Splenda is the only thing I use – only as my dad is diabetic. This is supposed to be the better one but I only have it once a day in my morning coffee….Aspartame is the deadly one and should stay away from that I understand.
Time: 7:12 AM.
Location: a little “fitness” event I attended a few weeks back in Austin, TX.
State: tired.
So what did I do? What 99% of the rest of the world does in that type of situation – I got myself a cup of coffee.
And THEN—believe it or not—I proceeded to pour the contents of two little blue packets to my morning cup of joe.
You should have seen the stares from the fitness crowd.
I immediately checked my zipper, but surprisingly, I was already all-systems-go on that front.
Hmmm.
Why then the stares?
Well, it wasn’t but a couple seconds later when a friend of mine blurted out “you use that stuff??” as if I had committed some moral sin.
My reply?
“Yes… and mostly because I haven’t seen a bit of research to convince me otherwise.”
To which that person said NOTHING.
Frankly, I’m tired of people—be it fitness professionals or just the everyday lay person—making claims, recommendations, and statements based on “what they heard” rather than looking into the actual research themselves.
LAZY.
Now, I’m not saying that there isn’t research out there proving that artificial sweetener use poses substantial risks, I’m just saying that I haven’t seen it, and in fact, the research that I HAVE seen doesn’t seem to even partially validate the whole “use artificial sweeteners and you will surely die tomorrow” phobia that is so apparent amongst much of the world today.
And tomorrow, I’d like to come back and share with you my take on artificial sweeteners, they’re use, and the research I actually use to BACK UP my position.
If you’re interested in that information, drop a comment below. Also, let me know if you use artificial sweeteners, drink diet beverages, or the like – or if you don’t (and why).
At least 100 comments and I’ll be back tomorrow with the information I just promised you, including 8 studies that reveal the TRUTH about artificial sweeteners (or at least something substantially more concrete than simple hearsay).
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. My friend Isabel kind of bashes artificial sweeteners in the below video, and while I do NOT agree with that stance, I do agree with just about everything else she shares for losing up to 10% of your unwanted body fat in the next 30 days. You can check it out here:
How to lose up to 10% of your unwanted body fat in the next 30 days <——- Click here
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666 comments - add yours
Hello Joel,
To me, a former hypoglycemic, sugar is poison and I avoid it at all costs. But I think it is stupid to consume chemicals with abandon.
I use a little Stevia in my plain yogourt if I do not have suitable fruit to flavour it….. and I don’t feel guilty when I down a diet Seven-Up a couple of times a week. But I have noticed that my Protein (whey) Powder is sweetened with Sucralose…. I have no ill effects from it, but I consume it daily. Should I be concerned?
I do not use any artificial sweetener except Truvia, from the plant Stevia, because when I do use aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, malatose or anything, I get violent abdominal cramps, sharp pains and usually end up curled up on my side trying to remain calm as I ride out the pain. So clearly I can’t handle it. So all medical research and CDC facts aside, I won’t touch the stuff, no do I let my children have ANYTHING artificially sweetened. They may not get the same reaction, but I don’t want to take the chance. For my money, all artificial sweeteners are poison and my reaction is like I swallowed arsenic. So I just say “no!”
why would you want to put something ARTIFICIAL in your body….even splenda is chemically altered……i know DR. Mercola does have research on this topic…..
My thoughts are avoid processed food as much as possible and as close to natural as you can get. Artificial sweetners are as far from natural as you can get. Adding chemicals unnecessarily to your body always makes me wonder how your body will deal with these things? Seems it would unnecessarily tax your body and we just don’t know enough on how exactly it is treated by our bodies. Anyway, they just taste like chemicals. Gross.
Also there is a simple fact of how often do you see thin and in shape individuals regularly consume artificial sweetners? The majority of people I see regularly consume them are mostly fat. There has to be a reason for that and I know I have read studies that confirm that.
Seriously, there is only 16 calories in one teaspoon of sugar so adding a chemical to your coffee to save so few calories seems counterproductive. If you are worried about the insulin effect use agave nectar. It has a lower glycemic index and it’s sweeter so you need less.
I suffered for years until I figured out that it was the aspartame in Diet Soda and gum. I researched my symptoms endlessly and all the data pointed to to the Monsanto sweetner (check out what Monsanto has been doing to our crops, and how they have duped the poor people in Haiti trying to recover from the Earthquake), so I stopped cold turkey.
When I tried a liver cleanse to get rid of the stuff, those toxins came out in all ways causing all kinds of medical problems. Here I am years later, with a “clean” liver, and very sensitive to anything that is not meant to be in my body. For example, I can not drink public water or I get sick. Medically, I am now the picture of health.
Chemicals, although some may be beneficial at times when necessary, are not meant to be comsumed. With the exception of Stevia, all other sweetners will be problamatic because they are manufactured and not part of the natural order of things. If you are young, your immune system will fight it for quite some time. But once it gets to overload….expect the worse, and there is no turning back.
Isabel De Los Rios is NOT “bashing” artificial sweetners, she is telling you the nutritional truth. Her diet is the most fantastic diet out there and works for everyone……. because it is based on natural things going into a natural body. It makes so much sense when you understand the concept she points out that you need to consume what your body can use. It’s not only can’t use artificial sweetners, it has no clue what to do with it. So it sends it straight to the body’s filter….your liver!
For me personally, aspartame induces migraines. If I need a little pick-me-up, I drink tea and sweeten it with honey, real sugar, or stevia. I very rarely use real sugar though. If I drink a soda, it is never diet due to my headaches. My migraines have greatly reduced since I made the switch.
