February 8, 2010 in Wellness by empoweringwellness

The “Skinny” on Artificial Sweeteners

I remember when diet sodas were first introduced to America in the early 1960′s. Diet Rite, a no-calorie soft drink originally distributed by the RC Cola company, was the first diet soda to be sold. It was actually introduced in 1958 as a “dietetic” product, but by 1962 was marketed to the general public as a healthful beverage. The original formula was sweetened with cyclamate and saccharin. And it really tasted like, well . . . crap.

In the early 1960′s, RC Cola launched a radio and TV ad campaign that featured a really catchy jingle with the lyrics, “Diet Rite Cola / Good for you and children too / Because it hasn’t got / Any sugar at all … new Diet Rite Cola!”

In 1969, the Food and Drug Administration banned cyclamates, forcing the beverage to be reformulated with saccharin. The product has continued to evolve over the years. In 1987, after having used a blend of the two sweeteners, the saccharin was replaced entirely with NutraSweet brand aspartame. In 2000, the line was reformulated yet again, and it became the first major diet soda in the US to use neither aspertame nor saccharin as a sweetener. Instead, aspartame was replaced with the Splenda brand sucralose and Sunett brand Acesulfame potassium.

In the past 50 years, Diet Rite products have reflected the complete evolution of artificial sweeteners — starting with cyclamates and ending with sucralose.

So, what’s the “skinny” on artificial sweeteners? Are they safe? Are they better for you than sugar?

To get some answers, I turn to my friend Dr. Scott Olsen, ND who has written a great article, The Complete Guide to Artificial Sweeteners..

According to Dr. Olsen, “You reach for artificial sweeteners for one of two reasons: you either want to lose weight, or you think that using artificial sweetener will suppress your sugar addiction, or both. But guess what? Artificial sweeteners do neither: they don’t help you lose weight and they can make your cravings worse. Artificial sweeteners also deal a health-blow to your body by introducing chemicals that either shouldn’t be in your body, or that you body has a hard time getting rid of.

The health problems associated with saccharine, aspartame, sucralose and other artificial sweeteners are numerous and you should avoid them whenever possible.”

Here are some highlights from his article:

Saccharin. Most people think that saccharin has been banned by the FDA, but this is not true. While saccharin was banned in other countries, it is still available in the United States. In large doses it has been shown to cause bladder cancer. The bad news . . . it’s making a comback in the United States.

Aspartame. (This is also called Nutrasweet or Equal). Aspartame breaks down into aspartate, phenylalanine and methanol in the body. The first two (aspartate and phenylalanine) are amino acids and fine for most people to take in, but no amount of methanol is good for your body. Aspertame also breaks down into formaldahyde. Yes, formaldehyde — the same stuff that undertakers use to embalm the dead. Formaldehyde is also used to kill flies and other insects. Aspartame has been shown to increase cancers1 and has been associated with headache, dizziness, mood shifts, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and cramps, joint pain, vision changes, slurred speech, diarrhea, seizures, memory loss, numbness and cramping in arms and legs, and fatigue.((Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is it Safe? (Nutrasweet : Is It Safe?)

Sucralose (this is also known as Splenda). Sucralose is an organochloride and organochlorides are some of the most toxic substances on the earth (many pesticides are organochlorides and are toxic in small doses).

I encourage you all to read Dr. Olsen’s full article and contact him directly with any questions.

What’s the bottom line?

Reduce your need for sweeteners by re-training your taste buds. In just a few short weeks, I’ve completely weaned myself from adding sugar to my cereal and other meals. I add fruits, and their natural sweetness is plenty for me and I know EXACTLY what I’m putting into my body.

For those of you trying to lose weight, the answer is not to turn to artificial sweeteners. According to Dr. Olsen, artificial sweeteners “actually cause you to gain weight and continue your addiction to super-sweet tasting foods.

Most of these sweet chemicals cause your insulin to rise. When insulin rise, your blood sugar is lowered. Low blood sugar causes you to crave and eat more. Studies have shown that people who consume artificial sweeteners eat more calories than people who don’t”. ((Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73.))

He adds, “The bottom line is that there are no good reasons to put these chemicals in your body, you are better off avoiding all sweet-tasting foods and artificial sweeteners.”