I've held to the belief artificial sweeteners are BAD. I know some dieters and low carb "experts" swear by them. But putting any chemicals and engineered foods in your body is a gamble.
On a similar front, high fructose corn syrup - considered 'natural' because it's engineered from corn is also a very bad actor. Personally it triggers colitis flares and I avoid it totally which is damned difficult because they put it in everything including some brands of dill pickles.
Below are just a few articles and links on these "sweet poisons".
Aspartame Dangers Revealed!
THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Aspartame sugar substitutes cause worrying symptoms from memory loss to brain tumours. But despite US FDA approval as a 'safe' food additive, aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances ever to be foisted upon an unsuspecting public.
The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup By Bill Sanda, BS, MBA
Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup by Kevin Millard, Jul 4, 2007
High fructose corn syrup is the new silent killer. Sadly, it is found in almost everything we eat. find out how to avoid it.
No-calorie sweeteners may confuse body
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (UPI) -- A U.S. study in rats suggested no-calorie sweeteners may make it harder to control calories but the reduced calorie food industry questions the findings.
The study, published in Behavioral Neuroscience, found rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight, put on more body fat and didn't make up for it by cutting back later.
Study authors Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson of Purdue University wrote that sweet food provide ingestive and digestive reflexes that gear up for food intake but when false sweetness isn't followed by lots of calories, the system gets confused and people may eat more or expend less energy than they otherwise would.
However, the Calorie Control Council, an international non-profit association representing manufacturers of low- and reduced-calorie foods and beverages said in a statement that the Purdue study oversimplifies the causes of obesity. The group criticized the study for its small sample size -- 27 rats -- and that animal findings aren't necessarily applicable to humans.
The group also said that the preabsorptive insulin release -- the body's supposed reaction to non-caloric sweet taste -- is cited as the potential mechanism for overeating but there is no cephalic phase insulin release in humans following the ingestion of aspartame.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
