The Truth About Artificial Sweetener
Here’s the truth about artificial sweeteners and the side effects they cause.
You may think by changing sugar for artificial sweeteners you are choosing a healthy option, but you may actually be making your health worse. In effect you are choosing to substitute a natural food for a chemical one– never a good idea. Your body is not designed to cope with it.
For years, manufacturers have denied a wide range of side effects from sweeteners like saccharine, which in the 70s was found to cause cancer. More recently, it was discovered that aspartame, found in NutraSweet, has some 92 recorded side effects and it is known that prolonged use leads to the laying down of formaldehyde in the body.
Now the latest, Splenda, has been described as being more like a pesticide than food. With no long-term studies as yet available, I would urge caution in believing this to be any less of a threat than earlier products. Additive sweeteners are not subject to rigorous testing and it is the public who end up being the guinea pigs for a money-biased industry.
Some people will never notice any effects; it all depends on individual metabolism. However, reported side effects include: skin rashes, flushes, panic attacks, dizziness, numbness pins and needles in limbs, diarrhea, muscle fatigue, headaches, cramps, bladder problems, digestive problems, bloating, obesity and cancer. Reports also include shrinking of the thymus gland responsible for aiding the immune system, enlarged kidney and liver as it struggles to deal with the toxicity involved.
Artificial sweeteners have no food value. You do NOT need them. Instead, simply give yourself time to retrain your taste buds to cope with a less sweet taste. Over a period of time you can cut down your sugar intake slowly and you will find it much easier to cope with than a sudden change. Oh yes, and READ THE LABELS – if it contains any chemical compound the chances are that your body will not like it. Your body is your best friend, listen to it and don’t abuse it.
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Gail Nobles | Jun 22, 2007 | Reply
Another great article with great info!
Francie | Jun 23, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for all the interesting and helpful info on artificial sweetners. I have been trying to cut it completely out of drinks and food items. Always have had my suspicions about this additive.
Lucy Lockett | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
I had my suspicions too but now I feel better about knowing.Thanks for the useful information.
John | Dec 24, 2007 | Reply
mostly useful, but somewhat of a skeptic on it causing obesity, I think gluttony is usually(though not always) the root of that, but then who am I to say
Your mom | Dec 24, 2007 | Reply
There is hardly any truth in this post. Anyone who doesn’t go out and find the real truth by reading the actual testing and valid information are nothing but sheep blindly believing anything they want to believe with no factual information to back it up.
Your son | Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
And anyone who believes the “factual information” from the FDA is like a blind sheep believing anything that big corporations tell them. It’s all about money. Do you really think the FDA is going to admit that sweeteners like aspartame cause serious problems? Big business isn’t about safety, it’s about money.
Jacque | Sep 10, 2010 | Reply
Pay careful attention to who is sponsoring these studies. Did anyone ever notice that the studies that show there are little to no side effects are paid for by the very companies who are trying to produce and sell these poisens. The independant studies done by non biased groups all come to the same conclusions, that these artificial sweeteners do more harm than good. Weight loss comes down to one thing, liver function. Your liver as to process the fats for your body to release them. Your liver also processes the toxins your body takes in. When you overload your body with the toxins, aspartame and sucralose, your liver spends all its time trying to get rid of the toxins and the fat stays in place. Splenda or Sucralose is the worst one yet. It was discovered by accident while trying to develop a new pesticide! It happened to produce a chemical that crystilized and was sweet. So lets test it out on the human population and tell them its all good because its made from sugar. WRONG! It is not made from sugar. Thats why the sugar companies sued the makers of splenda! Splenda has more in commom with pesticides than with sugar. If anyone has the wool pulled over their eyes its the people that believe they are doing their bodies good by using these products. Use a natural sweetener! It isnt going to kill you in moderation. Sugar, honey, and syrup (not the man made syrup, but stuff that actually comes from a tree and unmodified) are not crazy concoctions people have invented. If you must use an alternative sweetener try stevia. Not Truvia! Truvia has been altered from nature’s original (Stevia) so it can be owned. You cannot patent nature so companies fiddle with nature so they can say its all theirs when in reality you are paying for them to modify something that is already naturally sweet and add a filler so you use more of it to satisfy you sweet tooth. It’s all about the money. Stevia is a plant! Its leaves produce a sticky sweet nectar that can be extracted. Please people stop believing everything the FDA or USDA tells you. Figure it out on your own! Go directly to the source. Look for unbiased studies, and find out what your really eating!!!!
Ann Miller | Sep 10, 2010 | Reply
thanks so much for commenting Jacque x