Thursday, September 2, 2010

Artificial Sweeteners Are Not So Sweet After All

There has been a lot of mixed and controversial research regarding artificial sweeteners and their effects on cancer, neurological disease, and metabolic syndrome. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) generally regards these products as safe, there are a few things to consider before tearing open a packet of pink, blue, and yellow.

The pink packet, typically known as Sweet N’ Low, is made from saccharin and was manufactured in Canada. After a researcher found that it caused cancer in rats, it was banned, but later allowed. Our underfunded and overextended Food and Drug Administration, on the other hand, required more evidence before banning this substance.

Moving forward with this trend, aspartame, the main ingredient in Equal and several diet sodas, was born. After some research, aspartame was also linked to health problems and neurological symptoms.

Refusing to give up on this idea, researchers found a way to change the chemical structure of sugar to make sucralose, also known as Splenda. They did this by adding chlorine! Doesn’t anyone else find this alarming?! After some studies, this product also caused adverse reactions in mice but the FDA did not feel there was conclusive evidence and therefore approved it.

To keep things in perspective, they usually do these studies with very high doses that would not typically be consumed by humans; however, it’s still a gamble I wouldn’t want to take.

What makes these substitutes desirable is being able to have sweet foods with zero calories per serving (see previous post No Such Thing as s Free Lunch), but something else is at cost. On top of the negative health effects, these sugar substitutes are 200-600 times sweeter than sugar. After consuming these products regularly in the form of sugar-free cookies, diet sodas, and adding them to coffee and tea, your taste becomes accustomed to this abnormal level of sweetness. This distorted sense of taste can increase your cravings for sweeter things. Though different people may find different experiences with this, I know that after coming off of artificial sweeteners, it was difficult for me not to pour an entire pound of sugar into my coffee. Eventually, your taste comes back and adjusts.

Diabetics are marketed these sugar substitutes because their lack of effect on raising blood sugar, yet so much of the non-diabetic population uses these substitutes either to control weight or for perceived health benefits. My advice would be to consume as little of these sugar substitutes as possible, especially if you are not diabetic. If you really want to benefit your body, stick to naturally sweet things in moderation to satisfy cravings, such as dark chocolate, fruit, and honey.

Better alternatives:

• Stevia- non-calorie sweetener marketed as a supplement rather than a sugar substitute. Comes from a plant in South America.
• Xylitol- low-calorie, natural, and non-toxic sugar alcohol
• Plain sugar in small quantities

Remember, our bodies are not artificial, so lets stop feeding them artificial ingredients.

No comments:

Post a Comment