What Is Wrong with Artificial Sweeteners?

[Guest guest]

What Is Wrong with Artificial Sweeteners?

by Dr. Scott Olson, ND

October 14, 2008

_http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=13986 & B1=EG102908_

(http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=13986 & B1=EG102908)

 

“Almost every artificial sweetener has been a by-product of chemical

experiments where the person doing the experiments accidentally tasted the

chemical

they were working with and noticed it was sweet.†- Dr. Scott Olson, ND,

author of Sugarettes: Sugar Addiction and Your Health*

 

When you reach for that packet of artificial sweetener, do you know what you

are getting?

 

You may have read the news that sugar and certain foods that act like sugar

in your body can be bad for your health - and that may have convinced you

that you should remove sugars from your diet. That is a good idea, but if you

think that artificial sweeteners might be a good way to deal with that nagging

sweet tooth, you might want to think again.

 

People reach for artificial sweeteners for two reasons: either they want to

lose weight or they think that they will suppress their sugar addiction, or

both.

 

So it is surprising that artificial sweeteners do neither.

 

They do not help you lose weight, and they often make your cravings worse.

Artificial sweeteners also deal an additional health-blow by introducing

chemicals that either shouldn’t be in your body, or that you body has a hard

time

dealing with.

 

The health problems associated with saccharine, aspartame, sucralose and

other artificial sweeteners are many, and you should avoid them whenever

possible. Here’s why:

 

Breaking Your Addiction

 

The first thing to know about artificial sweeteners is that they do nothing

to break your addiction to sweet-tasting foods.

 

Sugar addicts are a unique group of addicts, in that they want to stop their

addiction, but only if they have a good substitute. This is a little like

recommending that an alcoholic drink non-alcoholic beer in order to break their

habit. Most people see how silly that might be, but then still want a good

sugar substitute.

 

What you need to know is this: Continually eating sweet foods will keep the

craving for sugary foods alive. This means that any tempting sugar foods you

run into (at the office, a birthday party…) are all fair game; and out the

window goes the reason why you started using artificial sweeteners in the first

place.

 

Overeating

 

It has been shown that the use of artificial sweeteners can actually cause

you to consume more calories than if you weren’t eating them in the first

place.(1)

 

The reason artificial sweeteners may be causing you to overeat is not clear,

but it may be enough to understand that your body does not like to be

tricked. Artificial sweeteners trick your body into believing that you are

going to

be eating foods, but you are not.

 

 

The most likely cause of overeating with artificial sweeteners is the body’s

insulin response. Your body’s response to a sweet taste in your mouth is to

release insulin. When insulin is released, it pushes blood sugar lower. This

lowered blood sugar may be the root of the reason why you are more likely to

eat more: lower blood sugar means you feel hungry.

 

Chemicals

 

Almost every artificial sweetener has been a by-product of chemical

experiments where the person doing the experiments accidentally tasted the

chemical

they were working with and noticed it was sweet. These sweeteners are the

byproduct of chemical experiments and are not a food. These sweeteners are new

chemicals and our bodies are confused about what to do with them.

 

Side Effects

 

We normally talk about side effects of drugs, but artificial sweeteners also

have side effects that range from headaches, to diarrhea, to neurological

problems and a host of other symptoms.(2) Aspartame alone was once the most

complained about food additive on the planet.(3)

 

Worse than side effects is the possibility that many of these artificial

sweeteners have been linked to diseases. Saccharine may cause bladder cancer,

aspartame is broken down in the body to methanol (a known toxin), and other

artificial sweeteners are no better - and are under investigation for a variety

of disease connections.

 

Reach for Something Healthy

 

Your best bet if you are looking to avoid sugar is to simply avoid sugar,

but if you are looking for a sweetener that will work for you without the side

effects, your best choices are Stevia and Xylitol.

 

• Xylitol is a natural sugar that doesn’t raise blood sugar as high as many

sugars, and actually appears to help reduce cavities.

 

• Stevia is an herb that tastes sweet, but has no calories. There are

research studies that show that Stevia can actually help with blood sugar

control.

 

You are on the right track when you are thinking about removing sugars from

your life; just don’t make the mistake of choosing something artificial that

can be much worse for you.

 

Sources:

1. Lavin JH, French SJ, Read NW: “The effect of sucrose- and

aspartame-sweetened drinks on energy intake, hunger and food choice of female,

moderately

restrained eaters,†International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic

Disorders, Jan 1997;21(1):37-42.

 

2. Patel RM, Sarma R, Grimsley E: “Popular sweetener sucralose as a migraine

trigger,†Headache, Sep 2006;46(8):1303-4.

 

3. Food Chemical News, June 12, 1995, Page 27.

 

___

* Scott Olson, ND, is a naturopathic doctor specializing in nutritional

medicine and diet. Dr. Olson's research-based new book – Sugarettes: Sugar

Addiction and Your Health - is now available on Amazon.com. To read more of his

articles about sugar’s association with illness – as well as the intriguing

first chapter of Sugarettes, visit his website (_http://olsonnd.com_

(http://olsonnd.com) )

 

 

 

Note: This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is generic and

is not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any illness, condition, or

disease. It is very important that you make no change in your healthcare plan

or health support regimen without researching and discussing it in

collaboration with your professional healthcare team.

 

(http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm)