‘Diet’ drinks can cause diabetes research finds

Even though we are in the middle of summer, the craze to lose weight is just as intensive for many men and women. The shops and supermarkets are full of ‘diet’ and ‘energy’ drinks, and scientists are warning that their association with type 2 diabetes is a reason for concern.

The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy has always warned their hypnotherapy for weight loss clients against these types of drinks as most contain very high levels of Aspartame, which we know isn’t good for the body.

Paul White, the behavioural change specialist at the Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy, and former Chairman of the National Council for Hypnotherapy, said “These so called diet and energy drinks contain many chemicals that the body can’t utilise because they are not natural and they confuse the bodys’ natural mechanisms that regulate sugar intake.”

The US already has restrictions on sale of such products in schools to promote intake of healthier options like water and juice among school children.

Findings from a recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that there is a higher risk of diabetes from so-called ‘diet’ or ‘light’ drinks than from ‘normal’ sweetened soft drinks.

“The analysis performed for 14 years on 66,188 women in the E3N cohort study confirms a link between sweet soft drinks and type II diabetes and reveals for the first time in France that, contrary to received wisdom, there is a higher risk of diabetes from so-called ‘diet’ or ‘light’ drinks than from ‘normal’ sweetened soft drinks,” the report read in part.

The research led by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Director of Research, Françoise Clavel-Chapelon, said that additional studies on the effects of ‘light’ sweetened soft drinks are needed to corroborate the result. While it has been established that consumption of sweetened drinks is associated with an increased risk of obesity and of type II diabetes.

It is well known that you can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by losing weight. During our hypnotherapy to lose weight programme we often come across clients that have a high dependency on these ‘diet’ or ‘light’ drinks. With these clients we have to work to reduce the desire and help the clients to abstain for sufficient time, so as to allow their bodies to re-establish the mechanisms that help them to regulate their sugar intake to more appropriate levels.

The results of the research showed that women who drink ‘light’ or ‘diet’ sweetened soft drinks tend to drink more of them than those who drink ‘normal’ sweet soft drinks (2.8 glasses per week as against an average of 1.6 glasses per week respectively).

The research showed that when equal quantities are consumed, the risk of contracting diabetes is higher for ‘light’ or ‘diet’ drinks than for ‘non light’ or ‘non diet’ drinks. The risk of developing diabetes is 15% greater with the consumption of half a litre per week and 59% greater for the consumption of 1.5 litres per week, respectively.

The report wanted to assess whether the risk was mainly associated with ‘light’ or ‘diet’ soft drinks. In order to do this, the researchers also investigated the effects on the human organism of 100% natural squeezed fruit juices and their study found no association with a risk of diabetes.

At the Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy we help clients to change their relationship with food which often includes ‘light’ or ‘diet’ sweetened soft drinks. Your hypnotherapist will work with you to change the way you view food and drinks, even the way you think about food, so your behaviour returns to one where you eat to live, rather than live to eat. By doing so you remove the guilt, reduce consumption and feel happier around food.

Paul White has been a Director of The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy for 11 years. He has a special interest in weight control and problem behaviours (addictions).

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