The Human Diet And Its Effect On Our Society

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.

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

One solution is using sugar substitutes like sucralose, aspartame, saccharin and xylitol to replace regular sugar (sucrose), which can help all Canadians who have sweet teeth, for keeping away from CVD and obesity. The purpose of sugar substitutes (artificial sweeteners) is to imitate the taste of regular sugar (sucrose), in bottommost calories subscription. (Larsen, 2012) As the result people can enjoy the sweetness of food and also control the amount of sugar intake at the same time. Short responding time is another benefit of artificial sweeteners.

Are artificial sweeteners bad for humans and the environment? Many people eat artificial sugars and don’t even realize what is in artificial sugars or what they do to the environment. Sucralose is very bad for people and the environment and is not a good replacement for sugar. Some people may ask these questions. What is in sucralose and how to make sucralose? How does sucralose affect humans? How does sucralose affect the environment? Are artificial sweeteners really that bad?

One way which is a false belief is through the consumption of sucralose. This consumption of artificial sweeteners and can lead to higher risk of death at a younger age. Artificial sweeteners, though they seem like a safe and healthy choice, present large risks for drug resistance, reduced insulin sensitivity, and destruction of gut bacteria. With this I quote Empty Pleasures by Carolyn de la Peña, “NutraSweet, Splenda, and their predecessors have enjoyed enormous success by promising that Americans, especially women, can "have their cake and eat it too," but Empty Pleasures argues that these "sweet cheats" have fostered troubling and unsustainable eating habits and that the promises of artificial sweeteners are ultimately too good to be true” (Empty Pleasures). The effects of artificial sweeteners like Sucralose, Saccharin, and Stevia, are all artificial sweeteners that are up to 2,000 times sweeter than actual sugar. In conclusion Sucralose is a terrible chemical that we commonly believe to be healthy for the prior reasons with problems with health, other options besides for sucralose, and ways to benefit in our schools, educationally and health related, are necessary to remain a well rounded, balanced

Aspartame is a toxicin to the people who consume it. At least that’s what the critics say. Zero calorie artificial sweeteners reputation has been degraded due to people criticizing all of the “dangers” that can come from the consuming of these products. These allegations come from people who, more than often, lack any credibility or proof of these dangers involved with artificial sweeteners. The truth is artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, are not as dangerous but are just as good as natural sugars. Aspartame is actually the most researched sweetener to date and has been scientifically proven that it has no negative effect towards depression, cancer, and people with a “sensitivity” to aspartame.

Ever since the basic principles of chemistry became apart 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 remains 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 on body mass and neurological activity in humans?

Another website, Cleveland Clinic, states that artificial sweeteners can reduce carbohydrate and calorie intake and that they are again safer for people with diabetes. In conclusion artificial sweeteners are better for diabetics and sweet cravings.

Using artificial sweeteners in place of sugar can also help prevent dental decay and help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar

The Way We Eat discusses the ethical considerations of eating meat that has been raised through the process of factory farming. Singer and Mason both believe that factory farming is a unethical treatment of animals because the suffering and abuse that animals endure while being raised in order to eventually be slaughtered for human intake. Their main argument for supporting their opinion is that animals should receive the same awareness as humans receive, so when pain is being inflicted on an animal, there should be equal sympathy if the same pain was being performed on a human.

The information is very valuable. Many people prefer to use real sugar instead of artificial sweeteners even though excess sugar could lead to obesity and diabetes because they think there is a risk to artificial sweeteners. This information would help them make a more informed decision.

I agree with everything you said, just to add a few things on question (B2), but it would be a good idea to educate W.Z about the types of artificial sweeteners (nutritive sweeteners and non-nutritive sweeteners) because some artificial sweeteners like nutritive sweeteners contain calories, thus it may lead to W.Z to gain an extra weight. According to our textbook, “Nutritive sweeteners include fructose (fruit sugar), sorbitol and xylitol provide calories in amounts like those in sucrose -table sugar. In addition, nonnutritive sweeteners have minimal or no calories (Hinkle & Cheever, 2010, p. 1424).” Therefore, W.Z should advise patient to consumer nonnutritive sweeteners.

In this study it is reported that when the body recognizes the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners it can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This happens because, like sugar, the sweet taste of the artificial sweetener causes an insulin response but unlike sugar the artificial sweetener does not increase the blood sugar. The low blood sugar will then send signals to the brain that it needs more calories. (Pavliv, 2012). This will cause more food and drinks to be consumed which could lead to more weight

Millions of people around the world indulge in foods and drinks containing the leading artificial sweetener, aspartame. Since the discovery of this substance in 1965, copious studies have been conducted to determine the possible health effects it may have. Aspartame includes two ingredients: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Both are naturally occurring amino acids that are produced by our bodies and obtained from food. Although aspartame was created as a healthier alternative to reduce sugar intake, activists debate links between aspartame and a multitude of ailments ranging from weight gain to cancer. Nevertheless, food and beverage companies continue to mass-market products including artificial sweeteners. Therefore we must ask

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.