Artificial Sweeteners

I grew up playing the game “Candyland”, and I dreamed of finding the golden ticket and living in Willie Wonka’s factory. I was also given a Gatorade after every sporting event I ever played in so what could be so bad about sugar? Sugar, real and artificial, can be found in almost every product we consume and although sugar is a simple carbohydrate that the body uses for energy, its impact on our body is far from simple. The consumption of sugar has been linked to a host of chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The addictive nature of sugar is also a significant problem that leads to the other detrimental effects listed above. Sugar has also been useful to help preserve goods, fuel fermentation, balance acidity, and add flavor to other foods. Whether it’s cereal, spaghetti sauce, or yogurt, sugar is everywhere and has become unavoidable in our daily diets. As Americans, we have become accustomed to the sweet addictive taste of sugar, and our dependence on excessive amounts of sugar in its different forms has become alarming to many health experts. In analyzing preference and dependency with sugar, I will trace the addictive nature and major risks sugar has placed on society.

This is a fact that is not only staggering, but also shocking that we’ve let this happen to the modern age what with all the technology that could perhaps help reduce this. Paragraph 3’s testimonial is in short order, the UN says that sugar is now in the same league of products as tobacco and alcohol, especially when consumed in large amount, can pose a serious health threat, however it is OK, but only if used in moderation.

A. Not only can these sweeteners make you gain weight, but over time they could potentially hurt your body. Here is a list of the popular sugar substitutes and the potential harm they produce: Acesulfame potassium also known as "SweetOne" is 200 times sweeter than sugar, this is often paired with aspartame or sucralose. Known to cause breast tumors in rats. Saccharin also known as Sweet’NLow, is the oldest of the artificial sweeteners and is 300 –700 times sweeter than sugar, The National Cancer Institute found evidence of increased bladder cancer in people who heavily consumed saccharin. The label below is found on toothpaste, gum, and many other products that contain saccharin "USE OF THIS PRODUCT MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS SACCHARIN WHICH HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO CAUSE CANCER IN LABORATORY

Through extensive research, scientists have concluded that artificial sweeteners are carcinogenic; a cancer causing agent. Scientific research has revealed that cyclamate in combination with saccharin, the two main ingredients in artificial sweeteners, caused bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Though test where not done on humans scientist believe that the long-term effect of using artificial sweeteners would lead to the same complications in humans. Amino acids are biologically important organic compounds composed of amine and carboxylic acid functional groups. The human body needs amino acids to thrive. It is documented that ingestion of high amounts of artificial amino acids found in artificial sweeteners can have adverse effects on the human body such as cancer.

The panel stated that since the ratio of fructose to glucose had not changed substantially in the United States since the 1960s when HFCS was introduced, the changes in obesity rates were probably not due to HFCS specifically, but rather a greater consumption of calories overall. In 2009 the American Medical Association published a review article on HFCS and concluded it was unlikely that HFCS contributed more to obesity or other health conditions than sucrose, and there was insufficient evidence to suggest warning about or restricting use of HFCS or other fructose-containing sweeteners in foods. The review did report that while some studies found direct associations between high intakes of fructose and other sugars and adverse health outcomes, including obesity and the metabolic syndrome, there was insufficient evidence to ban or restrict use of HFCS in the food supply or to require warning labels on products containing

There are plenty of reasons and research studies that show how destructive sugar can be for your health if not managed properly, “and unfortunately our standard American Diet is anything but balanced.”(Konie 1) Americans don’t manage their sugar levels, let alone manage their sugar intake. The exponential growth of obesity in underway and the main cause. Sugar. Many people don’t understand this but sugar is perfectly fine as long as you can control it, many also don’t realize just, “how dangerous the extremes can be.”(Konie 1)

Sugar is, and has always been, unavoidable; conversely, sugar has not always been toxic. Naturally abundant and technically enhanced, this substance has followed in the footsteps of tobacco and alcohol, becoming just as unhealthy and ultimately lethal. And, without the implementation of government

