In a previous post we explored the best and worst natural sweeteners and learned the hazards of sugar. Today you are going to discover which artificial sweeteners are harmless and which are seriously detrimental to your health.
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| epicurious.com |
Note that artificial sweeteners can be either harmless or harmful,
but not beneficial. This stems from the fact that, although they have no
calories, they do not provide any nutrition either.
For decades, all studies have rejected the correlation between
artificial sweetener consumption and bladder cancer. However, a 2008
case-control study of 197 patients with urinary tract tumors (UTT) and 397
healthy subjects concluded that regular use of artificial sweeteners for 10
years is strongly associated with bladder cancer.
It has been known since 2011 that long-term exposure to artificial
sweeteners, namely aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharin, and fructose, EVEN IN
LOW DOSES, exacerbate atherosclerosis (a degenerative disease where fatty
deposits line your arterial walls) and senescence (biological aging).
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| nutritionfacts.org |
A month ago, another study revealed that non-nutritive sweeteners
(NNS) interfere with peripheral and central nervous mechanism altering your
metabolism and energy balance by altering your sweet taste receptors, hormone
secretion, gut microbiota and cognitive processes, namely memory, reward
learning and taste perception.
Acesulfame K
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| thecherryshare.com |
Acesulfame potassium has been an approved sweetener in
the US and EU for 28 years. It can be bought under the brands Sunett® or Sweet One®, and it is 200 times sweeter than sugar. According to the FDA you
can safely eat 15 mg per kg of body weight every day. However, the quality of
the trials conducted to prove its safety have been questioned by the US Center
for Science in the Public Interest. The FDA and the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) do not think further testing is necessary.
It contains
methylene chloride, a known carcinogen that can eventually cause headaches,
depression, nausea, dementia, kidney and liver disease, visual disturbances,
and cancer in humans.
Furthermore, when
ace-K is broken down, it produces acetoacetamide which leads to thyroid issues
in rats, dogs and rabbits.
Another potential
health risk is its strong correlation to DNA damage.
Aspartame
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| forkidssakeelc.com |
This sweetener has
been used since the 1980's and, despite the health concerns, it controls the
market of artificial sweeteners. The FDA sets the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)
at 50mg per kg of body weight while the EFSA does not recommend exceeding 40mg per
kg of body weight. You can find it marketed as Equal, NutraSweet, or AminoSweet
and it is 180 times sweeter than sugar.
In spite of the FDA
and EFSA claims on aspartame safety, there are plenty of studies which reveal
its detrimental effects:
H.J. Roberts, MD,
author of the book Aspartame Disease: An
Ignored Epidemic, reports some of the nasty symptoms of consuming this
sweetener that have been proven through a plethora of studies. These include headache,
dizziness, mood swings, vomiting, nausea, convulsions, memory loss, fatigue,
abdominal pain, vision impairments and diarrhea. It is also linked to
depression, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, tinnitus, joint pain,
anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, fibromyalgia symptoms, multiple sclerosis,
systemic lupus, and several cancers.
According to a 1996
study, aspartame is a compelling reason for the increase in frequency and
degree of malignancy of brain tumors.
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| rawforbeauty.com |
A 2005 Italian study found that continued exposure to aspartame starting at 8 weeks of age,
lead to lymphomas, leukemia, and several tumors, including kidney tumors, which
are highly unusual in the breed of rat used.
In 2007, follow-up
study published by the same researchers revealed that rats exposed to aspartame
starting in the womb and continuing throughout their lives developed leukemia, lymphomas
and breast cancer.
In 2010, they
published a third study that followed the same procedure as the second and
showed that that aspartame leaded to liver and lung cancer in male mice.
That same year
a Danish study associated artificially sweetened soft drinks to premature delivery of babies. In 2012, a
Norwegian study corroborated that finding but also linked sugar-sweetened
beverages to preterm delivery.
Also in 2012,
an epidemiological study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health over
the long-term effects of aspartame on humans, found out that it increases
cancer risk for men, but not to women. This difference might originate from the
fact that men produce higher levels of the enzyme that transforms methanol,
which is a by-product of aspartame breakdown, to formaldehyde, a known
carcinogen. The cancers observed, namely multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, were akin to the cancers monitored in two of the three animal studies
(leukemia and lymphoma).
