Artificial sweeteners are no substitute

33g The average amount of sugar in a standard 330ml can of non-diet pop – over a third of the UK’s recommended maximum daily intake of 90g

Think you’re doing your fat loss efforts a favour by swapping sugar for artificial sweeteners? Think again. New research from York University has found sugar substitutes, particularly aspartame, negatively affect the body’s ability to manage blood glucose levels, reducing your ability to lose weight and even increasing the risk of diabetes.

Artificial sweeteners have long been used because of a belief that they’re not digested by the body, but this study found that bacteria in the gut may be able to break them down – causing the exact problems they’re meant to avoid. The sweet truth: cutting your intake of both sugar and its substitutes will vastly improve your fat loss.

233 The average amount in litres of soft drinks consumed per person in the UK last year – 14.8 billion in total