It is inevitable for you to come into contact with artificial sweetener if you drink diet sodas. This is what my friend who is on her weight loss program doing. She orders diet sodas rather than normal soda drinks since she is on her diet program for weight loss. In fact, artificial sweetener is not so recommended for healthy weight loss, and overall health purpose.
Below are 6 common artificial sweeteners available on the market for your reference, even though it is not recommended their use over natural sweetener.
1) Aspartame
Aspartame (included in Equal brand artificial sweetener) is probably the most common used artificial sweetener nowadays and it is commonly used in most diet sodas. Although it has been declared safe, analysis published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals that FDA has received numerous reports of seizures and other issues that have been linked to it.
In a report to the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, a neuroendocrine regulation professor, Dr. Richard Wurtman stated that the most common side effects related to Aspartame include dizziness, visual impairment, disorientation, severe muscle aches, ear buzzing, a high level of liver enzyme, SGOT, equilibrium loss and episodes of high blood pressure.
Apart from that, other reports claim that in susceptible people, aspartame can produces symptoms ranging from sleep disturbances, headaches, fuzzy thinking to mood disturbances. Those who suffer from sleeping disorders should highly take note about this artificial sweetener.
None of the reports shows encouragement results consuming foods with this artificial sweetener. So, no matter you are on any healthy weight loss program or not, it is better to use natural sweetener.
2) Saccharin
Being an artificial sweetener for about a hundred years, Saccharin (Sweet’n Low) is declared safe, if in reasonable amounts. In fact, Saccharin at one time had a reputation as a cancer-causing agent due to the studies in which rats got bladder tumors after they were fed incredibly high amounts of Saccharin. The dosage is so high, equivalent to what you would get from 800 cans of diet soda a day. As such, it does not provide a strong support for the cancer causing for Saccharin usage. Pruritus and urticaria are the most common reactions using this artificial sweetener, following by eczema and photosensitivity. Other reactions include wheezing, nausea, diarrhea, tongue blisters, fixed eruptions, headache and sensory neuropathy.
3) Cyclamate
Cyclamate, with other name of Sugar Twin or Sucaryl is one of the artificial sweeteners that has been added to food and beverages since 1950s, and is probably safe in small quantities.
4) Sucralose
Sucralose, also known as Splenda, is basically a slightly chemically altered version of sucrose or sugar and is 600 times sweeter. The chemical altered version prevents the digestive system from recognizing it and absorbing it, so it does not cause a rise in blood sugar and insulin level. The only possible problem with Splenda is that the chemical alteration involving adding chlorine molecules. We will never know if any side effect caused by chlorine molecules unless long-term, independent human research is carried. Anyway, it is the most recommended artificial sweetener by people in the field.
5) Acesulfame K
Acesulfame K or Sunette is in the same family as saccharin but it is not widely used in the United States. It is a derivative of acetoacetic acid. Although it is approved for use by the FDA as a safe artificial sweetener, several potential problems associated with the use of Acesulfame K have been raised, including lung tumors, breast tumors, several forms of leukemia and chronic respiratory disease. Anyway, the studies are based largely on animal studies since testing on humans remains limited.
6) Stevia
Stevia is an herb sold as food additive, which has basically no downside except a somewhat weird or bitter aftertaste that some people do not mind at all. This artificial sweetener provides 250 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. It is stable to 200°C (392°F), but it is not fermentable and does not act in browning reactions. You can easily get it at any health food store.
Stevia is used in several countries, most notably in Japan. The Japanese government approved the plant for use in food in the 1970s. Japanese food processors use stevia in a wide range of foods, including pickled vegetables, dried seafood, soy sauce and miso, beverages, candy, gums, baked goods and cereals, yogurt, ice cream, and as a tabletop sweetener.
It is very important that people who are concern with their health stay aware from the artificial sweetener, no matter for healthy weight loss or overall health purpose. Consume right food and nutrition, perform correct exercise and read more weight loss tips so that you can lose weight and stay healthy in your life.
