A28 eZ re the washington post.wednesday, march 11 , 2020
BY LAURA REILEYA study published in the jour-
nal Cell Metabolism by a group of
Yale researchers found that the
consumption of the common arti-
ficial sweetener sucralose (which
is found in Splenda, Zerocal,
Sukrana, SucraPlus and other
brands) in combination with car-
bohydrates can swiftly turn a
healthy person into one with high
blood sugar.
From whole-grain English
muffins to reduced-sugar ketch-
up, sucralose is found in thou-
sands of baked goods, condi-
ments, syrups and other consum-
er packaged goods — almost all of
them containing carbs.
The finding, which researchers
noted has yet to be replicated in
other studies, raises new ques-
tions about the use of artificial
sweeteners and their effects on
weight gain and overall health.
In the Yale study, researchers
took 60 healthy-weight individu-
als and separated them into three
groups: A group that consumed a
regular-size beverage containing
the equivalent of two packets of
sucralose sweetener, a second
group that consumed a beverage
sweetened with table sugar at the
equivalent sweetness, and a third
control group that had a beverage
with the artificial sweetener as
well as a carbohydrate called
maltodextrin.
Maltodextrin don’t bind to
taste receptors in the mouth and
is impossible to detect. While the
sensation of the third group’s
beverage was identical to the su-
cralose-only group, only this
group exhibited significant ad-
verse health effects.
Seven beverages over two
weeks and the previously healthy
people in this group became glu-
cose intolerant, a condition that
results in elevated blood glucose
levels and puts people at an in-
creased risk for diabetes.
The finding follows a study in
the journal JAMA Internal Medi-
cine last year that found that
consumption of two or more
glasses of artificially sweetened
soft drinks a day increased deaths
from circulatory diseases. A 2008
study by scientists at Purdue Uni-
versity showed that artificial
sweeteners alone could result in
higher blood pressure, weight
gain, and increased risk of diabe-
tes, stroke and heart disease in
rats.
The s cientists in that Purduestudy fed yogurt sweetened with
glucose (a simple sugar with 15
calories/teaspoon, the same as
table sugar) to a group of rats. A
second group got yogurt sweet-
ened with zero-calorie saccharin.
This group consumed more calo-
ries, gained more weight, put on
more body fat and didn’t m ake up
for it by cutting back later. The
researchers developed the “un-
coupling hypothesis,” theorizing
that disconnecting sweet taste
from calories impairs perception
of satiation.
Dana Small, divisional director
of nutritional psychiatry at Yale,
and her colleagues in the Cell
Metabolism study wondered
about the methods in Purdue’s
experiment. It was that yogurt,
high in carbs.
“The uncoupling hypothesis
made a lot of sense,” Small said by
phone. “But we wanted to evalu-
ate it in humans.”
The researchers found that ar-
tificial sweetener on its own did
not affect metabolism, “but when
you have it with a carbohydrate
it’s mishandled in such a way to
have an adaptation in the brain
and the sensitivity to sweetness is
changed.”
Insulin was significantly high-er in the combination group. That
means they needed to release
more insulin to achieve the same
blood glucose levels, an indica-
tion of decreased insulin sensitiv-
ity. That can lead to metabolic
dysfunction and weight gain.
Frank Hu, professor and chair
of the department of nutrition at
Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of
Public Health, who has done ex-
tensive research on low-calorie
sweeteners, says that while this is
an interesting study, the findings
need to be replicated in future
studies.
“The study was short-term,
and it is unclear whether the
effects could last in the longer-
term and translate into clinical
outcomes such as weight gain and
obesity. Data from previous ran-
domized control trials lasting six
months to one year have shown
that substituting low-calorie
sweetened beverages for their
regular-calorie versions results in
a modest weight and fat loss.”
Hu added that since each low-
calorie sweetener has unique and
metabolic characteristics and po-
tential differences in liquid and
solid forms of sugar, it is difficult
to generalize the findings.
The FDA has approved the fiveartificial sweeteners saccharin,
acesulfame, aspartame, neotame
and sucralose as well as the natu-
ral low-calorie sweetener stevia.
Splenda is one of the most popu-
lar on the market, debuting in- It’s 600 times sweeter than
table sugar, the FDA says. Its
main ingredient, sucralose, is
sugar that is rendered indigest-
ible by replacing certain atoms
with chlorine.
