Member Comments for the Article:All About Artificial SweetenersThe Lowdown on Zero-Calorie Sugar Substitutes198 Comments
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3/1/2012 6:24:56 PM
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So much to consider ... But I agree with those who say "just stick with natural food." Here's what happened to me and why I do not even touch artificial sweeteners. Some 30 years ago - when I was in colleges and entering the work world - I started having debilitating, excruciating headaches. I went to see several doctors and no one could figure out what it was. Our wise and stoic family doctor basically just has me start trying various things, and one was to stop drinking TAB and eating sugar-free foods. It worked. The headaches went away, and I never touched artificial sweeteners again. Some people say, "well, that was just the old stuff - today's products are better and safer." No thanks. If something can affect a body - especially the head - the way it affected me, it can't be good for you. Sugar has been all right for people for centuries, and it's fine for me. If I want to lose weight, I'll just eat less of it ... Oh, wait - I did that! Anyway, that's my two cents. Others can argue about A.S.'s - I'll just stay away. :) |
3/1/2012 4:31:39 PM
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"Despite FDA approval, artificial sweeteners have been accused of causing everything from mood and behavioral disorders to headaches, multiple sclerosis, obesity, heart disease and cancer. While some individuals may attribute these symptoms to artificial sweeteners, there are no published, peer-reviewed, controlled scientific studies to support these accusations. According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no scientific evidence that any artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer. The American Dietetic Association says that adults can safely enjoy a range of non-nutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by federal nutrition recommendations such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans". But people will just believe what they want to believe. After all, they know better than those silly experts. |
SANDRA_FLORES
12/18/2011 9:17:19 PM
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Iīve reached a point now where if the FDA says itīs safe I question it. When the company that is supposed to be giving me unbiased health information is paid by the drug, food, pill, whatever that they are testing there is a problem and it will clearly be biased in favor of the one paying. As the old saying goes "donīt bite the hand that feeds you" and the FDA would not want to do anything to stop that cash flow. |
8/1/2011 4:08:38 PM
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They claim aspartame is one of the most studied artificial sweeteners, but they fail to tell you how much big money went into hiding the real results of the tests, etc. As a person who had all the symptoms of multiple sclerosis without the correlating lesions and then had every single one of the symptoms go away once I stopped eating the yogurt that contained aspartame which I was eating five days a week (trying to eat healthier and lose weight) -- I would encourage every single person out there to stop drinking diet sodas and not eat anything containing aspartame, sucralose or any other artificial sweetener. I never read food labels until this happened to me. Now, I don't buy anything without reading the label first and I make sure to never buy anything containing artificial sweeteners. It just isn't worth your health. |
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ALPHASCAN
7/28/2011 4:44:46 PM
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Unfortunately, when it comes to sugar and sugar substitutes, the average American consumes 20 times the amount consumed just 100 years ago. Any healthy living website or dietitian who leaves the impression that consuming sugar OR sugar substitutes is anything but unhealthy is doing a disservice to its readers. The more sugar/sweetener you can cut from your diet, the healthier you are eating. |
7/22/2011 9:49:58 PM
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Sounds like a bunch of people read this article and promptly got on their soap boxes. I think that artificial sweeteners are like anything else in life-- fine in moderation. Someone mention that our bodies were not designed to consume artificial psuedo-foods, and that's a good point, but our bodies were also not designed to consume inordinate amounts of REAL foods either (leading to obesity or unhealthy weights) and some of us here have done exactly that. |
7/22/2011 7:38:54 PM
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Our bodies were not designed to consume chemically made psuedo-foods. Artificial sweeteners fall into that category, and I do my best to steer clear of them. I don't much trust anything the FDA says anymore. Our government agencies are unfortunately quite corrupt, and the money that changes hands to force through safety approvals frightens me to no end. I'll stick with natural things whenever possible. |
7/21/2011 11:03:49 AM
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I SO do not agree with this article. Artificial sweeteners are known cancer causing agents in animals and are known neuro-toxins which affect brain activity, hormone levels, hunger levels and many other body functions. There are many, many articles and studies you can find that are NOT funded by the food manufacturers that show that these chemicals are very harmful and should not be consumed by anybody. |
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PRINCESSFONZI
7/20/2011 10:37:15 PM
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I don't agree with the article either. Sweet N Low is a known cancer causing agent. There's a warning label right on the package! Your body doesn't like chemicals put in it! I'm not sure where she got the info in this article, but just by personal experience, there are too many issues with artificial sweeteners to trust them. And they tast terrible. |
7/20/2011 11:58:21 AM
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I don't know about FDA studies but I do know that EVERY TIME I eat or drink something that contains aspartame (even if I chew gum with aspartame), I get a migraine. That's a direct correlation. And, I completely disagree that these substitutes taste like sugar. While I'm aware that not everyone can taste these sweeteners, I can and they have a chemical taste. Yuck. I can't speak for people living with diabetes, but I know if you're looking for a somewhat healthier alternative to sugar for baking, etc. Agave nectar and maple syrup (and maple sugar) are great substitutes that don't give you the high or the crash of refined sugar or the possible health effects of artificial sweeteners. |
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7/19/2011 11:47:12 PM
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Personally I prefer Splenda, in small amounts; half a regular size packet is sufficient to sweeten my coffee, tea, or plain yogurt & fruit. Don't like the aftertaste of Sweet & Low and me and aspartame do not get along....don't know about others but I find aspartame upsets my stomach. Stevia is OK, but I have noticed that some products with Stevia seem to have a, well, shall we say a laxitive effect? Anyone else notice this? |
7/19/2011 10:06:10 PM
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Personally I'm skeptical about the safety of artificial sweeteners. Besides, I think it tastes horrible! I'd much rather have a small amount of sugar, honey, maple syrup etc or nothing at all. |
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TWEITZY
7/19/2011 3:30:37 PM
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This article might as well have been written by Monsanto. There are plenty of valid studies pointing to the dangers of artificials sweetners, but the FDA and USDA don't want to acknowledge them because it's BIG business calling the shots. Monsanto used to pull in over a BILLION per year on aspartame, alone. One ought to investigate how it got approved and you'll see that this is not a safe sweetner. Here's another little known fact that our "expert" failed to tell us. Artificial sweetners available in the little packets, use a filler: SUGAR. Because the sweenter is so sweet, they use a filler to cut the sweetness. That filler is maltodextrin or dextrose which does spike insulin levels. so to claim that these artificial sweenters don't impact insulin levels IS A LIE!!! Read the ingredient label of the little packet and what's the number one ingredient? DEXTROSE or MALTODEXTRIN. Take charge of your own health and don't be duped by the corporate line. |
7/19/2011 1:04:00 PM
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I saw this article last week and was wondering how this plays into the "artificial sweeteners help dieters" argument. Or the "no glycemic response" arguments. http://www.weightlosssurgery channel.com/breaking-wls-n ews/diet-sodas-linked-to-i ncreased-obesity-diabetes.html/ |
7/19/2011 12:36:41 PM
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It may not be peer reviewed, but there is one rather convincing study showing that aspartame CAN cause cancer. It used to be found at myaspartameexperiment.com, but I'm not sure what she did with her site. You can read more at http://www.mpwhi.com/asp artame_study_female_rats_d eveloped_visible_tumors.pd f. It costs money to do peer reviewed studies, and there are plenty of "political" influences in what is studied as well. Aspartame is one of those ingredients whose studies were pushed through quickly. The official studies were quite limited lasting only a few months. The study I cite is a lifetime study over the life of the rats and into subsequent generations. It may have been done by an amature, but it is quite compelling. |