Artificail Sweeteners Beware

[RCLafnjack]

I've never been a huge fan of artificial sweeteners. Frankly I can't stand the taste of diet soda's. So when I was diagnosed with the BIG D, I started (as I always do) researching the pro's and cons of sweeteners.
I found the following article that makes it pretty clear that artificial sweeteners are not all that good for you.

Thought it might be a good place for a thread and dialog to be started.

Sugar substitutes and the potential danger of Splenda

RCL

[gary.keith]

As always with these kinds of things I am wondering who this doctor is. Does she have the research and real-life credentials to cite the "facts" as she sees them? Where are her citations for all these "facts" about how bad all artifical sweeteners are?

Frankly the article sounds more like a subtle sales pitch for Stevia than it does a fair, balanced look at the different sweeteners.

[RCLafnjack]

As always with these kinds of things I am wondering who this doctor is. Does she have the research and real-life credentials to cite the "facts" as she sees them? Where are her citations for all these "facts" about how bad all artifical sweeteners are?

Frankly the article sounds more like a subtle sales pitch for Stevia than it does a fair, balanced look at the different sweeteners.

How about the FDA. Now If you can have 18-19 cans of Equal or NutraSweet and they say only 6 cans for Splenda.. I"d say that would be a cause for concern...Since Stevia is a Natural product.. and the others are ARTIFICIAL.. I'd be more in favor of the Natural product..

*********************************************

smallest amount that might cause health concerns.

Artificial sweetener ADI* Estimated ADI equivalent** OK for cooking?
Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) 50 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) 18 to 19 cans of diet cola No
Saccharin (Sweet'N Low, SugarTwin) 5 mg per kg 9 to 12 packets of sweetener Yes
Acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One) 15 mg per kg 30 to 32 cans of diet lemon-lime soda*** Yes
Sucralose (Splenda) 5 mg per kg 6 cans of diet cola*** Yes

*FDA-established acceptable daily intake (ADI) limit per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight.
**Product-consumption equivalent for a person weighing 150 pounds (68 kilograms).
***These products usually contain more than one type of sweetener

[morrisma]

Splenda would have to be pretty bad for it to be worse for me than sugar.
Mike

[fgummett]

As always with these kinds of things I am wondering who this doctor is. Does she have the research and real-life credentials to cite the "facts" as she sees them? Where are her citations for all these "facts" about how bad all artifical sweeteners are?

Marcelle Pick, RNC, MSN, OB/GYN NP

Marcelle earned a BS in Nursing from the University of New Hampshire School of Nursing, a BA in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and her MS in Nursing from Boston College–Harvard Medical School.

She is certified as an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and is a member of the American Nurses Association, American Nurse Practitioner Association and American Holistic Nurses Association.

I found it an interesting article... thanks for posting it.

I was surprised to hear that sucralose came out of developing pesticides

I'm not a fan of anything artificial anyway... even before my D I preferred butter to margarine, for example.

[gary.keith]

Thanks, Frank. However, I don't see anything there that qualifies her as someone who can speak with authority about such things. She's essentially a nurse with a masters degree. I'd feel much more comfortable about her statements if she linked to some legitimate sources, like fda.gov. Cause you know the vast majority of people are going to read her article and just blindly accept that everything she says is correct. That's really the only point I was trying to make.

[Scratch]

Cyanide is a naturally occurring compound. Perhaps because it is natural it could be safely added to foods then?

Natural does not equal safe.

[jer.lawrence]

Cyanide is a naturally occurring compound. Perhaps because it is natural it could be safely added to foods then?

Natural does not equal safe.

Everything in moderation, eh? :P

Don't you think you're being a bit overly dramatic? I think the argument is that un-processed things are typically more what our body is intended to deal with than the heavily processed things.

Edit: Dude, one more post and you'll have 1337! LEET!

[fgummett]

Natural does not equal safe.

Obviously not, but while there seems to be so much contradictory evidence about what is safe to eat or not, I feel it prudent to fall back on real whole food which my grandparents would recognise as edible

[gary.keith]

Cyanide is a naturally occurring compound. Perhaps because it is natural it could be safely added to foods then?

Natural does not equal safe.

While natural does not always mean better or safer, artificial does not always mean worse or more dangerous.

[RCLafnjack]

Cyanide is a naturally occurring compound. Perhaps because it is natural it could be safely added to foods then?

Natural does not equal safe.

Well I guess when the FDA says

Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) 18 to 19 cans of diet cola
and

Sucralose (Splenda) 6 cans of diet cola***

That shouldn't be a cuase for alarm???

there hs a HUGE difference between NATURAL POSION and a NATURAL NO CALORIE SUGAR STEVIA..

[Scratch]

Everything in moderation, eh? :P

Don't you think you're being a bit overly dramatic? I think the argument is that un-processed things are typically more what our body is intended to deal with than the heavily processed things.

Edit: Dude, one more post and you'll have 1337! LEET!

Well I think that the often seen use of "this something is natural so it must be better" is terribly overused and overly dramatic as well as wrong. It is simply a tactic which doesn't do much to advance coherent argument or debate about some matter or evidence.

I have no problem with people saying that they feel something is dangerous or whatever. I have a problem when they muddy the definitions into something that is not appropriate.

[Uelrindru]

I just decided to avoid the whole thing and do away with sweeteners altogether. It's proven safe and once you get a taste for it you don't have to worry anymore

[Abra]

I don't, and won't use artificial sweeteners. Splenda is a chlorinated molecule, that's all I need to know about it until someone proves that it's safe. I use the precautionary principle when it comes to what I willingly put into my body.

[sumi]

I feel the same way about brussel sprouts