“Sucralose has been proven
safe in more than 110 well-execut-
ed scientific studies over 25 years,
and is supported by the American
Diabetes Association and Ameri-
can Heart Association, and by
food-safety regulatory bodies
around the world,” s aid Te d Gelov,
chief executive of Heartland Food
Products Group, which owns
Splenda.
Small and her team say the
carbs and sucralose work togeth-
er to confuse the brain, which
then miscommunicates with the
rest of the body and blunts its
ability to metabolize sugar appro-
priately.
Ali Webster, director of re-
search and nutrition communica-
tions for the International Food
Information Council, a public re-
lations arm of the food, beverage
and agricultural industries, says
the study’s methodology is
flawed.
“Take this study with a big
grain of salt,” Webster says. “This
had no measurement of food in-
take over the course of those two
weeks. You’d want to keep track of
everything else they are eating
and drinking.”
Small acknowledged, “We had
no measure of food intake.” But
she said: “A ll three groups were
exactly the same at pre-test and
were randomly assigned to one of
the groups. The chance that there
was a systematic difference in
eating only in those people as-
signed to the combo group would
be statistically highly unlikely.”
Lisa Lefferts, senior scientist at
the Center for Science in the
Public Interest, also cautions not
to lump all artificial sweeteners
together.
“People think of artificial
sweeteners all together, but they
are very different,” Lefferts says.
“We have sweet receptors in the
mouth, intestine, pancreas and
brain. We need to know what
these artificial sweeteners are do-
ing to these sweet taste receptors
all over our bodies.”
[email protected]Sucralose and carb combination can elevate blood sugar, study finds
BY JEFF STEIN,
WILL ENGLUND,
STEVEN MUFSON
AND ROBERT COSTAThe White House is strongly
considering pushing federal as-
sistance for oil and natural gas
producers hit by plummeting oil
prices amid the coronavirus out-
break, as industry officials close
to the administration clamor for
help, according to four people
familiar with internal delibera-
tions.
President Trump has touted
the growth of oil and natural gas
production under his administra-
tion, celebrating its rise in politi-
cally crucial swing states such as
Pennsylvania. But many oil and
gas firms were hammered Mon-
day by the price war that broke
out between Saudi Arabia and
Russia, driving oil prices down in
their steepest one-day drop in
almost 30 years.
White House officials are
alarmed at the prospect that nu-
merous shale companies, many of
them deep in debt, could be driv-
en out of business if the downturn
in oil prices turns into a pro-
longed crisis for the industry. The
federal assistance is likely to take
the form of low-interest govern-
ment loans to the shale compa-
nies, whose lines of credit to ma-
jor financial institutions have
been choked off, three people
said.
Trump and advisers have been
taking calls since Monday from
concerned energy sector allies,
who have not only voiced concern
and at times exasperation about
oil prices but also privately
warned against the administra-
tion supporting any sweeping
paid-sick-leave policy, according
to a major GOP donor and a
White House official familiar
with the discussions. These peo-
ple spoke on the condition of
anonymity to candidly discuss
private conversations.
Even major oil companies are
threatened by the oil price slump.
Occidental Petroleum on Tuesday
slashed its dividend to 11 cents a
share from 79 cents and cut capi-
tal spending by a third.
Trump said at a news confer-
ence Monday that the administra-
tion will seek to provide help for
parts of the economy hard hit by
the coronavirus, including the
hospitality, cruise and travel in-
dustries. A senior administration
official said Tuesday the shale
industry would probably be in-
cluded for help but may not be at
the top of the list for assistance.
One of the companies hardest
hit was Continental Resources,
founded by Harold Hamm, a
Trump supporter and an adviser
to the president on energy issues.
It l ost more than half of its market
value Monday, though it recov-
ered about 8 percent by midday
Tuesday. Hamm’s 77 percent per-
sonal stake in the company lost
$2 billion of its value Monday.
Hamm said in an interview
Tuesday he had reached out to the
administration but had not made
“direct” contact. He said that the
administration should consider
using anti-dumping laws to pre-
vent Russia and Saudi Arabia
from slashing prices of oil sold in
the United States.
Hamm said the administration
should consider “any action that
the administration might take to
protect and preserve American
interests at this time from being
unfairly disadvantaged by what-
ever government — and we’re
talking governments here,
whether it be Russia or Saudi
Arabia.”
