Strange question

I have noticed that recently I have been consuming large amounts of artificial sweetener. It is like I have an unrelenting sweet tooth and by adding this sweetener to things, it satisfies it. Could this be bad for me?

The safety of artificial sweeteners is a very controversial subject. Saccharin seems to be the most controversial one. Splenda seems to be the least controversial at the moment. Stevia is a natural herbal sweetener that most seem to agree is the safest artificial sweetener.

Do a google search & you'll see that some sites say they're safe in moderation and others say they can cause a whole range of health problems. **Be sure to check who the article was written by**

From the National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/ Risk/artificial-sweeteners

From MedicineNet.com: http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeten ers/article.htm

From the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-die t/NU00592

From WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/102/1068 33.htm?pagenumber=1

Info on Stevia from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Personally, I use to be a Diet Pepsi addict...drank 5-6 a day for many years. After I stopped drinking it I did notice that I had less headaches & stomach problems. My personal feeling is that adding alot of chemicals to my diet can't be good for me, so I've cut back ALOT but haven't eliminated them completely.

I find that when I eat artificial sweeteners I crave more of them, but when I don't use any for a few days I crave sweets less.   That said, I still use them alot.

I too find that the more "sweets" (whether it's artificial or real) I eat, the more I crave.

Some artificial sweeteners can cause bloating, nausea, headaches, etc. In other people, these sweeteners have no ill effects.

How do these sweeteners make you feel? If they get you addicted, or make you sick, then you should stop. Otherwise, just keep an eye out for troubles.

Good luck!

I may be wrong, but I THINK Stevia is not considered an "artificial" sweetener per se... Calorie free, yes, but it is natural. Pricey though.

Artificial sweeteners affect everyone differently... My best friend gets stomach upset after one aspartame-sweetened diet soda, but one time I drank like 17 liters of it in one day [not good, I know, don't judge me] and... nothing happened.

So yes, unfortunately, I think it's a trial and error thing. =]