The TRUTH About Artificial Sweeteners

I use sweetners in my tea. I would like info on this..

@On a limb with Claudia –

ya re-read his opening, he is not against them, eveyone else was.

I don’t drink any sodas but once in a while, I do add packets of Splenda to my coffee. I am guilty of cutting back on usage based on what I have heard, not on any research on my part. Must – get – better – at – that!

I drink diet soda on occassion….when I know I’ve been eating too much real sugar!

The company I work for gives out samples to customers now and then as a cross promotion. Lately we’ve been handing out a sugar substitute. Now, we also do our own breast cancer fundraising. A customer said the other day “Oh sure, you’re going to ask me to help fight breast cancer, then cause me to get it by giving me THAT!”

I know that a lot of people say there are risks, but come on, how much do you actually need to CONSUME for it to cause any negative effects?

One person mentioned the article that showed all the negative side effects of Aspartame. The problem with the studies are two fold. First of all they are correlational studies which proves nothing. It is like saying “a bird sings before the sun rises therefore it is the singing of the bird that causes the sun to rise”. As you can see this arguement is flaud. To say that it is the aspartame causes these negative effects has never been proven because there has been no double blind studies. Is it the excess aspartame or is it the fact that when you use aspartame containing pop you don’t drink enough water. I tend to believe the latter. Therefore if you are drinking 10-12 cups of water a day and then have an occational diet pop, there really shouldn’t be much problem. The second problem with these studies is, as mentioned by Joel, they are animal studies and these are the worst type because animals metabolize things different than humans. Using small amounts of artificial sweeteners, in my opinion, will not hurt as long as it is not done in excess. If you drink 2 L of diet pepsi in a day, then I think there is a problem

OK Good or bad, it just tastes nasty! I am from the days of TAB soda full of saccarhin (sp) but even that was yukky. I choose real sugar or honey when needed but for my tea, just give it to me straight – nothing added

I use artificial sweetners all the time and also haven’t found any conclusive evidence citing the negatives of using them. Although I recently read an interesting study discussing possible weight gain caused by breaking the connection between a sweet sensation and high-calorie food, resulting in changes in the body’s ability to regulate intake.

I wouldn’t say that small amounts will kill you, but in case of dieting humans, I’m not so sure the amounts are so small. People who start a diet and are told not eat sugar, crave for foods they used to eat. So they replace the sugary foods with those that are artificially sweetened. In total, it could be quite a lot, I think (sodas, candy, icecream, gum and so on).

An other thing: substances that your body don’t recognice gets to be stored either in your liver or in your fat reserves. An other “health guru” wrote that, the toxins you eat may very well prevent you from losing fat, because your body needs the fat to store those toxins in. That made sence to me.

Yes please send me information regarding art. sweetners!! I use Splenda daily, although I have been trying to cut back.

Will you include the newer stuff like the Stevia blend in your discussion?

I dont know about any artificial sweetner studies but I do know about another study that has revelance. It was a study done on pickles and the risks associated with eating them. Apparantly, over 97% of the people who died in plane crashes had consumed pickles. Over 95% of communists have eaten pickles in their life. Something like 99% of the people who die in the United States every year have eaten pickles.

I wonder if some of the studies about artifical sweetners come from the people who did the study on pickles? :>

I drink a Diet Coke every morning. I’ve yet to see conclusive evidence that it is going to kill me quickly and its better than stopping at Starbucks for that 400 calorie coffee concoction. In my mind not all chemicals are bad, and not all natural substances are good. Everything has a tradeoff, you just have to look at the available research and decide for yourself.

Hey Joel,

What about Splenda? I have read a lot of articles that say it is the same chemical formula as regular sugar with one element missing and our body processes it different?

