Artificial Sweeteners

[r.seguinParticipant]

What are the risks and benefits of artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes?

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by  r.seguin.

[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.

[r.seguinParticipant]

Thanks for the great information, Chelsea. I’ve looked into this topic a little bit and completely agree with you! I found that the study of sucralose represents one of the largest research programs ever conducted to investigate the safety of a new food additive (1), and that the FDA has conducted more than 110 studies on sucralose over the last 30 years in accordance with internationally recognized standards and has approved it as a safe sugar substitute (2). These studies determined the effects of sucralose on short and long term toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and metabolism. They also looked at repeated daily intakes of sucralose well in excess of maximum estimated daily intakes, and other factors relating to the health of five species, including humans (1). The study results were evaluated and deemed reputable by international experts in in a variety of scientific disciplines, including toxicology, oncology, teratology, neurology, hematology, pediatrics, diabetology and nutrition (1). In light of this information, as well as the information you presented, I agree that for the time being, there is no solid evidence that artificial sweeteners are detrimental to human health.

1) Grotz LV, Munro CI. An Overview of the Safety of Sucralose. REGUL TOXICOL PHARM. 2009;55(1):1-5. Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0273230009000786. Accessed April 24, 2014.

2) Binns, NM. Sucralose – All Sweetness and Light. NUTR BULL. 2003;28(1):53-58. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1467-3010.2003.00307.x/full. Accessed on April 24, 2014.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by  r.seguin.

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