all highly controversial within the health and fitness community. If you've read my previous reviews of the corresponding papers, you will yet be aware that there is not a single human study to confirm that any of the "classic" artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame & co) would have negative effects on the loss of body and fat mass during dietary restriction - an still ...

Despite the fact that candy is per definition (literally) made of sugar, you can buy "no carb candy" at every corner. The results of this study tell you why these aren't worth the money. I have written extensively about artificial sweeteners in the past and would thus hope that it's not necessary to recount all the information about how they interact with insulin, potential toxicity risks, their (non-existent) effects on satiety... ah, well actually I do want to talk about the last point, because it is highly relevant to understand the implications of the results of recent Yale study (Tellez. 2013). I know, it's just a rodent study, but I guess you will feel reminded of yourselves during your diet, when I tell you about the observations Luis A Tellez, Xueying Ren, Wenfei Han, Sara Medina, Jozelia Ferreira, Catherine Yeckel and Ivan E de Araujo made an experiment that is the first to demonstrate that the lack of glucose utilization in the brain makes artifi...

Inulin enriched foods are good for your gut, your waistline and your pancreas (anti-diabesity effect) and what's more inulin is also on the list of anti-constipation agents, 100g that's this week's SuppVersity figure of the week and that despite the fact that it is the amount of fat you are going to gain within one year when your metabolic rate is 100kcal below where it should be (Piaggi. 2013)... Where it should be? Yeah, ok I know that's idiotic, but if you read today's news-item about the down-regulation of the metabolic rate due to YoYo-dieting the picture that emerges is that of yet another vicious cycle that leads directly into a weight spiral that knows but one direction: upwards! Another one of today's news-items does however hint at a solution: Just lose 102% fat! What? I see I got you interested. So what are you waiting for? Lot's of good stuff today. So much in fact that let's spend no time and get right to the news-business ;-) ...

Image 1: A tablespoon of olive oil is probably not enough to boost your testosterone levels, right? Probably not, at least not by 250%, I should say. Another Saturday, time is flying by and we have no time to waste, because YOU will have to dig trough a whole host of pretty long and (hopefully) interesting " On Short Notice " news, today! So let's get to business and start out with the surprising testosterone boosting corticosteroid normalizing effects of a bitter phenol in extra virgin olive oil most of you will probably be consuming on a daily basis without even knowing its name - Oleuropein . When we are through with the human equivalent dosage calculations the scientists obviously forgot to do, we will make a detour to one of those problems that are particularly dear to my heart, childhood obesity and how watching TV and eating fatty and sugary foods make a dynamic duo that can increase your (grand-)son's, (grand-)daughter's, nephew's and niece...

Figure 1: Obese highschool students have a 111% (boys) and 76% (girls) increased risk of relational bullying. ( Kukaswadia. 2011 ) [Note: This is a direct sequel to the last installment ] Delicious! "Milk and vanilla and not a single bacteria in it! How much better can it get?" You are sitting at your desk in the elementary school and dream yourself back to the Kindergarten, when Mrs. Youesdeay's attacks against your Snickers bars still was the only thing you had to fear. Mrs. Undarstant is nice. She likes you. You always do your homework, never complain or talk to others during the lessons. Unfortunately, the latter is in parts a consequence of the fact that the other kids don't like you. "Fatso!", "No, I don't want to hold his hand, Mrs. Undarstant. His hands are sweaty and gooey from the candy he is constantly scoffing down.", ... and these are only the friendlier abuses and rejections you are facing on a daily basis. "Are they s...