Hello Joel
First of all thanks for taking out time to share ‘truth about artificial sweeteners.Actually i somehow dont believe in artificial things,be it alone this sweetener.But I dO have tried diet snacks and diet soft drinks,now this was in past,no more now,left it many months ago.
looking forward to your information on artificial sweetener.
And one more thing,I am from India and in the month of May-June,heat is at its peak,so could you please tell me how to keep myself hydrated withWHAT natural drinks and loose weight as well by eating healthy snacks besides having 3 nutritios meals.
I would be very grateful if you could take out time to send me a list of healthy drinks and snacks
Bye and take care
Archana

I use mostly Stevia and the every once in awhile Splenda. I do use Crystal Light and chew sugar free gum also. I haven’t ever researched the claims just have heard Syevia may be better from a former trainer.

I had heard a lot of negative things about Aspertame and made the switch from Equal to Splenda. I’ll only use Equal if Splenda isn’t available because now I find “real” sugar way too sweet now. Actually I find a lot of things way too sweet since I started using Splenda. I’m curious to know if anyone else has found this to be happening to them as well.

I actually use either Stevia or Sweet Fiber rather than artificial sweeteners. Both come in packets and are zero calories. Some artificial sweeteners have been the subject of FDA research on possible carcinogenic properties, an even though there appears to be no conclusive evidence, the fact that studies have been triggered is a red flag to stay away for me.

I’ve written an article on my new blog about other low calorie sugar substitutes that are available for cooking, etc. and are either low or moderate glycemic. I’ll definitely look forward to reading your post on artificial sweeteners and enjoy your insights.

Leta

@Joel Marion – Gosh, it’s hard to find a loyal friend these days, isn’t it? :)

Joel, your rhetoric and smart ass responses aren’t going to score you many points with people who have paid you money and can still get a full refund for your program. I personally like your posts and think they are thought provoking, but you are really coming off as someone who doesn’t like to be questioned.@Joel Marion –

Originally Posted By jenHi joel,

It really seems that you like artificial sweetners, well if you want get cancer keep using it.

WOW…..what an idiot to make such a stupid comment like that! UGH

Hi Joel, this topic is near and dear to me as I do drink diet drinks, although I tend to lean toward Splenda, but mostly due to internet articles I have read. My sister is a holistic nutritionist who absolutely abhores artificial sweetners citing various ill effects they can have. I really can’t confirm or deny, but I generally go with the use in moderation rule (and I haven’t had an ill effects). With that said, Stevia, a natural herb, was recently approved as a food additive and has been used for many years in foods and medicines I believe in other parts of the world. The newest products (packaged like sugar and other artificial sweetners), like Truvia, have no calories and taste just as good if not better to me than the artificial sweetners (original variations of Stevia had a bitter aftertaste). As a result, I now use Truvia exclusively as a sweetner at least at home. I understand several major softdrink manufacturers are also in the process of coming out with drinks sweetened with Stevia, and if so, I will likely switch as my understanding is that Stevia is completely safe (at least that is the current word on the street :-). Thus far, I would highly recommend this product to anyone who misses their sugar but is fearful of the yellow, pink and blue packets. Would definitely be interested in further thoughts or research you might have on the topic as the currenly promoted public info is a bit confusing. Thanks!

Wow Joel you really started something here! : ) I personally try to limit my intake of artificial sweeteners, but will have maybe a diet soda or two on the weekends, and I also will put a packet or two of either Splenda or Stevia on my oatmeal along with cinnamon to sweeten it up. I think it is just like anything else, some people will react to it differently. We probably all know someone who is allergic to something, whether it be eggs, dairy, wheat, gluten, nuts, shellfish, etc. Personally I have never experienced any adverse reactions from artificial sweeteners so I don’t see a problem with consuming them, but limiting them. I think a big problem is just over consumption like a lot of things. I look forward to here what you have to say tomorrow and watching this debate rage on!

Yes, I like to hear more about artificial sweetners. I’ve heard it is bad for you but if you got new information! I used to drink lots of diet anything – but then I stopped after hearing about the ‘bad’ with artificial sweetners. So now, I stick to water, green tea