Pros And Cons Of Artificial Sweetners

Numerous neurological and behavioral side effects have been linked with consuming aspartame at well below the approved safe limits set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been ingested in the United States for over three decades. Even though there are several studies showing the harmful effects of its consumption. When aspartame is digested several toxic chemicals are produced, most notability formic acid & glutamate. Both of these chemicals cause the body to mimic the side effects of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer. Even the passing of aspartame to be allowed in food was controversial. Just as the studies on it, continue to be today.

There is a lot of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the sugar of choice, in regular sodas. People started finding out about how bad sugar is for them and how much sugar was really in their favorite every day drink. Everyone started turning against all of the soda companies and they had no choice but to come up with an alternative. So, instead of using natural sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup in sodas, scientists invented artificial sweeteners, a way to keep the soda sweet yet contain no sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame that are added to diet soda are actually worse for us than the sugar that is in regular soda. This was proven by an Osteopathic Physician from the American Colledge of Nutrition who states, "While many of the artificial sweeteners have reportedly similar side effects, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA" (Mercola).

Abstract: The use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in various food and drink products has drastically affected the American people in the last three decades. Dominating 55% of the sweetener market because of its industrial benefits, HFCS’s increased use has caused dramatic effects in its consumers, including upsetting normal hormonal functions, destroying vital organs, nerves, and throwing off the body’s mineral balance. As the use of HFCS increased, the rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems have escalated, resulting in a nationwide epidemic.

Thesis: Overall, recent studies have shown that sugar substitutes isn’t and can cause potential health problems.

The use of artificial sweeteners in beverages and food has been on a steady rise since 1969, the year it was authorized in the United States of America. The popularity of artificial sweeteners has been on a rise because of the benefit that it is a zero calorie sweetener .Even though artificial sweeteners have some great benefits many scientists believe that it causes adverse effects such as cancer, weight gain and depression. I strongly believe that consumers are not aware of the side effects of artificial sweeteners hence the increase in consumption since 1969.

Next, many consumers believe that drinking diet soda is healthier for you than drinking regular soda filled with sugar but studies are starting to show that artificial sweeteners may actually lead to diabetes. Mary Ann Yantis, PhD, RN, a nurse educator for Nursing Education Consultants and Kate Hunter, RD, LD (2010), a clinical dietitian at Adventist Medical Center reports (2010) that drinking more than one serving of diet soda per day can increase your risk of metabolic syndrome by more than 36%. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors, which includes hypertension, abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. These risk factors increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This same study also reports (2010) that one diet soda per day can increase a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more the 67%. This is possibly due to the fact that artificial sweeteners can be up to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and this intense sweetness can be addictive thus creating cravings for more sweetness in order to feel satisfied. Yantis and Hunter (2010) point out that the sweet taste triggers the same dopamine signals that are also triggered by drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Craving for more intense artificial sweetness will result in consuming more calories, increase the likelihood of developing insulin resistance, and more than likely affect the glucose metabolism (Yantis & Hunter, 2010).

Because of this Americans now eat 523 extra calories, and on average about 76 of those calories will come exclusively from the new sugars and sweeteners like HFCS. But the reason for this large increase in sugar intake is most likely because of the foods that it’s put in. The foods that HFCS is in are not food that people would associate sweetness with such as ketchup or bread (pbs.com). Apart from comparisons between HFCS and table sugar, there is evidence that the overconsumption of added sugar in any form, including HFCS, is a major health problem, especially for onset of obesity. Consuming added sugars, particularly as sweetened soft drinks, is strongly linked to weight gain. The World Health Organization has recommended that people limit their consumption of added sugars to 10% of calories, but experts say that typical consumption of empty calories in the United States is nearly twice that

Obesity and its subsequent ailments are regarded as the leading cause(s) of death in the United States and many other parts of the world. As such, much deserved attention and controversy has been brought worldwide. Many people place blame for this relatively recent epidemic on the shoulders of high-fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener whose use has increased for many years alongside the rates of childhood and adult obesity. While they are not entirely incorrect in assuming a widespread increase in added sugars would result in more calories per product, more calories consumed, and therefore more calories stored in bodily tissue, high-fructose corn syrup alone is not solely to blame for this phenomenon.

Most all sodas or soft drinks consist of the basic, carbonated water, sugar, and caffeine. Colas, in particular, were originally just a mixture of extracts of the coca leaf and the cola nut blended with sugar water (1). Though, nowadays, the natural sugars that were originally used, have been replaced by high fructose corn syrup. According to ConsumerReports.org,in 2009 the average american consumed approximately 35.7 pounds of high fructose corn syrup showing the great prevalence of this overused, unhealthy ingredient (3). Though, why would so many producers put an ingredient so detrimental to the consumer’s health in their products? High fructose corn syrup is not only cheaper than organic sugars, but it is also sweeter meaning much less

Did you know that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) accounts for over half of the artificial sweeteners used in the United States today? Although it is loved by big food companies due to its extended shelf life and cheap production, is it the healthiest option for the consumer? This is a widespread question that has been asked in the United States since the invention of HFCS in the 1960s. This artificial sweetener is rumored to increase one's chances of obesity, high cholesterol, etc. Due to the health risks linked to HFCS it is adamant that people in the United States greatly reduce the intake of this sweetener. This can be accomplished with three solutions, being, by simply raising general awareness about the health risks associated with HFCS, having stricter regulations on artificial sweeteners, or by lowering the tariffs on imported natural sugar.

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are commonly used as substitutes for sugar in everyday products that we consume such as foods and soft drinks due to the fact that they contain no calories. This has further led to a growing trend of artificial sweeteners being used by people as an alternative to sugar to control weight. Although extensive research has demonstrated the safety of six different low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use, there is still ongoing debate over the potential health threats they pose.

With public advertising glorifying diet soda and artificial sweeteners, people are led to believe that Aspartame is safer and healthier than regular sugar, but that could not be further from the truth. Aspartame accounts for 75% of adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. The most commonly reported are headaches and migraines; however, many reactions are a lot more serious including seizures as well as death. Chronic exposure to this sweetener can bring about or worsen serious conditions such as: asthma, lymphomas and leukaemia, brain tumors and brain cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy.(Lindseth, “Neurobehavioral Effects of Aspartame Consumption”) The excitotoxins found in Aspartame have been found to promote cancer growth. An experiment conducted by the Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard University studied a 22 year long human experiment relating to the effects of Aspartame.

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.

From the term of economy, there is a controversial regard using the artificial sweeteners in food and beverages as a sweeten materials. Some studies proved that the use of artificial sweeteners has some positive effects on the economy, for example increasing the production and creating new jobs. Moreover, some studies indicated that these sweeteners reduce the obesity and treat diabetic. Consequently, this could reduce the health care cost for treat cancer and obesity. On the other hand, few studies claimed that the use of artificial sweeteners could lead to negative impacts on the economic side, for instance, studies mentioned that whereas artificial sweeteners used with a huge amount it could lead to some diseases. Therefore, the health care

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.