Sweeteners in Diabetes Mellitus Diet

Abstract

According to the statistics submitted by the World Health Organization, sugar consumption has been constantly increasing worldwide. Craving for sugary foods is a fairly common form of addiction. Poor nutrition, caused by external and internal factors, provokes an increase in the incidence of obesity, arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. This deadly triad annually takes hundreds of thousands of lives across the globe, since the pathologies listed above often go hand in hand, being interconnected. The article discusses the problem of using artificial and natural sweeteners in diet therapy for diabetes mellitus. Nutritionists around the world are concerned about how to preserve the usual sweet taste of dishes and drinks for patients with diabetes, on the one hand, yet avoiding additional harm to their health, and possibly improving the quality of diabetic life, on the other. The author summarized the materials on recent clinical studies on the subject discussed. The article analyses the four sweeteners most commonly used by diabetics: fructose, sorbitol, xylitol and honey stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) leaf powder. Considerable attention is paid to the history of the appearance of each of the substances and medicinal raw materials studied. The author indicates their safe properties and possible disadvantages of use, as well as side effects.