“I don’t want to prescribe what
the president would or shouldn’t
do. He’s very capable of handling
this situation,” he said. But
Hamm said he wanted to discuss
the number of jobs at stake and
“how this could jeopardize those
jobs and the economies in pro-
ducing states and communities
across America, from Pennsylva-
nia to California and Te xas to
North Dakota.”
He added that while Continen-
tal was in strong financial condi-
tion, other companies would be
likely to draw on a government
lending program. “For some com-
panies in this sector, that could be
helpful,” he said.
It is unclear exactly what form
a federal program would take.
“It’s one area we will be looking at
for targeted assistance,” one se-
nior administration official said.
Another senior administration
official confirmed the relief for
shale companies was under con-
sideration but cautioned political
blowback over the idea may even-
tually lead campaign advisers and
others in the administration to
talk Trump out of it.
Mike Sommers, CEO of the
American Petroleum Institute,
told r eporters Monday that the oil
and gas industry is not seeking a
bailout. Anne Bradbury, CEO of
the American Exploration and
Production Council (AXPC),
which represents the top 25 inde-
pendent oil and gas producers in
the United States, said in a state-
ment that shale producers were
willing to “work with our nation’s
leaders on a solution” that en-
sures low-cost energy. “ We b elieve
in the free market s ystem and will
advocate for policies that support
a level playing field to address
geopolitical manipulation of the
market,” Bradbury said.
Speaking at the ninth annual
Shale Insight Conference in Pitts-
burgh last year, Trump said shale
production is “saving energy pro-
ducers millions of dollars in com-
pliance costs, while maintaining
sterling environmental stan-
dards.” Trump said of the domes-
tic shale industry, “We set an
economic boom of truly historic
proportions, bringing prosperity
back to cities and towns all across
America.”
The boom in American produc-
tion over the past decade has
come in U.S. shale, a layer of
oil-bearing rock that when frac-
tured releases oil or natural gas
that had been locked up. Unlike
traditional reservoirs, which flow
for years or decades, shale wells
produce most of their oil or gas in
18 to 24 months, requiring con-
stant new drilling.
Moody’s Investor Service re-
ports that oil and gas firms have
$40 billion in debt coming due
this year. Given the sector’s shaky
outlook, investors have been re-
luctant to put more money into
the industry.
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]Josh Dawsey contributed to this
report.White House may push
aid for oil firms hit by
price slump and virus
BY ISABELLE KHURSHUDYANM OSCOW — A n oil price war
between Russia and OPEC giant
Saudi Arabia has done more than
upend markets amid wider eco-
nomic turmoil from the coronavi-
rus outbreak. It has put Moscow
into a potentially costly gamble.
The value of the ruble plum-
meted along with the cost of oil,
with the currency hitting its low-
est level in more than four years
Tuesday. That has stirred fears of
a recession in Russia, whose econ-
omy was already wobbly from
sanctions.
N one of this is likely to pose any
immediate political pitfalls for
President Vladi mir Putin. The
country is in the middle of major
overhaul of the constitution that
— one way or another — is likely to
keep Putin’s grip on Russia after
his term ends in four years.
Still, there is “high level of
uncertainty in Russia,” said Mar-
cel Salikhov, director of economic
research at the Institute for Ener-
gy and Finance, a Moscow-based
think tank.
“The economic politics is
changing,” he said. “The [ruble
exchange] rate is volatile and
that’s why we now have high infla-
tion expectations.”
The Organization of the Petro-
leum Exporting Countries had
asked Russia — not a formal mem-
ber of the cartel — to further cut
oil production by around 500,000
barrels a day. The reduction
sought to support prices and ad-
dress a slumping demand caused
by the coronavirus outbreak.
The Kremlin refused, turned
the global oil market o n its head —
and perhaps directly targeting theU.S. shale industry in the process.
The sudden collapse of Russia’s
OPEC cooperative agreement,
called OPEC+, caused a one-day
plunge of more than 30 percent in
oil prices Monday as Russia and
Saudi Arabia vowed to pump
more to compete for market
share. It was the biggest one-day
decline since 1991. Oil prices
moved higher Tuesday.Why did Russia refuse?
