[Chelsey B.Participant]

Sweeteners, including artificial sweeteners, are one way for those who are concerned with weight management and weight loss to take control of their sugar consumption. This alternative provides the benefit of getting the sweet flavor that usually accompanies sugar but without the calories. On the other hand some consumers are concerned that these alternative sweeteners may cause more harm than benefit. Some of the main health concerns regarding artificial sweeteners are that they have been show in some animal studies to cause weight gain, brain tumors, and bladder cancer (1). Some of these studies that claimed aspartame could cause bladder cancer or weight gain may not have been entirely true because the studies were conducted on animals that have different anatomy and biology than humans and therefore the application of their data is not directly applicable. It does shed light on potential problems that could arise from overconsumption of artificial sweeteners but using them in moderation as is suggested with other foods especially sugar is the best way to manage potential risks that researchers are just not completely sure about just yet.

In conclusion, according to two comprehensive literature reviews that evaluated the research on artificial sweetener safety and presumed benefits they found that there isn’t enough conclusive research that supports the presumed concern that artificial sweeteners can cause harm to the extent that the public should stop consuming them and producers should not be able to use them in their products (1). Therefore using these sweeteners, according to the current research, will not cause bladder cancer, brain tumors, and weight gain.

References
1-Tandel K. Sugar substitutes: Health controversy over perceived benefits. Journal Of Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics. October 2011;2(4):236-243.
2-Shankar P, Ahuja S, Siriam K. Non-nutritive sweeteners: Review and update. Nutrition. November 2013;29(11/12):1293-1299.

[Chelsey B.Participant]

Thank you R. Seguin for your response. I agree completely with the information you have provided.You make a good point that the diet restricts dairy and fruit intake making it difficult for people on the diet to obtain the health benefits associated with the consumption of fruits and dairy. Overall, the diet is a high protein/ low carbohydrate diet that has repeatedly shown weight loss in the short term but is difficult to maintain in the long-run. Thank you again for your response.

[Author]

Posts