The TRUTH About Artificial Sweeteners

Sucrose and fructose are not artificial. They are naturally occurring sugars. Fructose is found in fruit. I forget where sucrose comes from. Neither one has a “chemical” taste nor do they leave a weird after-taste.

@Wende Sharrock –

Please Joel, you cannot discount people’s personal experiences. One person may bel less than 0.0000001% of the population, but there are a ton of personal testimonies you do not know of. You obviously have your mind made up, and that is fine. It once happened to me that hot chocolate (of a particular brand) with aspartame in it made my gums burn and itch, while the same brand with sugar did not. Not everyone will have this reaction. But each indivdual testimony counts.

As someone who is currently on a CK diet I would love to know your findings as I have just started to use them, are they more harmful than using `real sugar`?. As a side note I once, many years ago, ate a bag of sweets containing Aspatame and they had an extreme laxitive effect.

Hi Joel

I have to say I am a little surprised to hear a fitness professional promoting the use of artificial sweetners. We all know that sugar is natural but something you should avoid so why then use an artificial version? Do you think it is so how going to be better for you? Let’s face it the Coca leaf is natural but probably should be avoided but when scientists get hold of it it becomes cocaine. Now before anyone goes mental, I’m NOT saying that sugar or aspartame are as bad as cocaine it’s just an analogy.
Also don’t you think that the drinks/artificial sweetner companies pump millions of dollars into getting these things approved? For the record did you know that Donald Rumsfeld was CEO of the laboratory producing aspartame when it was previously being denied approval by the FDA. He is reported as having said he would “call in all his markers” to get it approved and days after taking office on Reagan’s presidential staff appointed to the head of the FDA a man who would ignore the then current reports and approve aspartame for use in beverages.
Here is an article that sites a lot of research scientists as trying to get this stuff banned.
http://www.newswithviews.com/NWVexclusive/exclusive15.htm
Just because you haven’t seen research that says a thing is bad for you are you really telling me that you would recommend it when overwhelmingly the anecdotal evidence would give you grave cause for at least digging a lot deeper.
I am a firm believer that we shouldn’t always listen to the scare-mongers who would have us give up everything but I think we should eat as much natural, unprocessed foods as possible. At the end of the day I live by this rule when it comes to food “If I wouldn’t give it to my kids then I’m sure not going to start chowing on it myself”! There is just too much smoke around aspartame for there not to be a fire!

i dont drink anything with artificial sweeteners, but i do my best not to have anything artificial. i dont have any proof but i beleive prevention is better than cure. plus i get enough polutants in my body from the air i breath. i pretty much only drink water and raw milk, however i was given a vitamin drink i drank it and noticed it had an odd taste to it, plus after i drank it i had a cranking headache after i looked and noticed it had splenda in it(i was told it had non) i know its not proof and there could have been many other factors involved. but why not avoid it it doesn cause any extra strain on my life, i have found other sweeteners ill use if i need to and i think they taste much better, like fructose(only need a real small amount for sweetness plus low gi) or agave nector has a nice taste to it. not saying its deadly but id rather not drink it than drink it and find out in 5 yrs its bad for me.

Definately interested in hearing more!!!

@Laurel – I eat yogurt with Xylitol everyday but started noticing stomach pain after breakfast. I cut out yogurt and it went away. I’m wondering if I overdosed on Xylitol?

Hi Joel,

I am a (mature!) Nurtritional therapy undergraduate student in the UK – who also happens to have a diabetic Father.

So, I’m interested in any science you have about sweetners – Dad just can’t do without them, and I ‘treat’ myself to the odd Diet Cola (rather than ice-cream) at the cinema once in a while.

Joel – For 30 years I got one to two migraine headaches a week. Over that time I gave up all kinds of products – red wine, chocolate, caffeine, etc. – and for a short period of time the headaches lessened, always to return.

Three months ago I finally gave up diet soda (I’d been a diet coke/pepsi drinker forever), sugar free gum, and everything else that contained artificial sweeteners that I could find. I started using Stevia in my coffee. In three months I haven’t had one migraine. Scientific or not, I will not go back to using artificial sweeteners.
Bill Ehmann

Joel,
I do use some blue packets in my iced tea. I have been using more stevia though because of all the bad claims about artificial sweetners. I read somewhere recently that even stevia is not good. What is the truth? I thought stevia was natural. I am confused!! Help me understand. Thanks for your article. I feel better knowing you use this stuff.
Amber

just sad…. so much research has been out there proving that aspartame is toxic. You would think a “fitness and nutrition guru” such as yourself would have seen the research. There have been countless studies linking aspartame to loss of memories, increased cravings for artificial sweeteners, blindness, migraines, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and death, as other people have posted on here. Not to mention glutamaic acid is a know neurotoxin. Aspartame also turns into a lovely substance when heated… formaldehyde. How has anyone not found this. I am so sick of seeing people on here who just go along with what everyone tells you instead of getting out there and using your heads.

