Artificial Sweeteners? Is there a catch?

Hi.

I like a cuppa tea / coffee now and again... but need just a little sugar to refine the taste... which brings me to a couple of questions regarding sweeteners.

1. Can someone please tell me whether artificial sweeteners like 'Sweet n Low', 'Splenda' and 'Equal', are basically the devil in disguise? 
2. Are these sugar substitutes almost as bad as the real thing?  Or are they a 'healthy' alternative?  
3. Are these sweeteners chemical 'junk food' that I should just avoid?  What exactly is dextrose?
   

Any help on this would be much appreciated!

I think that the jury is still out on whether artificial sweetners are bad for you or not. It all depends on which studies you read and what the group's agenda is. Will we ever really know the truth? I tend to shy away from them, partly because they simply taste icky, and don't actually satisfy my need for something sweet.

Having said that, I do think that some alternative sweeteners are worth checking out.. My choice is xylitol, which is actually a natural sugar alcohol extract made from birch bark. It tastes absolutely wonderful, has 40% fewer calories than sugar, very, very low glycemic load (far lower than fructose) and it is actually good for your teeth because it helps repair carries and fight tooth decay. That's why it is found in those sugar free chewing gums that claim to fight cavities. It really is worth checking out. You can find it at a health food store. Keep it away from your dogs however, since it is very dangerous for them (something to do with the fact that it lowers a dog's blood sugar to a dangerous point and causes a potentially fatal reaction, so please keep it out of their reach. Cas might react the same way...I don't know.)

Another possibility is stevia powder, which is from a South American plant. It is far far sweeter than sugar, but the draw back is that it has a sacharine taste to  it...you know that bitter after taste?

If I were to use a commercial sugar substitute, I'd probably go with the Splenda...I haven't read much negative press about it...but again, I'm not a bio chemist. It's hard to know what the longterm effects of these sweeteners will be.  But you DO know what the effects of long term sugar consumption are. I vote for xylityol as the perfect compromise.

I agree with Jennifer.  I do think that eating a lot of artifically sweetened foods increased your craving for sweets.  Best to cut back on the sweetness, giving your taste buds time to adjust.  You'll find that some things taste better without the added sugar!

Yes, clairelaine...I've changed my tastes over time to desire less and less, and I carry no guilt about having a little bit here and there. Also, whenever I have any brand-name artifical sweeteners I get a sharp headache within minutes. Real sugar never does that to me.

-jf-

I've lost around 100 lbs and using artificial sweeteners is a BIG reason why.  I used to drink tons of soda and tea...so switching to diet has done a lot of good for me.  I've had no ill effects whatsoever.

However, that's just me...each one of us is different.  Except for clones.

Wow!  Thanks guys for all the information!

I might have a look at xylityol (as suggested by jenniferger), and see where that takes me.

Thanks again! :)

I personally believe in consuming things that will give my body the nutrients and energy it needs. For this reason, I avoid all artificial sweeteners - a chemical substitute for real nutrition.

It is true that the jury is still out on long-term health implications of these artificial sweeteners, but there is reason to doubt that they are totally safe.  A 2004 study indicated that the use of artificial sweeteners can mess with the way your body counts calories causing you to crave more food (see http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/ 040630081825.htm )

As an alternative in your coffee/tea I recommend Agave nectar. It is all natural, 75% sweeter than sugar and has the lowest glycemic level of any natural sugar product.

As jenniferger mentioned, Stevia is a also a natural alternative, but I personally don't like the taste. I also agree with clairelaine and jenny-fan, after reducing your use of sweetners (artificial and natural) for a month or so you may learn to appreciate the flavor without the sweetness!

I tend not to use artificial sweeteners - it is one of the things I have learned to accept that I want the 'real thing' of sugar and not some sort of substitute - and account my calories accordingly.  However, that being said, when I have iced herbal tea, I will use Stevia (liquid) instead.  When I have hot herbal tea, I will use honey instead of sugar to sweeten. 