The people of the United States trust the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate what goes into our food and keep us safe. The FDA is partially credible for the overuse of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Because of the government's loose definition on what is "all natural", these big companies are able to mislead consumers by advertising their "green", "healthy", "all natural products" to naive customers that fail to read the nutrition label. Customers often think they are making a smart health choice, and perhaps even pay more for a bottle that has "all natural" plastered all over the front of it. If the FDA would set stricter rules on how much artificial sweeteners can be used and how it must be advertised, these problems, including obesity, that may be caused by artificial sweeteners would be greatly

Artificial sweeteners can be found in almost all diet sodas according to Food in Sight. Some sodas that use artificial sweeteners are diet Coke and diet Mountain Dew. Artificial sweeteners are not made naturally, but can taste just as good as real sugar. Artificial sweeteners are made with acesulfame K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose according to The Sugar Association. These ingredients are mixed all together to make artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweetener is a healthier sweetener substitute for sugar because artificial sweeteners do not raise blood sugar,cause less tooth decay, and help people with diabetes enjoy sweet things.

Although this "sweet" reality is true, HFCS isn't only used in beverages. It is used in many processed foods that we eat too. It is true that from 1970 to 2000 sucrose consumption had drastically dropped and HFCS consumption drastically rose. However, it is largely believed by the public that HFCS surpassed sucrose as the primary sweetener a long time ago. This is yet another misconception. Rather, since 1998, sucrose and HFCS consumption have been nearly the same ranging in at around 250 Calories per day (White, 2008). In response to Bray et al. (2010) which argued that the US obesity rates increased in accordance with US high fructose corn syrup consumption from 1970 to 2000, White (2008) counters with the fact that after the year 2000, obesity

Ever since the basic principles of chemistry became a part of human knowledge, scientists have been fascinated with understanding the physical and chemical properties of novel compounds. The prevalent use of artificial sweeteners, (a group of synthetically manufactured compounds with no caloric value) as table sugar alternatives in many of today’s commercially traded goods is an example of applying chemistry to generate novelty. However, the biological effects associated with their consumption remain shrouded in public misconceptions.1 As a result, the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) has become the emphasis for many obesity and neurological related clinical studies. Does the consumption of aspartame have adverse effects

Many concerns have been raised about potential health problems of HFCS. But there is insufficient evidence to say that HFCS is less healthy than other types of sweeteners. HFCS is a corn-based sweetener and because of its low cost, it is used widely in candies, baked goods, and soft drinks. In general, Americans consume too much soda and other sugary beverages. In conclusion, I believe over consumption of added sugar of all kinds, not just HFCS, is bad and can contribute to weight gain and other related health

The debate between naturally derived sugars and low-calorie artificial sweeteners has been going on for years now. As our population’s obesity rate grows every year and health concerns related to weight-control grows along with it, natural sugar is scrutinized and we are told to keep away from it as it is our enemy. Over the last couple of decades, we have been introduced to more and more varieties of artificial sweeteners promising to deliver the same sweetness or even more sweetness than natural sugar (some offer as much as 200 times more sweetness than sugar) but with a much lower calorie content, or some even no calories at all. Artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Sweet n’ Low, NutraSweet, and Equal have become popular as “better alternatives” to table sugar, promising to help battle weight gain and actually assist in losing weight. However, does this make it the healthier option? As with all things, both natural sugar and artificial sugar have their pros and cons, but in order to find the best option in regards to our health and futures, it’s important to weigh them according to scientific findings and research.

Advertisement and commercial industries portray table sugar, and other artificial sweeteners as fuel needed by the body. Though body and body cells need sugar as fuel source. The body mechanism is just like the case of engine, there are bad fuels which can destroy engine. Table sugar is just a bad fuel for the body. Several research studies have arraigned sugar first culprit for the epidemics of complicated health problems such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. Worst of it, several research now ranking sugar as addictive substance as drugs.

Controversies, Infobase Learning, 26 July 2010, http://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=2311. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. This source was written in order to discuss the benefits and harms of using artificial sweeteners in place of sugar. This article was published in the Issues and Controversies database; therefore it has been used in academic writing previously. We can conclude that the source is unbiased and credible. It compared the high health risks of sugar to the very low health risks of artificial sweeteners. Also extensively covered, is the history and development of artificial sweeteners, and the opposing opinions on both. This source is lengthier than many similar ones, and contains more factual information and research-backed claims. Of all the sources, this one supports the thesis the most by providing