Too Sweet to Be Good? The Potential Health Hazards of Artificial Sweeteners
Too Sweet to Be Good? The Potential Health Hazards of Artificial Sweeteners
SOURCE: Dynamic Chiropractic
By Claudia Anrig, DC
With worldwide obesity rates doubling in the past three decades, is it any surprise that artificial sweeteners have been gaining popularity? Beginning with the creation of saccharin, “sugar substitutes” have become the supposed answer to a dieter’s prayer – and part of the daily diet of many of our children.
Let’s review the various sugar substitutes on the market today to appreciate what they are and why they may not be the best option in terms of your patients’ – and your – health.
Aspartame: NutraSweet or Equal
This sugar substitute was discovered in 1965 by accident while chemist James Schlatter was testing an anti-ulcer drug. [1] Aspartame gained FDA approval in 1981 and was approved in 1983 for use in carbonated beverages, where it is most commonly found now as the primary sweetener for most diet sodas. [2]
Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA and has been linked to serious medical reactions. [3, 4] Researchers and physicians studying these reactions have concluded that the following chronic illnesses can worsen when ingesting aspartame: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes. [4] (more…)