I have heard conflicting info about Splenda so I have just steered clear of it from day one.  I never liked the aftertaste of Sweet & Low or Equal.  I did, however, used to use NutraSweet (comes in little packets and a shaker-type container) and it tastes very close to real sugar, but is actually under the "artificial sweeteners" category.  I would sometimes use that on my cereal.  It is also acceptable for baking, however I never used it for that, so couldn't give you any kind of input there.

Just remember also that there are different kinds of artificial sweeteners.  S&L and Equal are also known as aspartame, while Splenda is known as sucralose.  Sucralose, in its natural state, is not a problem.  It's what they do during the manufacturing process to make it into Splenda that has been causing concern.  However, both aspartame and Splenda/sucralose have pros and cons to them, and the general consensus on both seems to be that in order to have any severe negative effect from them, they must be used in high amounts.  However, would you really want something that can have a negative effect on your body - even at high amounts - *in* your body?

Here are a few links about the concerns of Splenda:

http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_d angers.htm
http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/
http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweigh tloss/splenda.asp
http://www.rense.com/general65/splend.htm

Once again, I see something described as "natural" as though that means it's safe to use. It doesn't. There are plenty of "natural" things that aren't safe -- hemlock and belladonna, for example.

When you look at different "natural" sweeteners, you might want to consider whether these sweeteners are considered safe by, for example, the FDA and its equivalents in other countries. Can the substance you are investigating be used as a food additive according to a country's food regulatory agency? Xylitol can be in many countries, including the US. Stevia has been approved in only Brazil and Japan and only for a few products; the US, Canada, and EU does not permit its use as a food additive because there are concerns that one of its metabolites is or can be a carcinogen.

I don't use the artificial sweeteners - bad reactions to most of them.  Real sugar doesn't have that many cals, so I'll use real sugar instead - just smaller quantities. 

I cut the sugar from my coffee by gradually reducing the amount that I put in the coffee.  It got to the point that I was putting in less than a 1/4 teaspoon and then I just said to myself "what's the point?" and stopped entirely. 

Natural was used not a synonym for 'good', but rather as an antonym for 'artificial'.  I agree that natural things can harm you, but using the term natural does allow one to differentiate between things that occur in nature and those that are man made.

As for Stevia's safety, there have been few long term studies. It has, however, been widely consumed in Japan for 30 years without apparent ill effect. I beleive the FDA does approve of Stevia as a nutritional supplement, though not a food additive.   

Finally, while FDA findings are worth looking at, the politics of food runs deep and I suggest considering their policies with a critical eye.

Yes..the information on sweeteners can be very misleading and hard to figure out. For instance, there are some people who would have you believe that just because something is "natural" is must be safer and better. Sometimes that's so and sometimes it isn't. A lot of sites that promote this point of view happen to sell stevia. We should also keep in mind that tests can only show us so much, and the results are always contested by someone who comes up with another finding and so on...and at the end of the day, it's usually someone with a competing interest who funds the study or writes an article on "concerns". It's depressing because somewhere in all this lies the truth but darned if I know what it is.

Stevia is one of those things that hasn't undergone enough testing to be approved by the FDA as a sweetner, but it IS approved as a supplement. There was also some controversey around the way the stevia approval/disapproval was handled, with some alleging that a competing artificial sweetener manufacturer had exerted pressure on the FDA... Again, it all depends on who you believe, but to this day, the FDA hasn't released information on who it was that complained about stevia, despite Freedom of Information Act requests.... As for bad press on artificial sweeteners it should be noted that the Sugar Association has taken pains to do damage control by publishing lots of bad info about sugar substitutes. Everyone is giving up sugar these days..so that's not good for them.

I guess what I'm saying is that everyone has an agenda, and it makes it tough for people like us to get a straight answer. I wish I knew the answers.

I haven't tried the agave nectar, but I've heard very good things about it ..if we get it in South Africa, I'll try it alongside my xylitol.

