PART I
I have long been an advocate of avoiding artificial substances in your diet, specifically artificial sweeteners. Today however, many people are attempting to reduce their sugar intake. I commend them for doing so, however in doing so; they have unfortunately substituted artificial sweeteners for natural sugar. It is important that you understand the risks associated with this shift in artificial sweetener consumption. So, since many of you are consuming them in greater quantities than ever before, let’s discuss what they are, and how they may effect you.
First of all, understand some of the politics involved with these substances. For example, saccharin, which for many years carried a warning label regarding its potential cancer causing affects, no longer does. Aspartame has not been categorized as “safe for all,” and unfortunately over ¼ of the population surveyed thinks that Splenda is a natural product; however, it is man-made, or synthetic.
Aspartame, or Nutra Sweet, was found in a recent Italian study to be linked to cancer in rats, although the National Cancer Institute found in April that more than 500,000 US men and women had no increased incidence of cancer after drinking aspartame in beverages. Unfortunately, I do not know how long this study tracked these individuals.
Let’s start off understanding what sugar is. – Typical table sugar or sucrose is a simple carbohydrate manufactured from sugar cane or sugar beets. It contains 16 calories in every teaspoon and is broken down in the body into glucose and fructose. Unfortunately, when consumed in excess, which is often the case in our American diet, it can cause weight gain, tooth decay, and has been linked to many other disorders including diabetes, cancer and heart disease, as well as a recent study indicating that simple carbohydrate consumption will cause an increase in cholesterol as well.
The first artificial sweetener we will discuss is called Neotane, which is derived from two amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. These two specific amino acids are called phenoalinine and aspartic acid. The sweetener is a thousand times sweeter than table sugar and found in a variety of different foods. The upside for those who are counting their calories is that it has zero calories. It was approved by the FDA in 2002 to be non-toxic. Unfortunately, it is only partially absorbed by the body. It has been shown to have no effect on blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, no long term studies on this artificial substance have been completed specifically regarding the effect on the body relative to cancer and other chronic debilitating disorders.
Next week I will review some more information on artificial sweeteners and give you some ideas for natural alternatives.