Moscow’s motivations appear
to be tied to the burgeoning Amer-
ican shale industry, which hasn’t
been under any obligation to stem
production but has been bol-
stered by OPEC+ propping up
prices.
Russia’s state-owned oil pro-
ducer Rosneft, led by Igor Sechin,
a close Putin ally, has been espe-
cially vocal in its opposition to
OPEC+.
“From the point of view of Rus-
sian interests, this deal [to cut
production] is simply meaning-
less,” Rosneft spokesman Mikhail
Leontiev told Russian m edia, who
suggested that any OPEC+ cut
would “clear a place” f or Ameri-
can shale oil.
“Our volumes are simply re-
placed by the volumes of our
competitors,” he said. “This ismasochism.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has
denounced U.S. sanctions ham-
pering the conclusion of the Nord
Stream 2 pipeline, which would
link Russia’s gas to Germany and,
more broadly, the rest of Europe.
Washington has also sanctioned a
subsidiary o f Rosneft f or its ties to
Venezuelan President Nicolás
Maduro.
Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin met Monday with Rus-
sian Ambassador Anatoly Anton-
ov t o discuss “compliance with
sanctions programs, Venezuelan
economic conditions, and the po-
tential for trade and investment,”
according to the Treasury Depart-
ment’s readout of the talks.
“Secretary Mnuchin empha-
sized the importance of orderly
energy markets,” the statement
said.
Mikhail Krutikhin, an energy
analyst at the Moscow-based
RusEnergy consulting firm, said
he doesn’t believe Russia’s refusal
to curb production was related to
political revenge but rather the
logistical difficulties.
“It’s not Saudi Arabia,” Krutikh-
in said. “The Saudis are very flexi-
ble in their oil production, but
Russia is not.”How do lower oil prices
hit Russia?
Rystad Energy, an industry
co nsulting firm, said the effect of
the OPEC+ collapse “surpassed
even our expectations,” dropping
to $31 per barrel at the opening of
Asian trading Tuesday.
Monday was a public holiday in
Russia, but Russia’s energy minis-
ter, Alexander Novak, was called
to an emergency government
meeting.
Russia is reliant on energy ex-
ports. “The backbone of the Rus-
sian economy,” Krutikhin said.
But one safety net is the country’s
substantial hard currency re-
serves.
Russia’s Finance Ministry saidMonday that it could withstand
oil prices of $25 to $30 a barrel for
six to 10 years, covered by the
country’s National Welfare Fund,
which it says stands at more than
$150 billion.
While Russia says it could sur-
vive years of low prices, it also
would level a serious blow to the
country’s GDP, analysts said.
That’s why Novak hasn’t ruled
out the possibility of a new
OPEC+ agreement in the summer.
In late December, he stated his
support for OPEC+, noting that it
brought in more than $83 billion
of additional revenue for Russia’s
federal budget.
“I don’t think the ruble is going
to recover,” Krutikhin said. “It’s
not good for ordinary Russians
who have to rely on imported
goods. Russia is very much depen-
dent on imports, and it’s going to
be a big blow for Russians.”
In a surprise appearance at a
parliament session Tuesday, Pu-
tin made reference to the slump-
ing oil prices, expressing confi-
dence that the “economy will
strengthen, and leading manufac-
turing industries will grow stron-
ger and more competitive.”
Lev Gudkov, director of the
Levada-Center, Russia’s lone in-
dependent pollster, said Putin’s
popularity could take a hit as a
result of the economic downturn
— though probably not immedi-
ately.
“If the crisis continues for a
long time, and its impact on the
primitive Russian economy is
more significant than it seems
today, then in two years Putin's
popularity will significantly de-
crease to a critical 25 to 35 per-
cent,” Gudkov said. “Mass illu-
sions about his ability to maintain
the status quo in the country will
be eroded and noticeably weak-
ened.”
[email protected]svetlana Ivanova in Moscow
contributed reporting.Russia faces a gamble in oil price war
Ruble’s value plummets,
making a shaky economy
an even wobblier onealexey Malgavko/reuters
A refinery in Omsk, Russia. OPEC had asked Russia to further cut its oil production to support prices and address a slumping demand
caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The Kremlin refused, turning the global oil market on its head.“The [ruble exchange]
rate is volatile and
that’s why we now
have high inflation
expectations.”
Marcel Salikhov of the Institute
for energy and Finance,
a Moscow-based think tank