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| healthyfoodhouse.com |
A 2013 study
revealed that mice with identical caloric intakes gained more weigh when
consuming aspartame or saccharin instead of sucrose(sugar).
That same year,
aspartame was shown to increase glucose levels by 58% in zebrafish fed a high
cholesterol diet (HCD) compared to the zebrafish who consumed a HCD but no
sweetener in just 12 days. The group having aspartame had greater brain and
liver inflammation. 30% of zebrafish fed aspartame died and exhibited swimming
defects while the control group had 100% survivability.
Last year,
another study showed that both aspartame and saccharine undermine the
beneficial effects of HDL ''good'' cholesterol by reducing its antioxidant
capacities and promoting atherogenesis, which is the formation of fatty
deposits in the arteries. They were proved to be detrimental for human
circulation and embryonic development
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| heinzfoodservice.ca/ |
It has been
known since 2008 that it is correlated to DNA damage, just like ace-k and
saccharin.
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| DNA damage by thetechjournal.net |
It seems like
there are as many studies that confirm its safety as there are that prove its
detrimental effects. However, a close look to the situation reveals the
conflict of interests involved. There are about 166 studies relevant to human
safety from which 74 were funded by the NutraSweet industry. All those 74
studies confirmed aspartame's safety. On the other hand, 92% of the independent
studies concluded that this sweetener is a potential health risk.
Saccharin:
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| thedelicioustruth.blogspot.com |
It was discovered in 1879 during a
researcher on coal tar derivatives. Its sweetness is 350 greater than that of
sugar and you can find it under the names of Sweet Twin, Sweet'N Low, and Necta
Sweet. It was banned in 1977 after it was linked to bladder cancer in mice.
Nevertheless, Congress reapproved its use as long as foods had a warning label.
In 2010, it was removed from the list of cancer-causing chemicals of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and Congress quit the warning.
According to the FDA, beverages are not to
exceed 12 mg per fluid ounce; processed food, cannot exceed 30 mg per serving
and the acceptable daily intake (ADI) is 5 mg per kg of body weight.
Saccharin produces urinary bladder cancer
in mice, rats and most likely in humans, being males more susceptible than
females. The malignancy and frequency of the tumors increase if the subject is
exposed starting as a fetus. It also causes chronic renal disease in rats. The
risk for urinary bladder cancer in humans spikes with frequency and duration of
saccharin consumption.
In 2008 saccharin was strongly correlated
to DNA damage.
| slideshare.net |
In 2011, saccharin-fed zebrafish with a
high-cholesterol diet (HCD) showed a significant increase in cholesterol levels
compared to the zebra-fish group with a HCD but no sweetener in just 12 days.
There was also a substantial rise in cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)
activity when saccharin was consumed. This protein has proatherogenic effects (forms
fat plaques in your arteries) as it exchanges HDL ''good'' cholesterol for LDL ''bad''
cholesterol.
A 2013 study revealed that mice with
identical caloric intakes gained more weight when consuming aspartame or
saccharin instead of sucrose (sugar).
Last year, it was proven that both
aspartame and saccharin undermine the beneficial effects of HDL ''good''
cholesterol by reducing its antioxidant capacities and promoting atherogenesis,
which is the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries. They were proved to
be detrimental for human circulation and embryonic development
Sucralose
Sucralose was approved as a general-purpose
sweetener in 1999 and the FDA set the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for
sucralose at 5 mg per kg of body weight.
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| consciouslifenews.com |
It was initially advertised as being made
from sugar but it is a synthetical compound 600 times sweeter than table sugar.
The suffix -ose is used for sugars but, although the starting product is sugar,
it is chemically altered with other compounds, like chlorine, until it is
nothing like the former. In fact, it should have been named trichlorogalactosucrose
if it were not for the FDA, which did not believe it necessary (probably
because that name would have dissuaded most people from buying it).
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| stepintomygreenworld.com |
Sucralose has some calories, but it is so
sweet that the amount you would probably use has virtually no caloric content.
