Personally, I think that sugar substitutes can be a real help. My grandmother was diabetic (diet controlled for very many years). My youngest niece was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 7 or 8. With the substitutes, they were both able to have little treats on occasion. It would have been awful to keep my niece from trick-or-treating on Halloween or going on our family’s Easter egg hunt. This way we were able to swap the regular candy for the sugar-free stuff so she didn’t feel left out. And just to make things easier on Easter, all the eggs that had candy in them had the sugar-free kind (most had change in them).
Alright, so I ended up causing quite a stir with my post about artificial sweeteners yesterday, and today I’m back to share some research as promised. When talking artificial sweeteners, there are generally two major concerns:
1. Safety
2. Fat Loss
Let’s discuss the research surrounding both. First up, safety.
1. Butchko HH et al. Aspartame: review of safety. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2002 Apr;35(2 Pt 2):S1-93.
In this 2002 paper, over 20 years since the food additive was approved by the FDA, a comprehensive review of all aspartame research to date concluded that aspartame is indeed safe when consumed by normal humans in acceptable amounts (more on acceptable amounts in a minute).
2. Magnuson BA, Burdock GA, Doull J, et al. (2007). Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies. Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 37 (8): 629-727.
Now more than 25 years later, another safety evaluation found that the weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.
3. Gallus S; Scotti L, Negri E, Talamini R, Franceschi S, Montella M, Giacosa A, Dal Maso L, La Vecchia C. (January 2007). Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies. Annals of Oncology 18 (1): 40-44.
This study analyzing over 15 years of research showed a clear cut “lack of association between saccharin, aspartame and other sweeteners and the risk of several common cancers”
4. Lim U, Subar AF, Mouw T, et al. Consumption of aspartame-containing beverages and incidence of hematopoietic and brain malignancies. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention 2006; 15.
In 2006, the US National Cancer Institute concluded in a study of over a HALF MILLION men and women aged 50 to 69 that there was no statistically significant link between aspartame consumption and leukemias, lymphomas or brain tumors.
A study of over a half million HUMANS showing no statistically significant link between aspartame and cancer, and three other 15-25 year comprehensive reviews of ALL the available research, all finding that aspartame is indeed safe when consumed in acceptable amounts.
That sure seems to ring more factual than someone’s “conspiracy” website to me.
Now, I could have sat here and listed out a couple hundred papers showing no statistical significance, but instead I chose to list the review papers who already included that data in their 20+ year review.
So, you’re probably wondering what’s “acceptable”?
You’re bound to find this interesting…
Based on all available research, scientists first determine the maximum amount of a food ingredient that can be safely consumed daily over a person’s lifetime. Then, just in case they screwed up by 10,000%, they divide this number by 100 and call that the ADI (acceptable daily intake).
Just in case you didn’t get that, the ADI is actually 100 TIMES LESS than what has been scientifically determined to be safe, as an extremely conservative precautionary measure.
So what’s the ADI for aspartame?
The ADI for aspartame has been set at 50mg/kg of body weight (again, this is 100 times less than what has been determined safe).
But to even reach the ultra conservative ADI, a 150-pound adult would have to consume about 20 12-oz. diet carbonated soft drinks, or 33 8-oz. servings of powdered soft drink, or 42 4-oz. servings of gelatin, or 97 packets of tabletop sweetener each and every day.
And people are still worrying about safety issues based on a couple studies done on RATS being fed the aspartame equivalent of up to 2,000 cans of Diet Coke daily. No, that is NOT a misprint.
Before going any further, let me just clarify my recommendations.
1. I do not think non-nutritive sweeteners, particularly aspartame as it’s perhaps the most studied nutrient of all time, are the devil.
2. Despite the ADI, I do not recommend anyone drink 20 diet soft drinks or use 97 packets of Equal daily.
3. If you are drinking a caffeinated beverage, such as Diet Coke, etc, then I would recommend you limit your intake to one can per day.
4. If going with something non-caffeinated, you can be a little more liberal, but the bulk of your daily fluid intake should still come in the form of good old fashion water.
5. In Summary: Drink at least a half gallon of water daily, but feel free to enjoy other non-calorie drinks in moderation (1-3 beverages per day)
6. Lastly, if you personally as an individual experience adverse reactions like headaches, dizziness, etc, due to the use of aspartame, then don’t use it. Just realize that you fall into .0000001% of the population and shouldn’t preach your personal experience as truth for all. One of my friends is allergic to chocolate, but she doesn’t go around telling everyone else that it’s poison.
