Are Artificial Flavors In Foods Making Us Fat?

It is common knowledge that foods rich in trans-fats, high GI carbohydrates and junk foods have contributed to rising obesity. However, most people don't realize the chemicals and other ingredients that make up artificial flavors also have significant consequences on our health and ability to stay fit. These "secret" ingredients that are summed up on food product labels as artificial flavors have invaded a majority of the food products in the entire market, but recently there are increasing debates about artificial flavors; whether they promote fat gain and the main differences between them and natural flavors.

First of all, let’s try to understand the mechanism that makes our body store fat, and then we will move on to the artificial flavors and artificial ingredients, and see how these can actually catalyze this fat storing mechanism. Insulin is a hormone that helps in the metabolism of sugar. Also, whenever we consume any carbohydrate, it causes an insulin spike in our body, to metabolize the sugar from the carbohydrate source. It’s been found that this insulin spike is higher in cases of high GI (processed) carbohydrates.  This insulin spike is directly related to fat storage. A higher insulin spike will increase the fat storage capacity of our body. Some artificial flavors are found to cause this insulin spike. That’s why, whenever we eat something that contains artificial flavoring ingredients, we are effectively putting our body in fat storage mode.

While the FDA and other organizations, which are related to the supervision of food products, have strict guidelines and procedures in place to inform the general public that artificial flavors exist in food items; however, companies do not have to list these additives as separate ingredients. For instance; everybody knows that Mono-Sodium Glutamate or MSG is related to various health problems and obesity is one of the most prominent of these. No wonder it is also sometimes referred to as a slow poison, as it is known to triple the insulin amount and thus promoting weight gain. However, companies are still using these artificial flavors under different names, like hydrolyzed vegetable protein, for example. In fact, many recipes from the famous food chains and restaurants contain artificial flavors, and MSG is one of them.

 One of the best ways to avoid artificial flavors in food is to consume only natural or organic foods. Organic foods are prepared without the use of artificial flavors and colors or any other preservatives. While there is no doubt that artificial flavors promotes weight gain, but artificial flavors and other additives can lead to a variety of other health complications such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), cancers and many types of gastrointestinal problems, among others.

In conclusion, despite so many campaigns against the artificial flavors, they are still very much part of the food we eat on a daily basis.  Perhaps some day we will be able to convince food companies to list all of the additives and ingredients that goes into their products instead of labeling them simply as artificial flavors.