Artificial sweeteners aren’t metabolically free despite zero calories. They maintain your taste for intense sweetness, may trigger insulin responses to the taste of sweet, and research by Suez and colleagues shows they alter gut bacteria — causing glucose intolerance in mice, with a smaller and mixed human signal. The habit of reaching for sweet drinks persists.
This companion explores the sweetness problem, the insulin question, gut microbiome effects, why the habit architecture remains intact, and practical options for transitioning away. (4 min read)
Written by AI, directed and approved by me. How this is made →