So it looks like my recommendations are actually 1,000 times less than what has been determined safe, and I’m pretty comfortable making that recommendation.
Alright, this post is already going longer than I anticipated, so I’m going to save the research on non-nutritive sweeteners and weight loss for tomorrow.
At least 100 comments and I’ll be back tomorrow with that data (which you’ll probably find even more interesting).
In clarity and moderation,
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 for some eye-opening, actionable tips:
How to lose up to 10% of your unwanted body fat in the next 30 days <——- Click here
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277 comments - add yours
What a great topic–it’s wonderful to read the good debates!
I still look at it as an individual thing. See what works (or doesn’t) for you. Get to know your body and what you put in it! I know that if I eat/drink something sweet, I want more of it. So, I try to be careful about how much “sweet” I do eat and drink. I’m not overly concerned about sweeteners since I use them in moderation, but I’m open to all the evidence and educate myself to make the best decision for me.
Best to all of you!==Great topic Joel!
man so now what about the fat loss?? does this mess up with my hormones?
Hi Joe,
I enjoyed reading your article. Finally someone who looks at the peer reviewed research instead of spouting their own opinions or spreading conspiracy theories.
Too often people spread these rumours as if they are fact. If someone has a claim to make, it would hold more value if they could quote peer reviewed reserach to support it. For those who say that these articles are biased it’s probably worth actually reading the things which have to state if they are funded by any companies.
@ Dave:
Dave, Im interested to know where you got the information of the adverse reactions and side effects of aspartame?
Hi Joel,
Honestly, I’m not entirely convinced about the studies. Many institutes have been known to take contributions from various industries IN ORDER to conduct studies. We have no idea if the people in the case studies were truly randomly selected or if they have been pre-screened.
You also didn’t address sucralose. I know it’s a very new sweetener on the market, but I’ve heard and read, from some other fitness pro’s (who are the ones who recommended you) about the potential dangers. People claim that it is a “natural” variation of sugar, but it has really been chemically altered with chlorine, and therefore nothing natural about it.
Maybe it’s just my paranoid side (and yes i’m very paranoid about what I put in my body), but I prefer to go the natural route. Most of the sugars I consume are naturally occurring, ie. fruits and veggies. I rarely add sweetener to anything. When I do, I use sun crystals – a combination of stevia and raw sugar (5 cals a packet) or I use natural honey.
I’m an old fart pushing 80 trying to hang on to what’s left of my mind and
body. I’ve used aspartame extensively in the past but not for the last 8 years.
Just the fact that the metabolism products include that of of methanol and formaldehyde — two very toxic chemicals — is enough to for me to stay away.
I long ago switched to stevia with my favorite addition to my green smoothies being the stevia/glycerite combo. I believe that Stevia is safe BUT the sweetness aspect increases my appetite for more sweet foods. What the exact mechanism is I’m not sure, but eliminating sweetness reduces my appetite and blunts my tendency to go on eating binges. I simply do better eating to live rather than living to eat …of course I’m sorry that Reese cups and chocolate chip cookies just don’t fit into ways and means of supporting a good health scenario.
I noticed some comments about agave nectar. As I understand it the processing of Agave is virtually the same as that for high fructose corn syrup…not a good choice whatsoever.
bill
although the risk may be small you still admit that there are risks to consuming artificial sweetners…let me ask you this, are there any nutritional benefits to consuming it…if not, then the risk to benefit ratio doesn’t really play out in favor of consumption, regardless of how small or what level are said to be safe
Keep it coming! Good stuff!
Joel, Scientific studies can be very valuable in many circumstances. It’s just when vast profits of a mega-industry such as safety of sweeteners is involved, a huge and very sophisticated propaganda system rolls into action. You have to examine each study very carefully to see where it’s deceits lie. Usually the actual scientific data is not fraudulent, just it is spun to mislead, or very unsoundly selected. There’s also the problem that 20 “wrong” studies may get shelved, rejected from journals etc, while the one that gives the “right” result gets trumpeted as supposed proof.