Its like the Superbowl commercials. 2 weeks before they release a study that stated more than 50% of products containing high fructose corn syrup were contaminated with mercury (which can get into a whole other mess of theories of soft kill eugenics by the government but I’ll save that for a later date) and then they air the commercials making anyone who opposes HFCS look like an idiot because HFCS is “all natural, made from corn and safe in moderation”, when any idiot can look it up and see that is is now causing diabetes, migraines, obesity, and many metabolic diseases. We wonder why there are so many obese people here, and we blame bacon, and hype of swine flu, when people are still cramming pop tarts and artificial everything down their throats, because no company is willing to sacrifice money to prove how terrible they are for you. Everyone has a price. Bacon has been around since we have. Funny how in the past 30 years, saturated fat use has gone down 100%, while heart related conditions have increased 300%.

Start thinking people, don’t wait around for someone else to do your research, you have an unlimited wealth of knowledge at your finger tips, start using it! You would also find that it wasn’t until there was a loophole and back door take over of the FDA that aspartame was approved for consumption. Then you have splenda, which was originally intended as an insecticide! First off… its kinda sad so many people on here are drinking soda and artificial sweeteners in the first place, as this is for supposedly healthy people trying to make a change in their diets, and live more healthy lives. Let alone never researching or understand what they’re putting in their bodies. If you can not pronounce what you are putting into your body, you damn well better research it and know its effects. Stop relying on the typical “fat calories” readout of most nutrition labels and start looking at the ingredients. You can burn off fat calories. Start caring about what you put in your body, and stop just listening blindly to what everyone else has to say, because NO ONE can tell you how your body reacts to certain things. If Joel said go out and eat strawberries, there would be thousands of people dead tomorrow from a strawberry allergy. Do your own research, stop downing artificial substances, and start caring about your bodies!. gah! sorry to be one of “those guys” that comes on here and rants, and its not like i just sit on here to purposely disagree with joel, he has some great information, but this one just stepped me over the edge. I know i am also generalizing and there are many people on here who do know what they are talking about and have done research. But just think of correlations people. All these diseases are getting worse and worse, with mortality rates going up, and all the while because organic wholesome food is getting phased out and replaced by cloned, antibiotic sick beef, that no company is willing to risk proving, because of financial reasons. Food is getting more and more artifical and people are getting sicker and sicker, then we give them more and more drugs, to cancel out the side effects of the original drugs that could have just been prevented in the first place if the someone had told them to THINK. Doctors don’t’ want you to be healthy, then they can’t keep writing prescriptions for you.

Now the government is passed a bill that will prety much make orgranic growing a thing of the past. Looked up HR 850 on google. actually, i’ll just post one result right here, that breaks it down for you. http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671

Just had to get that out of my system. Over and out!

http://www.equal.com/health/facts.html

I guess it comes down to who do you want to believe? Apparently the US FDA and the American Medical Association, and American Diabetes Association have deemed Sugar Substitutes to be safe http://www.equal.com/products/safety.html

If you want to believe the research of a couple of scientists who are trying to get published in order to prove their worth to whomever they are employed by, then I guess just don’t use the stuff….right?

I’m really glad you posted that. I find that the use of sweeteners, in moderation is a real bonus for those of us with diabetes..
I have stopped drinking SO much diet soda.. but it was the quantity not specifically the sweeteners that was my problem.
Looking forward to reading the research stuff..
Thanx

@Joel Marion –

http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

http://www.321recipes.com/symptoms.html
that one is by the FDA

http://aspartamekills.com/lydon.htm

http://www.321recipes.com/aspartame.html
that one is over all just a large source of over 50 doctors backing its risks.

http://www.ehponline.org/press/111605.html
another study done showing effects.

What I’m saying is that there is more than one study that shows its side effects, while finding a study that shows its safe, besides claims made by companies selling it, are obsolete.

This also runs along the lines of fluoride. Dentists and associations get paid to vouch for fluoride, when on a poison scale it ranks between arsenic and lead, yet its in our drinking water along with pharmaceutical drugs. I mean on a brita filter, it says “removes 99.99% of contaminants such as bacterial cysts, chlorine, heavy metals, and other dangers” but no one questions why they are THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! That is what I’m saying Joel, like i said I’m not trying to attack you, just trying to make people think, and do research on my own. That was kinda the point of me not siting references, so people don’t just rely on what i say, but actually go and search for it and see if i’m lying. perhaps I’m on here just putting false info out. But i want people to prove me wrong, please i encourage it, because that means there is more info out there, and its one step closer to an actual result. The problem is like i said, everyone has a price, and if contracted for millions of dollars, i would ask anyone on here if they wouldn’t vouch for a product, even if it was known to be dangerous.

Hope that helps!

I still drink about 1 591ml of coke zero a day. I used to have Type 2 Diabetes.
I’ve lost weight because of diet and exercise. That diet includes 1 Coke Zero a day. My doctor says that I’m healthy and my Diabetes is NO MORE. I’m cured from Diabetes. But how can that be if I’m drinking that aspartame poison. Ain’t I suppose to gain weight? I guess I’m the lucky one.