Those all contain aspartame, Splenda contains I believe it's called sucralose, which is just as bad.

They're all pretty unhealthy, and have in fact been proven to increase your risk of cancer =/

Ok, so where's that proof that artificial sweetners cause cancer? I'd like to see it. 

Test results for Aspartame, here
(artificial sweeteners such as Sweet & Low and Equal are name brands of aspartame)

Test results for Sucralose, here
(Splenda is the well-known brand name for sucralose)

National Cancer Institute, Q&A on Cancer and Artificial Sweeteners

Test results for Stevia, here

And an article that sheds doubt on the test results about Stevia being a cancer-causing agent, here

Hope that helps.

someone mentioned trying xylitol... my understanding on the sweeteners ending in "tol" is that they are sugar alcohols and are pretty effective laxitives. Sorbitol (which is a sweeter in lots of the russel stover type sugar free candies is deffinately a laxitive... I was warned and ignored the warning on one binge day many many years ago while pregnant with my son... it was a bad day)

I would try the stevia. Depending on your climate you may be able to grow it in your own garden/conatiner. Dry it and use it as an addition to teas or whatever... or you can get the powder.liquid forms at most helath food stores.

Unless you are diabetic stick to the real sugar that God made, would he really make it to eat if it was bad for you?  Natural sugars come in many forms and places do some research just remember moderation.  Atificial sweetners are a lie, they do make you thirsty and feel dehydrated, give you headaches.  But it don't stop there do some research you will see other countries do not allow them to be used, places in Europe that are Eco friendly and all natural like Germany they don't.  My husband healthy as a horse soldier has not felt that good the last few years because of his addiction to sugar free gums and candies since our return from a 6 year tour overseas.  I myself get deathly ill when I consume ANY type of artificail sweetner, my trouble is that the FDA doesn't require the labeling of these products so I can eat or drink something and not know it is in there.  Now even meds contain them and they use scientific names so you don't know if it is a sweetner or not.  I recently went looking for a drink that was better for me and tried several that contained sugar but also contained the sweetners...what is the point?  I do have to watch my sugar I am hypoglyccemic but like I said moderation is key.  I watch my 2 boys sugar intake and do not allow them to have sweetners, some doctors don't recommend you partake when you are pregnant either...go figure!  They do make you crave sweets more and more and they make you hungry, so if you are diabetic some sweetners like splenda still contain sugar and the increase in your appetite can work against your diet.  So do your own research before you put those chemicals into your body, why care about your health enough too decrease you sugar for whatever your reasons but not care enough than to put in dangours chemicals.

i avoid artificial sweeteners, especially since they give me migraines.  that said, i would recommend a little honey in your tea.

also, i never thought i would stop drinking my coffee with sugar, but about 5 years ago, i went on a week-long camping trip...and we forgot to pack the sugar.  it was pretty harsh at first (especially since it was instant crap), but after a week of drinking sugar-less coffee, i can't stand coffee with sugar. 

I can't see how anyone can say that real sugar isn't horrible for your body and especially for your weight loss.  It doesn't contribute anything nutritionally, and it contains 15 calories a teaspoon for a whopping 720 calories per cup.

Splenda granular, on the other hand, contains only 2 calories a teaspoon for a total of 96 calories per cup.  Sugar has 7x more calories.  Substituting artificial sweetener in backed goods reduces calories by about 50-100 per serving, which is quite alot.  I think the catch is that artificial sweeteners aren't actually calorie-free.  To be considered calorie-free a food product has to contain less than 5 calories per serving, which sweeteners like splenda do.  I don't know about the calories in other sweeteners, splenda is my sweetener of choice.  The other thing is that artificial sweeteners and products made with them are more expensive than sugar and sugar-filled products.

They have tests proving that all kinds of things are bad for you.  If you avoided everything that some study said was bad for your health, you would never be able to eat anything.  Consider how foods like eggs are coffee are considered good for you one minute and bad for you the next.  I just ignore the studies and eat what I want.