Yes, I want to know more! It just doesn’t make sense to have the extra calories when you can use sweetener. But if it’s sabotaging my other efforts I want to stay away.
drink a lot of Diet pop. Like you I just believe it to be hearsay. one industry bashing the other
I would be interested to find out too. I drink lots of diet coke and 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day with artificial sweeteners. I am going on what I read about really not being that bad for you, but it creates a craving for more sweets, which in my case is my weakness.
I choose not to use artificial sweeteners. In the reading that I have done and in the anecdotal evidence I have seen, I feel that the potential hazards far out way any benefits. Not to say that sucrose is any better for the body. The issue for me becomes the hidden sugars and/or artifical sweetener in the foods we consume.
Just an aside, I have been using aspartame as an ant killer. It works quite well!
Joe,
I think the risks outweigh whatever health hazard may exist. I also heard that some new natural sweeteners don’t have any bad side effects. Does your research say anything about Stevia and or Xylitol??
Thanks!
I would be interested in your opinion of artificial sweeteners. I have heard varying information as well. It seems in moderation its ok. However a friend of mine recently diabetic was told no diet soda in her informational meeting about diabetes as it generates the same insulin response as regular soda which to me negates the reason to drink diet but I am unsure.
Dear Joel:
Up to know I was using Splenda after using Equal for more than 10 years. However, I just switched to Stevia. Please turn me on to what’s best for all of us. Thanks so much.
I cant claim to have it backed up by evidence as of now but the human body isnt designed to process all the refined sugars and artificial crap in processed foodstuffs and if my body is full of chemicals and busy trying to deal with these toxins then fat burning or muscle growth slips down its list of priorities.My belief is wed all be better off eating like cavemen! @ Terhi:
Joel, I too would like to hear more about your thoughts and scientific literature reviews on various sweeteners, including HFCS. I am one of the ~1/3 of the population that “tastes” apartame in products such as diet sodas, yogurt, etc., and it leaves a bad aftertaste, and sometimes even causes me stomach cramps and headaches. Interestingly, Equal from a packet does not do these things to me, so maybe it is the processing of aspartame that causes my problems–my solution is to avoid aspartame. I do sometimes use Splenda or Stevia sweeters, and I have not noticed any negative effects from them.
I Never ingest anything with artificial sweeteners. I figure our food supply is “dirty” enough without adding extra chemicals! I try to not eat or drink anything that has an ingredient list that looks like something out of a chemistry textbook. Keep it real, keep it simple.
Nutrasweet is made up of an amino acid. Most people get more of that amino acid by eating a hamburger than a packet of blue artificial sweetener. I think the bigger issue is the pounds and pounds of sugar we consume from not only sweets, but hidden sugar in jars of tomato sauce, peanut butter and other processed foods.
i drink pepsi maxx all the time. Im still alive a kickin ass!
I am using up the last bit of Splenda I have and switching to Stevia for baking my muffins. I have switched already with my protein powder to ones with Stevia instead of Sucralose. Buying fat free pudding mix though still comes with aspartame so don’t know what to do there as their is no alternative other than to just find a good recipe and make my own or stop eating it altogether.
It is easy to take everyone’s word for it. It is almost the American way these days in a number of topics. I have read articles but must confess I have never done the research. I don’t take the artificial sweetener abstinence stance but do use stevia when available as a safer alternative. I have never heard any horror stories regarding its use.
I’d love to know more about sweeteners. I haven’t seen anything to prove that these sweeteners are bad for you either, only the opinions of some. I only use it in my tea and perhaps once a month I have a diet rootbeer just for fun but I’m a water drinker. Water Water Water! But I personally am tired of people who come along pushing their opinions on things and we’re just suppose to believe them cause……… well, who knows why, maybe they think they’re super intelligent cause they walk around with an open laptop in thier arms!!! Have you ever seen that? lol, whatever! Love to know Joel the truth! Please Share.
From http://www.sciencedirect.com OK, if you like, here you can READ it (The abstract [article] is in English):
Artificial sweetener consumption and urinary tract tumors in Cordoba, Argentina
References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.
M.M. Andreattaa, , S.E. Muñozb, M.J. Lantierib, A.R. Eynardb, , and A. Navarroa, , aEscuela de Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
bInstituto de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba/CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
Available online 8 April 2008.
Abstract
Objective
To determine the role of the habitual use of the most common artificial sweeteners (AS) in the development of urinary tract tumors (UTT) in Argentina.
Methods
Case-control study of 197 patients with histologically confirmed UTT of transitional varieties, and 397 controls with acute, non-neoplastic, and non-urinary tract diseases, admitted to the same hospitals in Córdoba (Argentina) between 1999 and 2006. All subjects were interviewed about their use of AS and their exposure to other known or suspected risk factors for UTT.
Results
Fifty-one UTT patients (26%) and 87 controls (22%) used AS. The risk of UTT was significantly increased in long-term (≥ 10 years) AS users compared with none-AS users. The OR (95% CI) for long-term consumers was 2.18 (1.22–3.89) and for short-term users was 1.10 (0.61–2.00) after adjustment for age, gender, BMI, social status. and years of tobacco use.
Conclusion
Regular use of AS for 10 years or more was positively associated with UTT.
Keywords: Artificial sweeteners; Urinary tumors; Tumors in Argentina; Bladder tumors; Case-control study; Cyclamate; Saccharin; Aspartame; Acesulfame-K
I use splenda and Occasionally stevia.
All the rest have an unacceptable aftertaste
In addition, aspartane should not be heated so it can’t be used in cooking.
Per Wiki – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
Aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than ninety countries worldwide,[48][49] with FDA officials describing aspartame as “one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved” and its safety as “clear cut”.[50] The weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.[3]
I guess you just need to define what “current levels” are.
I use Stevia and Truvia. I notice with other sweeteners (Splenda, S&L or Equal), I personally feel more hungry or thirsty when I use them.
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...