Artificial Sweeteners :( My advice is to Avoid them!
- cabcanfield
- Dec 7, 2022
- 4 min read
The History of Artificial Sweeteners:
Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered in the late 1800 and was used for diabetics as a medicinal product. During World War II it came into use in the general population due to sugar shortages. The second artificial sweetener Cyclamate, was discovered in 1937, and in the 1950's the diet soda industry boomed with the Cyclamate sweetened Tab and Diet Pepsi. Cyclamate is also what originally filled the little pink packets of Sweet’N Low.
By 1968, Americans were consuming more than 17 million pounds of artificial sweeteners each year. That changed in 1969 when Cyclamate was proven to cause bladder cancer in rats, resulting in an immediate ban by the FDA that is still in effect. Sweet’N Low then became a saccharin-based product. Diet Pepsi had already switched to Saccharin in 1964.
Aspartame was discovered around in 1965 and approved by the FDA in 1981. Aspartame is what launched Diet Coke. In 1977 due to concerns about Saccharin causing bladder cancer in rats, Congress required the sweetener’s packaging to bear a cancer warning label. Tab (containing Saccharin) was owned by Coke, but with this warning label, Diet Coke essentially replaced Tab. Diet Pepsi switched aspartame in 1983.
In 2000, scientists found that humans metabolize saccharin differently from rats and the warning label requirement was rescinded, hence saccharin is still used. Sucralose was came next and was the first to be able to be used in cooking and then the others followed. Still most diet soda's continue to use Aspartame.
The Types of Artificial Sweeteners Available:
Low calorie or Artificial Sweeteners are approved for use as food additives by the FDA. They are somewhere between 200 and 700 times sweeter than sugar with exception of Neotame which is about 8000 times sweeter than sugar.
There are six of them:
Aceselfame-Potassium (Sunett® and Sweet One®),
Aspartame (Nutrasweet®, Equal®, and Sugar Twin®),
Advantame (formed from aspartame and vanillin),
Neotame (Newtame®),
Saccharin (Sweet and Low®, Sweet Twin®, Sweet'N Low®, and Necta Sweet®), and
Sucralose (Splenda®).
In addition, there are two plant derived sweeteners. these are 200-350 times sweeter than sugar.
Stevioside and Rebausioside A (Truvia®, Pure Via®, Stevia In The Raw®, SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener, SweetLeaf® and Enliten®), and
Luo han guo/Monkfruit (Monk Fruit In The Raw®, Lakanto®, SPLENDA® Monk Fruit Sweetener, SweetLeaf® and Whole Earth®) are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
Sugar Alcohols:
These are also used as a sugar substitute. They are 25-100% as sweet as sugar, but have less calories. Currently, eight sugar alcohols are approved for human consumption: erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, isomalt, lactitol, mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. Some occur naturally in foods (erythritol and sorbitol) and some are produced industrially. These sugar alcohols can cause gastrointestinal side effects in the form of gas, bloating and diarrhea.
My recommendations....
Avoid artificial sweeteners:
I see no benefit. Since their introduction there has been no decrease in obesity or diabetes, the two diseases most associated with use of excess sugar. In fact, I believe the addition of artificial sweeteners has made matters worse by reinforcing sweet cravings and thereby pushing intake away from healthier foods. And let's face it, we don't know all the answers when it comes to side effects of these additives. There are associations with headache, migraine, arthritis, and gastrointestinal issues, just to name a few.
Read Labels:
There is no requirement to let you know if a product contains an artificial sweetener. If something says low sugar or no sugar or low fat be very wary that it contains an artificial sweetener. Also, be aware that things like mouth wash, gum, toothpaste, and many liquid medications contain artificial sweeteners.
Don't be tempted to turn to Artificial Sweeteners even if you are Obese or have Diabetes:
If you are trying to lose weight artificial sweeteners do not help and may promote weight gain. In addition they may increase your risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.
Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. BMJ2022; 378doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-071204(Published 07 September 2022)
Avoid sugar alcohols if you have GI issues:
These can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea. If you have difficulty with irritable bowel syndrome these will likely make you feel worse.
Moderate your use of sugar:
"Per person volumes of non-nutritive sweeteners in drinks is now 36 percent higher globally. Added sugars in packaged food is 9 percent higher." HEALTH31 July 2022 By CHERIE RUSSELL ET AL.
There is 5 grams of sugar per teaspoon. One can of pop contains 10 teaspoons!!
Adults men should consume no more than 9 tsp added sugar
Children over 2 and Adult Women no more than 6 tsp
Children under 2 should not have any added sugar.
"Sweet Tooth Tip": If you bite into a regular apple and you feel like it is not sweet, you have likely been eating to much sugar. Eliminate it for a couple weeks and this will turn down your "sweet tooth". Try to consume most sugar in its natural form, like in fruit (not juice). When looking at labels try make sure the amount of added sugar is less than 8 grams per serving. If you want added sweetness use a little juice, fruit or pure maple syrup.
Navigating what foods and drinks to choose for living healthy is difficult. I think it is very important that we make it a priority to look at how our food is made and what ingredients are put into them.
I hope this information will be a helpful guide.
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