The fitness industry is plagued with misinformation, and one coach has had enough. James Smith recently confronted fitness influencer Courtney Black about her misleading claims regarding artificial sweeteners. In a recent video, he highlighted a broader problem of unsubstantiated health advice spreading through social media.
Black’s controversial video claimed that artificial sweeteners are harmful for fat loss and gut health. She stated that eliminating them would help people “see the weight fall off” and become “so much healthier and feel so much leaner.” She also alleged that sweeteners severely disrupted her gut bacteria, leading to digestive issues and poor results.
Smith wasted no time exposing the hypocrisy in these claims. Despite condemning artificial sweeteners, Black continues to profit from products containing them through her Amazon affiliate store, including Monin premium vanilla sugar-free syrup with sucralose. She also previously endorsed Oxy Shred, which contains artificial sweeteners – products she presumably wouldn’t promote if she truly believed they were harmful.
The evidence tells a different story entirely. Smith referenced a comprehensive study on non-nutritive sweeteners’ effects on body weight and BMI, which found that “participants who were overweight or obese and adults showed significant favorable weight and BMI differences with non-nutritive sweeteners.” Multiple studies actually suggest that artificial sweeteners can benefit fat loss by providing sweet satisfaction without calories.
Regarding gut health claims, Smith identified the likely source of Black’s misinformation: a 2014 study by Suez that showed gut dysfunction in rodents. However, as Smith emphasized, “This study was done in rodents. So if you are a rat probably have something to worry about.”
More recent human studies paint a completely different picture. A randomized double-blind crossover clinical trial concluded that “aspartame and sucralose did not cause measurable changes in the gut microbiota after 14 days of realistic daily intake in healthy participants.” The study specifically noted that findings from animal models have limited applicability to human health.
Smith also addressed the correlation fallacy often used to demonize sweeteners. While obese individuals may consume more diet drinks, this doesn’t prove causation. People seeking weight loss naturally gravitate toward lower-calorie alternatives, making this association predictable rather than indicative of harm.
The fitness coach’s frustration is understandable. Reputable experts like Mike Israetel, Lane Norton, and Menno Henselmans have created detailed, evidence-based resources about artificial sweeteners that could have been consulted in minutes. Instead, influencers continue spreading fear-based misinformation that potentially makes weight loss and health improvement more difficult for their followers.
This incident represents everything wrong with fitness industry influence. They prioritize sensational claims over scientific evidence, profiting from contradictory product endorsements, and misleading vulnerable audiences seeking genuine health guidance. When fitness professionals make “blanket statements that are false” and “could be easily researched,” they deserve to be called out.
The solution isn’t complicated – fitness influencers should invest four minutes in Google searches and consult actual scientific literature before making health claims to thousands of followers.