Splenda, NutraSweet, and Sweet N' Low

What's an artificial sweetener?

Artificial sweeteners are substances used as replacements for sugar or other sweeteners. They are usually low- or no- calorie. Some typical artificial sweeteners include: Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), Saccharin, Xylitol, Sorbitol, Acesuflame K (Sunette Sweet One), Sucralose (Splenda).

Where are they usually found?

They can appear in a variety of foods. Check your ingredient labels. Some common examples include: chewable vitamins, toothpaste, cereals, mouthwash, candy, chewing gum, and other "sugar-free" items.

What's the story with artificial sweeteners? Are they bad?

Some of the artificial sweeteners have a sordid past. Take Sucralose, perhaps better known as Splenda. It can cause a shrunken thymus gland (some shrink as much as 40%), atrophy of the lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus, enlarged liver and kidneys, hyperplasia of the pelvis, decreased red blood cell count, diarrhea, low fetal birth weight and placental weight, and other problems with pregnancy.

Aspartame, better known as Equal and NutraSweet, becomes 3 surprising metabolites when it is digested. First, know that this substance consists of three components: phenylalanine, methanol, and aspartic acid. When they are metabolized, they become: formic acid, formaldehyde, and diketopiperazine, a chemical which is known to cause tumors in the brain. These are all toxic substances. In rats that were fed the equivalent of 4 to 5 bottles of soda per day's worth of aspartame, the consumption of the aspartame was associated with increased risk of leukemias, lymphomas, and other cancers in the rats. The current US daily limit for aspartame is 50 milligrams, but carcinogenic effects were found at levels as low as 20 milligrams.

Saccharin was almost banned by the FDA in 1977 because rat studies showed it caused cancer, especially bladder cancer, but the diet food industry (and dieters themselves) put pressure on the FDA to allow it. This led to it carrying a warning label up through the 1990s that it had been shown to cause cancer in lab animals. Then, in 2000, the National Cancer Institute stated there was "some evidence of an increased risk of bladder cancer, particularly for those who heavily ingested the sweetener as a tabletop sweetener or through diet sodas," in heavy users. Being a heavy user meant more than 5 servings of it a day, or more than one 8-ounce serving of diet soda a day. Later, this study helped to support the new notion that saccharin was not a major risk factor for bladder cancer in humans. How they came to that conclusion, I cannot explain.

Ralph G. Walton, MD, Chairman, The Center for Behavioral Medicine, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine performed a peer-review of research on aspartame. Dr. Walton analyzed studies which had relevance to human safety questions, 164 of them. Of the 90 non-industry-sponsored (independent) studies, 83 (92%) identified one or more problems with aspartame. Of the 74 aspartame industry-sponsored studies, all 74 (100%) claimed that no problems were found with aspartame. The FDA itself has been at the center of controversy regarding aspartame. 1995 was the year when the FDA was quoted as saying they stopped accepting adverse reaction reports on aspartame, but over 75% of the adverse reactions reported to the FDA Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS) were due to aspartame. The FDA further believes that only about 1% of reactions are actually reported.

Are there safe sweetener alternatives?

Ever heard of Stevia? More and more people have, and that's because it works. It is an herb with a sweetness similar to sugar. It is natural and almost calorie-free. Stevia is refined, and the extracts, known as steviosides, can be 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar. It won't mess with your blood glucose levels like sugar, and it is safe for diabetics. That being said, diabetics should always continue to monitor their glucose when trying a new food.

So what to believe?

The FDA claims that the sweeteners don't pose a threat. The natural healthcare community says they are dangerous and you should stay away. Who's right? Where's the truth? There isn't a concrete answer. But with the questionable safety records of some of these artificial sweeteners, including cancer risks, and considered alongside the fact that both artificial sweetener consumption and cancer rates have both skyrocketed over the last 70 years, it serves us well to proceed cautiously. This is not to claim that these sweeteners are the cause of the soaring cancer rates. Cancer is a multi-cause problem. But why take the chance that what you are ingesting is working against your body, perhaps even bringing you closer to cancer?

Some of you are using artificial sweeteners in an attempt to lose weight. But think about this: As obesity rates have soared in this nation, so has artificial sweetener use. And research funded by The National Institute of Child Health and Development, National Institute of Digestive Diseases and Kidney Disorders, and Purdue School of Liberal Arts, showed diet soft drink consumption may actually be part of the problem. It appears that the artificial sweeteners may interfere with our bodies' natural calorie-counting process, and this confusion may actually be causing us to become fatter, not thinner!

So, we have greatly increased funding of cancer research, consumption of artificial sweeteners, cancer diagnosis continues to rise as well as mortality rates, and increased obesity. We hope that after reading this article you are beginning to realize just how important that "innocent little diet soda" might be to your health.

Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following: 1. The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. 2. Your individual health status and any required health care treatments can only be properly addressed by a professional healthcare provider of your choice. Remember: There is no adequate substitution for a personal consultation with your chosen health care provider. Therefore, we encourage you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.