A plastic surgeon claiming to be a “GLP-1 expert” recently sparked controversy after sharing misleading information about artificial sweeteners and weight loss treatments.
Dr. Jonathan Kaplan posted a video warning people taking GLP-s like Ozempic to avoid artificial sweeteners. However, his claims were quickly dismantled by Dr. Layne Norton, who pointed out the advice contradicts current scientific evidence.
In the video, Dr. Kaplan stated, “Don’t eat or drink anything with artificial sweeteners while you’re on Ozempic.” He explained his reasoning by claiming that “GLP-1s make you more insulin sensitive, which is actually a good thing because it means your body is more likely to use sugar as energy rather than deposit it as fat. But when you eat or drink something with artificial sweetener, your brain thinks you’re about to have a deluge of sugar. So, it automatically causes your pancreas to spike your insulin.”
Dr. Norton, a nutrition researcher, was quick to respond. He questioned why a plastic surgeon was positioning himself as a GLP-1 specialist.
He suggested, “If I want to fix my crooked nose or maybe make myself better looking, this would be the guy I go to. But how is he a GLP-1 expert and why is he talking about artificial sweeteners?”
The core issue with Dr. Kaplan’s advice is that it reflects outdated science. Dr. Norton explained that numerous randomized control trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated that artificial sweeteners do not increase insulin, do not affect blood glucose, and do not increase appetite.
He pointed out a fundamental flaw in the logic: “If what he was saying was true, every time you have artificial sweeteners or a diet coke, you’d go hypoglycemic and pass out. That doesn’t actually happen.”
Dr. Kaplan continued in his video, warning that the supposed insulin spike from artificial sweeteners could cause dangerous blood sugar drops: “Now you’ve got low blood sugar and you feel terrible. Be aware this can come on really quickly, but the good news is you can counteract it really quickly with just a cup of orange juice.”
Dr. Norton found this claim particularly absurd, noting with sarcasm that if this were true, Dr. Kaplan “can probably save money on his anesthesiologist whenever he does his procedures. He just give people a diet coke before they go in. They’ll pass right out from low blood sugar.”
While GLP-1s do improve insulin sensitivity, this benefit is particularly valuable for those with compromised metabolic health. Current research supports the safe consumption of artificial sweeteners for people using these treatments.