Nevertheless, Splenda also contains two bulking agents, namely dextrose and
maltodextrin, which are carbohydrates with calories. The labelling will
probably claim that it is a calorie-free sweetener, but one cup contains 96
calories. This information can be misleading and pose a health problem for
diabetics and people who are trying to lose weight. Moreover, a 2011 study
showed that sucralose does not reduce appetite, which can lead to overeating and
all the health issues it entails (diabetes, obesity...).
Since the date of its approval the has
objected to its use because of a rat study that showed premature shrinkage of
the thymus, a gland of the immune system. Furthermore, the fact that chlorine
is one of its components raises a health concern as this chemical is a known
carcinogen used in pesticides, poisonous gas, plastics and disinfectants.
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| healthcenter.ucsc.edu |
Symptoms of its exposure may include gastrointestinal
issues like bloating, gas, diarrhea, or nausea; skin irritation including rash,
urticaria, redness, itching, and swelling; nasal problems such as wheezing,
coughing, and rhinorrhea; and psychological issues like anxiety, chest pain,
palpitations, anger, changes in mood, depression.
A 12 week 2008 study on male rats proved
that Splenda has a plethora of health issues, including acidification of the
feces, reduction in the beneficial fecal bacteria and impairment in the
bioavailability of oral prescription medications. Sucralose, at doses even lower than the acceptable
daily intake (ADI), was shown to reduce gut flora by more than 50%.
Furthermore, the proportion of beneficial bacteria like lactobacilli and
bifidobacteria diminished significantly in comparison to pathogenic bacteria
such as enterobacteria. Three months after the trial, the adverse effects of
sucralose had not been reversed. This changes in gut bacteria could derive in
many health problems, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), hindered body
weight regulation and altered drug absorption. A 2012 study showed a remarkable
correlation between IBD in several regions throughout the globe and use of
sucralose and saccharin.
| geneticliteracyproject.org |
In 2012, an Italian laboratory announced a mice
study that revealed that sucralose caused leukemia when exposure to the
sweetener began in the womb.
In 2013, a review of a vast number of sucralose
studies exposed its major health issues including:
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| organsofthebody.com |
It impairs normal body weight regulation in
both humans and animals by interfering with sweet taste receptors in the
gastrointestinal tract, increasing insulin secretion and modifying the sweet
receptor expression in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates
basic functions like hunger. Sucralose has been shown to increase blood sugar
and insulin levels, which in turn produce diabetes.
It has been generally believed that
sucralose is not absorbed by the body, but directly excreted through the feces
while the small amount that reaches the blood is removed through urine
unchanged. However, some studies have detected products of its metabolism in
the feces and urine of humans and animals, the consequences of which remain
unknown. The bioaccumulation of sucralose or its metabolites could have adverse
effects.
Long-term ingestion of sucralose is
potentially toxic due to several reasons:
First of all, it has been found to be
a mutagen, an agent that damages your DNA and produces negative epigenetic
alterations. This DNA damage also occurred in the gastrointestinal tract of the
mice.
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| ivao.com |
Supposedly, sucralose does not decompose when exposed to high
temperatures and it is therefore commonly used in baking. Well, five
independent studies, the oldest of them dating back to 1996, revealed that
sucralose breaks down with high temperatures into chloropropanols, a human carcinogen
and extremely genotoxic compound; 1,6-DCF;
and dioxins, which, according to the
World Health Organization are ''highly toxic and can cause reproductive and
developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and
also cause cancer''.
References and recommended reading
Abou-Donia M. B., El-Masry E. M.,
Abdel-Rahman A. A., McLendon R. E., Schiffman S. S. Splenda alters gut
microflora and increases intestinal P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P-450 in male
rats. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health A. 2008;71:1415–1429. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.
Andreatta MM, Muñoz SE, Lantieri MJ, Eynard
AR, Navarro A"Artificial Sweetener Consumption and Urinary Tract Tumors in
Cordoba, Argentina." National Center
for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 July
2008. Web. 3 Jan. 2016.
Bandyopadhyay, Atrayee, Sarbani Ghoshal,
and Anita Mukherjee. "Genotoxicity Testing of Low-Calorie Sweeteners:
Aspartame, Acesulfame-K, and Saccharin." Drug and Chemical Toxicology 31.4
(2008): 447-57. Web. 4 Jan. 2016.
