Is the use of artificial sweeteners a healthy thing? "The role of sweeteners on cancer risk has been widely debated over the last few decades," observes an article in Annals of Oncology (Oct. 16,2006, 2007; 18.1: 40-44). According to the Mayo Clinic, artificial sweeteners are safe--with the exception of aspartame for those who have the rare, hereditary disease, phenylketonuria--they don't cause cancer, and they don't affect the metabolism ("Artificial Sweeteners: A Safe Alternative to Sugar?"). Indeed, it has even been most recently (again) argued, "Ways to promote the use of fat-modified foods and artificial sweeteners merits further research in both prevention--and treatment--controlled trials" (International Journal of Obesity, July 28, 2009; 33: 1183-1190). And yet...
"Psychologists at Purdue University's Ingestive Behavior Research Center report that nine rats given yogurt sweetened with no-cal saccharin ended up eating more and gaining more weight and body fat than eight fellow rodents given yogurt containing plain old glucose (a simple sugar with about 15 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar)" (Scientific American, Feb. 11, 2008). And Marcelle Pick (OB/BYN, NP) goes into great detail on the "potential danger" of sweeteners in her article, "Sugar Substitutes and the Poetential Danger of Splenda" --though this article is connected to a Women to Women cite that promotes its Core Balance Diet. According to ABC News' Good Morning America's medical contributor, Dr. Marie Savard, who I think was commenting upon the same Purdue University study (mentioned above), "There's something about diet foods that changes your metabolic limit, your brain chemistry," (Feb. 11, 2008).
I think that moderation is the key--along with a constant reminder that substitution of sugar is not the same as permission to go crazy with ingestion of other kinds of sugars (carbohydrates in general). For more information:
"Psychologists at Purdue University's Ingestive Behavior Research Center report that nine rats given yogurt sweetened with no-cal saccharin ended up eating more and gaining more weight and body fat than eight fellow rodents given yogurt containing plain old glucose (a simple sugar with about 15 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar)" (Scientific American, Feb. 11, 2008). And Marcelle Pick (OB/BYN, NP) goes into great detail on the "potential danger" of sweeteners in her article, "Sugar Substitutes and the Poetential Danger of Splenda" --though this article is connected to a Women to Women cite that promotes its Core Balance Diet. According to ABC News' Good Morning America's medical contributor, Dr. Marie Savard, who I think was commenting upon the same Purdue University study (mentioned above), "There's something about diet foods that changes your metabolic limit, your brain chemistry," (Feb. 11, 2008).
I think that moderation is the key--along with a constant reminder that substitution of sugar is not the same as permission to go crazy with ingestion of other kinds of sugars (carbohydrates in general). For more information:
- "Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe?" (Denise Mann, WebMD)
- "Artificial Sweeteners" (MedicineNet.com)
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