I am 76 years old and have used artificaial sweetner and drank diet colas for about 50 of those years. Still working and have no ill effects from all that “sin.”

I think there is an underlying problem of the definition of “research.” The layman term of “research” is getting misunderstood with the academic term of “research.” Many people (not all) are using the layman term of “research” (which means finding information from books, internet, etc.) whereas Joel (and a few others) are using the academic term of “research”, meaning highly-scrutinized, peer-reviewed research (even the “peer reviewed research” component will take a while to explain to others).

Many of what people are citing are anecdotal or not peer-reviewed in nature and saying that’s research, which is definitely NOT academic research in regards to how Joel is using the term.

I see people arguing here, but they’re speaking a different language. If you want to start looking for peer-reviewed research, a good place to start is scholar.google.com and begin reading abstracts–that’s the type of research Joel is talking about. Not websites and documentaries (which are not peer reviewed or highly scrutinized before being able to be published).

Hope that helps everyone.

Lots of varying opinions here! But it’s not surprising to me at all. I worked for Starbucks for 12 years and I’ve seen every sweeter concoction out there! Some people really scared me with what they were adding to their coffee! But to each their own. We can all make our own decisions on what we want to consume. I personally don’t like the taste of the artificial stuff, whatever color the packet is. I also have migraines and don’t want to add anything that could even possibly make them any worse, even if it’s just a rumor. I only have 1 cup of coffee or some espresso on the days when I’m in the mood for it and I just add a little bit of raw sugar and a little cream. I’m not a big soda drinker anymore and I love tea in its plain original state. Like I said we all have our own preferences, so if it works for you, then good for you. Someone mentioned having a Coke or Sprite with pizza. I’ll do that on my cheat day. One soda with real sugar and some pizza won’t kill me any quicker than anything else will. As mentioned by Joel, moderation is key! Good luck to everyone in their weight loss goals. Thanks Joel!

I don’t have the time to read all the blogs, but one needs to understand that studies are written to get the results that are wanted. If someone wants to report something negative or positive about artificial sweeteners, the study will be written and conducted in a manner that will support their hypothesis. One can always find a study to support their position. Personally, I agree with Joel.

Let me start by saying I’m a recovering Coca Cola addict. Yep, that’s right. I can ignore any other fizzy beverage with no problem but bring that into my house and it will all have to be gone. This does not include the type with the fake stuff. I find it disgusting. To eliminate the issue I just don’t bring into the house and if company brings it, they have to take it with them. I like stevia but I still have equal or splenda in my coffee if that’s all that’s available. I have a friend that was a diet pepsi fiend but now has MS. No one knows how or why MS starts but the symptoms of this disease can be devastating. Besides exercise to stave off what can happen physically, they also recommend a whole foods approach to diet and that includes excluding man made sweeteners and processed stuff. Since no one knows how little or how much of anything might affect the individual I always say to err on the side of safety. Alcohol is a poison but occasional doses don’t seem to do any lasting harm externally or internally. Like any “studies” I think you have to look long and hard at the detail, the underwriters, the control factors, etc. to make a informed decision. Too much of anything can be bad for you. Sometimes thinking about your kidneys or liver working hard on stuff that’s crap is just the deterrent to a poor drink or food choice. I think I worry more about the super-hyped sweetening effect of any artificial sweetener or enhancer. I think it can unfortunately be another trigger to your taste buds that you need to go all out and get something else sweet. I remember going on one of those health cleanses and I noticed immediately how sweet every day things tasted after not having any added sugar, natural or artificial. About the stevia, I like that it’s been in use for years in other countries with no effects. A packet on fruit is great and depending on how strong and large the cup of coffee and 3 or 4 packets is sweet enough. I don’t like it being mixed with any existing artificial sweeteners though. There are side affects unfortunately with the artificial sweeteners and no one has really touched on those. I believe bowel issues and migraine triggers are even more reasons to only use those fake sweeteners once in a while :-)

About 30 years ago I made a conscious attempt to cut down on all of the processed sugar I was ingesting (about 7 Mtn. Dews a day!) by switching to Diet Coke. I didn’t particularly like the taste of diet soda but I got used to it over time and subsequently preferred Diet Coke to regular Coke. I drink probably 10 a week, am in freakin’ fabulous health and have just rec’d the results of my yearly physical, which completely verified how I feel. I’ve read the horror stores about aspartame above and from other sources, e-mails and ‘official reports’ and have resolved that I am just going to stop reading!

@Joel Marion –
I found this comment interesting since I am a dentist. Yes, some people’s gums react to sugar free gum. However, some people also have bad reactions to cinnimon gum, but does that mean we should all stop having cinnimon flavoured gum? Of course not. Everyone is different. Some people can’t brush their teeth is sensidyne, but it does great for others people. Just because a small percentage of the populations has a bad reaction to something does not mean that it is generally bad for everyone. If you have a bad reaction, STOP USING IT!!!!! (does the word “duh” mean anything to you)