Weight-Loss Sweeteners

[Koko65]

Hi there,

Does anyone include a large amount of artificial sweeteners in their daily food intake and do you have any comments on how it may have affected you (good or bad!) long-term?
Also, has anyone used Mag O7 colon cleanse long term for regularity? I tend to eat Keto 99% of the time - some days I have had off and eaten carbs, Im only human - and therefore most days I dont have large quantities of food or any amount of fibrous carbs. The downside of this is not getting to "go" everyday, which doesnt feel great. Mag O7 has helped with that but when I taper down to less than 4 capsules every evening before bed, I dont "go" the next day like I normally do if I have 5.
Keen to hear if anyone else has used the product long term and how you have found it. Been taking it at mostly max dosage (apart from when I tried reducing dose and didnt get desired effect) for around 1 month now.

Cheers!

Koko

 

[Trusylver]

The use of these types of products is very bad for your health long term, laxative abuse will get you to a point where you will be unable to function without them. Being keto does not mean you have to be constipated a healthy keto diet has carbs that come from fibrous green veg in addition to staying properly hydrated. Yes on keto you may not defecate every day, but not needing to is different from being constipated which is what you are describing.

If you cannot go without your laxative it is time to visit your Doctor.

 

[Koko65]

Hi Trusylver, thanks for your reply on this thread.
My understanding is that Mag o7 (magnesium oxide, MgO) only has a stool softening effect rather than being a laxative upon which one becomes dependent so can be used without long term dis benefit. Does anyone know about this?
I have been to Dr about this before and guess what - they prescribed me stimulant laxatives! (Which I don’t take).
This has been a post-childbirth thing for me..

 

[Llama]

As I don´t know the product you mention I looked it up and the internet tells me you´re taking the maximum recommended dose which you´re only supposed to take for a week to ten days at most. Taking too much magnesium oxide can cause serious side effects. If I were you I´d try Tru´s suggestions first (more fiber! more fluids!), and if that doesn´t help maybe keto just isn´t ideal for you. I will add that it´s perfectly normal for some people to not have to poop every day. According to my doctor even once a week can be normal, although that sounds horrible to me.

 

[Trusylver]

My understanding is that Mag o7 (magnesium oxide, MgO) only has a stool softening effect rather than being a laxative

Laxatives are medicines to treat constipation by softening the stools to make passage easier, or by stimulating the lower intestine to push out stool. So yes, by taking magnesium oxide in high doses for stool softening is a laxative.

The overuse of laxatives can lead to electrolyte disturbances, dehydration and mineral deficiencies. Laxative abuse can also cause long-term and potentially permanent damage to the digestive system, including chronic constipation and damage to the nerves and muscles of the colon.

Some people in ketosis may need to supplement magnesium, due to not eating enough magnesium rich foods, but magnesium oxide is not the preferred form as it has poor bio-availability and is a laxative.

Almonds and cashew nuts are good keto friendly foods which have good magnesium content, as are dark leafy greens, fatty types of fish and Avocado.

This has been a post-childbirth thing for me..

Yes it is quite common in the week post birth to be prescribed laxatives until you have your first bowel motion but but not as a long term solution.

Diet is key.

 

[Koko65]

Thanks for your comments and info Trusylver and LaMaria.
I should probably consider paleo as opposed to keto and make use of the lovely Fibrous fresh fruit and vege we grow here in NZ

 

[steppie]

The overuse of laxatives can lead to electrolyte disturbances, dehydration and mineral deficiencies. Laxative abuse can also cause long-term and potentially permanent damage to the digestive system, including chronic constipation and damage to the nerves and muscles of the colon.

I use a generic brand of benefiber in my coffee and pudding and sometimes also have fiber gummies with my lunch if it is not high in fiber. Is this also laxative abuse? I do not want to make myself ill but I just find when I cut calories I sometimes get an uncomfortable or even painful feeling from not being able to go.

 

[Koko65]

Hi Steppie,
I can’t comment on whether using benefiber and fiber gummies frequently constitutes laxative abuse; I guess abuse in the general sense of the word is using something to excess, to the detriment of ones health? I would imagine only a Dr or healthcare professional could define that in your situation but personally I haven’t read any conclusive studies about negative effects of adding additional fiber (is it psyllium husk?) in the form of a fiber supplement to ones diet long term. I didn’t have a lot of success with adding Metamucil to my diet when I was having trouble staying regular. Magnesium has helped tremendously although I am dubious about the amount I have had to take continuously to get a daily motion (or 2) while cutting calories also (I get that uncomfortable /painful feeling as well, I guess it’s because there is less food going to thru overall) so I am going to consult my GP this week about it.
I will also talk to her about diet as a whole. In general I feel better when adopting intermittent fasting 16:8 and not ingesting grains and other hi-fibre carb-rich foods.

 

[Llama]

Fiber is not a laxative, whether added or naturally present. Fiber-rich foods tend to have more benefits than just the fiber so eating them would generally be better than taking capsules/gummies but if you have times where you can´t arrange that there´s nothing wrong with taking the "easy" way (plus a lot of water; fiber can´t do anything when you don´t drink enough).