The Worst Artificial Sweeteners
Are you using artificial sweeteners for weight loss? If so, STOP!!!!!! Here’s Why…
While they have little or no calories, they are not helping you to lose weight. Most of these sweet chemicals cause your insulin to rise. When insulin rises, your blood sugar is lowered. Low blood sugar causes you to crave and eat more.
Studies have shown that people who consume artificial sweeteners eat more calories than people who don’t. Additionally, this rise in insulin signals your body to store fat or not use it as fuel. So, the weight stays on your body.
So, please stop using these IMMEDIATELY! Artificial sweeteners have always been on the market since the 1950s. Most of them are made from corn, which almost always has been genetically modified (which means not found in nature).
Most people and companies started using these because they are lower in calories than sugar, but they can do so much damage. The results of a 2017 randomized trail suggest that artificial sweeteners may increase BMI, weight, metabolic syndrome (35% greater risk) and type 2 diabetes (67% greater risk).
Aspartame
(Equal, NutraSweet, NatraTaste Blue, Spoonful, Equal-Measure, Canderel, Benevia, AminoSweet). It’s the most commonly used and is in more than 6,000 consumer foods and drinks and in over 500 prescription drugs and Over the Counter medications. It is not heat stable, so it’s usually found in drinks and foods that haven’t been heated (i.e. not baked goods).
Common Side Effects include: Headaches, Migraines, Mood disorders, Dizziness, Sleep issues, Joint pain, Changes in Vision, and Memory Loss. Long-Term Use increases cancer risk as well as degenerative Brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and General Dementia.
Aspartame causes more adverse symptoms, health conditions and diseases than all other food additives combined. There are over 10,000 documented reports of adverse reactions, including death and over 900 published studies on its health hazards.
Sucralose
(Splenda, Nevella). It’s a chlorinated sucrose (sugar) derivative. It was never meant for human consumption, but was found through the development of a new insecticide. It’s 600 times sweeter than sugar. Chlorine, by the way, is one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet!
Common Side Effects include: Migraine headaches, muscle aches, stomach cramps, diarrhea, bladder issues, skin irritation, dizziness and inflammation. It was also found to be linked to leukemia in mice and shrinking of the thymus gland (an important immune system regulator) as well as liver and kidney dysfunction. A recent study showed that cooking with sucralose at high temperatures produced a bunch of toxic compounds called chloropropanols which may alter glucose, insulin and glucagon-like peptides 1 levels.
Acesultlame K
(ACE, ACE K, Sunette, Sweet One, Sweet ‘N Safe). This one is from a potassium salt which contains methylene chloride. It’s most commonly found in sugar-free chewing gum, alcoholic beverages and sweetened yogurts. It’s frequently used with other artificial sweeteners. Methylene Chloride is a known cancer-causing agent which is also used as a propellant, a de-greaser and a paint stripper, yet Acesultlame K has undergone the least scientific study.
Common Side Effects include: nausea, headaches, mood problems, hypoglycemia, affects the thyroid, decreases metabolism and increase weight, eyesight problems, impaired liver and kidney functions and may even be linked to autism.
Saccharin
Sweet N’ Low. When first introduced in the 1970s, it carried a warning label “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. Saccharin has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals”. The FDA has since removed this warning, however’ studies still continue to link saccharin to serious health conditions.
Common Side Effects include photosensitivity, nausea, stomachaches, rapid heartbeat and some types of cancer, especially bladder cancer.
This is the primary sweetener used in children’s medications (like chewable aspirin) and in other over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Xylitol
(Erythritol, Maolitol, Sorbitol, and other sugar alcohols that end in –itol)
Sugar alcohols are not absorbed well by the body.It is uncertain how safe this is for pregnant and lactating women.
Common side effects include: bloating, gas, cramping and diarrhea. In fact, xylitol is often an ingredient in OTC laxatives.
There are others, of course. Some are even deemed “safe” but they are still made from genetically-modified (GMO) corn and/or derived from Aspartame – Advantame, Alitame, Neotame just to name of a few. Perhaps they just haven’t been around as long, so they haven’t been studied as much.
As I have often stressed, we must read the labels of every product that we eat or use on our bodies. Artificial sweeteners are so prevalent the you may be ingesting them without being aware. Check out the labels on these items and remember, this is just a list to get you started. These chemicals are being added to more and more products every day.
Children’s chewable vitamins
Cough syrup and liquid medicines
Chewing gum
Alcoholic beverages (wine coolers and the like)
Salad dressings
Breakfast cereals
Toothpaste and Mouthwash
Diet fruit juices and “lite” beverages
Baked goods
Frozen desserts including frozen yogurt
No-calorie drinks
Prepared meats
Nicotine gum
Happy Reading! And remember, most products that come in a package have companies behind them whose main desire is TO SALE, not in the nutritional value of their products. Do your own research and make sure to stay away from those invisible little compounds that deter you from developing an optimal health environment for your wellbeing.
Remember, we are here to help. If you have further questions or need an assesment please set up an appoinment. Be healthy and most importantly – Buyer Beware!