So you thought by substituting sugar for artificial an artificial sweetener you were protecting yourself from diabetes. Well, I hate to tell you this, but you’re wrong. The idea that sodas and candies and other sweets contain fewer calories because they are not made with sugar may sound logical in theory, but aspartame, sucralose and stevia may be causing you a whole world of hurt.

Canadian scientists at the University of Manitoba are concerned that long term use of artificial sweeteners may be tied to weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Dr. Meghan Azad, a U of M professor and lead author of the study noted: “There might be adverse effects of these sweeteners and there certainly isn’t strong evidence they’re beneficial.” So she insists that caution is required until the long-term health effect of artificial sweeteners are better understood.

For her study, Azad and her team conducted a systematic review of 37 studies featured over 400,000 people for an average of 10 years. As a consequence, Azad and her team noted patterns that suggest people who consumed more artificial sweeteners experienced a perceptible increase in metabolic syndrome, a disease regarded as combined condition featured excess body fat around the waist, increased blood pressure and elevated levels of cholesterol. As a consequence of having metabolic syndrome, those people found themselves at higher risk of stroke and heart attacks.

And it isn’t just metabolic syndrome that artificial sweeteners seem to inspire. Diabetes is also a concern. Azad noted that there was a 14 percent higher risk of blood sugar disease.

Although Azad says that the studies do not reveal what it is about artificial sweeteners that threaten to undermine the health of people who consume them, others studies suggest that it relates to a biological mechanism. Physically we respond to the taste of sugar, but our bodies become confused because there are associated calories which may result in the artificial sugars messing with our metabolism, resulting in weight gain. While other studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may be obstructing our brain’s sensor from feeling satisfaction following a meal.

Regardless of why artificial sweeteners disrupt our normal pattern of digestion, it is clear that they should be avoided.