Consumer Health News

Bariatric surgeon warns that fake sugars not a great swap for diabetics

By April MacIntyre Apr 2, 2012, 21:42 GMT

Dr. Cason Liu, a surgeon in Santa Monica who has been performing weight-loss surgeries for more than a decade. He tells Monsters and Critics that you should be afraid of low-calorie sweeteners too.

One board certified Bariatric surgeon is sounding the alarm not only on calorific sugar, but even the fake sugars diabetics and the obese rely on to quash the sweet cravings.

Dr. Cason Liu, a surgeon in Santa Monica who has been performing weight-loss surgeries for more than a decade. He tells Monsters and Critics that you should be afraid of low-calorie sweeteners too.

Dr. Liu counsels the morbidly obese patients on how to retrain their food cravings which usually are a combination of sugar, fat and salt that triggers pleasure in the brain.

"The unhealthy patient who is gravely obese generally uses food as an emotional gratification rather than a need for specific nutrients," says Dr. Liu. "Yes, we should be afraid of these chemical sweeteners as they make people crave even more sweets. It is interesting to watch diabetics pour three packets of artificial sweetener in their coffee which is equivalent to six packets of sugar. These unhealthy people just crave sweets all day!"

"We are all in this long term experiment. Let's see how long before something bad happens as we continue ingesting artificial sweeteners," warns Dr. Liu. "Gastric bypass surgery, lap band surgery are excellent ways for those out of control to regain their health back quickly. But you must relearn how to eat as well. If it's food that comes in a box, and is made of ingredients that are unpronounceable, best to avoid eating it."

Dr. Liu interview in the Los Angeles Times:

Dr. Liu's website