I have no side effect with my high intake of this sweetener. Even if it was cancerous I would get bored only drinking water for the rest of my days so maybe I’d have to take that chance. Here in the UK they put pictures of diseased body organs (lungs, heart etc) on the side of cigarette packets but it does’nt stop people smoking them lol. If they did that to Diet Coke I’m sure sales won’t suffer.
Anyway, I’d be interested to hear about insulin response and aspartame. Is it stalling my weight loss? I’m still struggling with the last 10 pounds even after doing a full cycle of XFLD to the letter (I love the workouts BTW – they really tax me). I did lose 6 pounds in weight (gaining 3 pounds lean mass) and 2% body fat but still can’t get below 12% BF. Presently, I’m doing a full metabolic reset. 6 weeks of no strict dieting and over maintenance calorie consumption. I’m putting on a few pounds to hope I can lose more on the next run. Psychologically I think this will work for me (and maybe thats part of the battle).
Aspartame and insulin – if its a problem I’ll do nothing but water on my next cycle.
You lost me! Why would you recommend something based on one-sided “research”? I’m all for xylitol sweetening. It’s more expensive–but safe and can actually reverse tooth decay. Secondly, Crystal Light Pure Fitness does NOT contain aspartame, it contains Stevie. Lastly, how do we go about convincing gum producrers that not ALL of us appreciate the extra poison (oops, I mean flavor) that aspartame adds. I refuse to let my children ingest that crap. I puchase xylitol only sweetened gum from Xlear for myself and my children. More expensive–but their little brains are worth it!! I’m with Isabel on this.
if this was the case it woul dbe banned from all drink and banned from being sold ..
Hello Joel,
Thank you for another informative article which I have read with much interest, forgive me for being obtuse (I think my brain may be missing it’s sugar fix) seriously though is your position that on the strength of available scientific research that moderate use of artificial sweetners as with anything else will not cause to much damage?
Regards
Michael
@ Sallie:
I thought I was the only one that broke out in hives from stevia, especially on my neck. My hives are red and itch like mad. My sweetener of choice is sweet-n-low. I use it my coffee and unsweetened almond milk. I avoid the sugar alcohols because they are dangerous if ingested by dogs. I have a small dog and accidents happen.
well said
It’s still a chemical, it tastes nasty… And those who assert that they have taken Aspartame for 40 and odd years and still feeling great, can’t blame all the others for their concerns… If it worked for you and you still feeling great (maybe brain cancer is around the corner, you never know) it does not mean that everyone can and should feel ok about it… OR I don’t know, maybe you own a factory that manufactures Aspartame!
@ Kevin:
I hate to break this to you, but EVERYTHING on this planet is made up of chemicals. . . including all of us!
Unfortunately, I’m in the .0000001% that gets headaches from aspartame, I learned that from drinking C2 Coke. Oh well, regular Coke tastes better. With rum. Hehehe.
I read somewhere that when Aspartame is digested it breaks down into other chemicals including chloroform etc. Do you have any information on the chemical characteristics of Aspartame and the chemistry of its digestion? Thanks.
And this confusion is what keeps the wellness industry humming …
The sad thing is that some people will still not accept the overwhelming evidence that these artificial sweeteners are completely safe. Great article!
Wow, impressive research Joel! I’ve never been a fan of diet or regular soda but at least now I know if I do grab one or the other I can do so knowing diet soda is perfectly harmless. Another popular saying about diet soda is that it makes your fat fatter! How is that even possible? The density of fat doesn’t change, you can’t have a fatter pound of fat. You can get fatter though! People say the craziest things and it becomes popular belief going by unquestioned! Thanks for de-bunking another myth though! I find drinking tea works great for me and my weight loss followers, When I drink tea my appetite can usually be suppressed. If I get hungry and feel like going on a uncontrollable binge I just drink some tea and relax, works great!
Don’t forget, we already prescribe rat poison . . . it’s called Coumadin. It’s a blood thinner for heart disease. I’d rather die a natural death . . . without the help of rat poison OR artificial sweeteners!
Wow! I have skimmed through most of the posts and it looks like we have to agree to disagree. Personally, I use Splenda and Truvia; wouldn’t touch the “pink” stuff.
Also, my daughter works for a dentist and I asked about the effects of the artificial sweetners on tooth decay. He said it is the best way to go to get your “sweet and keep your teeth”. I have used artificial sweetners for the calorie factor and never gave much thought about tooth decay, so this was a check in the plus column for me.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s post!
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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...