Burke, Mary V., and Dana M. Small.
"Physiological Mechanisms by Which Non-nutritive Sweeteners May Impact
Body Weight and Metabolism." Physiology & Behavior 152 (2015): 381-88.
Web. 6 Jan. 2016.
Feijó Fde M, Ballard CR, Foletto KC, Batista
BA, Neves AM, Ribeiro MF, Bertoluci MC. "Saccharin and Aspartame, Compared
with Sucrose, Induce Greater Weight Gain in Adult Wistar Rats, at Similar Total
Caloric Intake Levels." National Center for Biotechnology Information.
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013. Web. 3 Jan. 2016.
Ford, H E, V. Peters, N M Martin, M L
Sleeth, M A Ghatei, G S Frost, and S R Bloom. "Effects of Oral Ingestion
of Sucralose on Gut Hormone Response and Appetite in Healthy Normal-weight
Subjects." European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Eur J Clin Nutr 65.4
(2011): 508-13. Web. 6 Jan. 2016.
Jang, Wookju, Nam Ho Jeoung, and Kyung-Hyun
Cho. "Modified Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I by Artificial Sweetener Causes
Severe Premature Cellular Senescence and Atherosclerosis with Impairment of
Functional and Structural Properties of ApoA-I in Lipid-free and Lipid-bound
State." Mol Cells Molecules and Cells 31.5 (2011): 461-70. Web. 4 Jan.
2016.
Kim, Jae-Yong, Juyi Seo, and Kyung-Hyun
Cho. "Aspartame-fed Zebrafish Exhibit Acute Deaths with Swimming Defects
and Saccharin-fed Zebrafish Have Elevation of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer
Protein Activity in Hypercholesterolemia." Food and Chemical Toxicology
49.11 (2011): 2899-905. Web. 4 Jan. 2016.
Kim, Jae-Yong, Ki-Hoon Park, Jihoe Kim,
Inho Choi, and Kyung-Hyun Cho. "Modified High-Density Lipoproteins by
Artificial Sweetener, Aspartame, and Saccharin, Showed Loss of
Anti-atherosclerotic Activity and Toxicity in Zebrafish." Cardiovasc
Toxicol Cardiovascular Toxicology 15.1 (2014): 79-89. Web. 4 Jan. 2016.
Olney JW, Farber NB, Spitznagel E, Robins
LN."Increasing Brain Tumor Rates: Is There a Link to Aspartame?" National Center for Biotechnology
Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1996. Web. 3 Jan. 2016.
Reuber, M D. "Carcinogenicity of
Saccharin." Environ Health Perspect Environmental Health Perspectives 25
(1978): 173-200. Web. 3 Jan. 2016.
Schernhammer, E. S., K. A. Bertrand, B. M.
Birmann, L. Sampson, W. C. Willett, and D. Feskanich. "Consumption of Artificial
Sweetener- and Sugar-containing Soda and Risk of Lymphoma and Leukemia in Men
and Women." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 96 (2012): 1419-428.
Web. 3 Jan. 2016.
Schiffman, Susan S., and Kristina I.
Rother. "Sucralose, A Synthetic Organochlorine Sweetener:
Overview Of
Biological Issues." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B
16.7 (2013): 399-451. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.
Soffritti
M, Belpoggi F, Tibaldi E, Esposti DD, Lauriola M "First Experimental
Demonstration of the Multipotential Carcinogenic Effects of Aspartame
Administered in the Feed to Sprague-Dawley Rats." Environ Health Perspect
Environmental Health Perspectives 114.3 (2005): 379-85. Web. 3
Jan. 2016.
Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Tibaldi E, Esposti
DD, Lauriola M. "Life-Span Exposure to Low Doses of Aspartame Beginning
during Prenatal Life Increases Cancer Effects in Rats." Environ Health
Perspect Environmental Health Perspectives 115.9 (2007): 1293-297. Web. 3 Jan.
2016.
