Safety Of Sweeteners

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by robocop

I don't trust them, I tend to not trust almost any synthesized chemical as safe for human ingestion unless it is for strictly medicinal and non psychoactive purposes. The track record of how new chemicals have adversely effected humans has a lot of bad history involved. They are often just too strong and have a purity of synthesis that the human body can't handle. I just play it safe, maybe sweeteners are fine, but I'm not willing to risk cancer for a tasty drink.

I'm with you. You just can't trust those pesky chemists.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by llama64

If you're drinking 5+ cans of diet pop a day, you probably aren't drinking enough water and that is where most people should be focusing their concern (IMO).

[Drury18]

Many artificial sweeteners are former drugs. Aspartame previously was only available by prescription for diabetics only under physicians care. Sorbitol was formerly a laxative used by prescription. We have turned prescription drugs into daily consumables in high quantities. The body is going to have repercussions.

I don't believe the sweeteners are safe for the sheer fact that within minutes of consuming any of them I become violently sick. I have a number of food related allergies and NOTHING comes close to the reaction I get from a very small amount of any artificial sugar.

[OBCT]

Drury18: You body reacts similarly violently to all artificial sweeteners? Not to doubt you, but how do you know this? There are a lot of them out there. And, I thought some of them had very difficult chemical make-ups and properties from others (aside from all being synthesized sweeteners).

It's not like my intention is to discredit your claims, but your experience seems to be very isolated to me. I don't know that it's reasonable to generalize/conclude about the safety of all artificial sweeteners due to your experience. (Maybe it is? I've just never heard of someone else reacting like you do to them.)

[photon]

I think it'd be equally reasonable to base the safety of all peanuts for all people based on the experience of an individual who has a bad reaction to them.

[Notorious Honey Badger]

Originally Posted by llama64

I have heard of people who have died from drinking too much alcohol (both short term and long term).

I have heard of people dying from nut allergies.

I have even heard of people dying from eating gluten.

...

I have NEVER heard of anyone dying from eating any approved artificial sweetener. Not to poop all over the thread, but this really seems to me like a huge "first world problem".

If you're drinking 5+ cans of diet pop a day, you probably aren't drinking enough water and that is where most people should be focusing their concern (IMO).

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I am part of a weight-loss support group and we share our knowledge of nutrition and pool ideas on how to lose weight. There are a few vocal members that claim that artificial sweeteners are horribly bad for you and they have brought in articles that they found on the web. I just shake my head. The web is an utter glut of misinformation and it just gets spread and spread and spread. I looked up where most of these anti-artificial sweetener people are citing... and most of it leads here:
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/

So I searched that site looking for a name of an organization, a doctor, something with some credibility behind their claims. There are some damning links, but there is so much more evidence the other way....

So what I have said to my group is that if I am looking for something sweet... instead of ice cream I'm going to have a desert yogurt sweetened with an artificial sweetener. Because the health risks of being overweight from having too much sugar is PROVEN whereas there is tenuous and anecdotal links between artificial sweeteners and health risks.

And it bothers me that there is so much misinformation being spread out there... it's the same as the anti-vaccine people. People get scared. And it's the people that are overweight that are scared to have these artificial sweeteners and thus won't satisfy their sweet tooth with anything less than real sugar.

You could say "well you shouldn't have anything sweet ever", but you can also tell teenagers that they shouldn't have sex. Good luck with either of those.

Couldn't have said it better myself so I'll just quote and say thanks. Right down to the anti vaccine people, brilliant stuff.

[Drury18]

Originally Posted by OBCT

Drury18: You body reacts similarly violently to all artificial sweeteners? Not to doubt you, but how do you know this? There are a lot of them out there. And, I thought some of them had very difficult chemical make-ups and properties from others (aside from all being synthesized sweeteners).

It's not like my intention is to discredit your claims, but your experience seems to be very isolated to me. I don't know that it's reasonable to generalize/conclude about the safety of all artificial sweeteners due to your experience. (Maybe it is? I've just never heard of someone else reacting like you do to them.)

I can list off 10 that I've tried and had the same reaction too. My body tries to recognize the chemical sugars as food, attempts to process the sugar and finds it out its essentially poison and I get sick. As explained to me, the body is not supposed to recognize these as food as they are medicinal. It would be like me being able to eat a bottle of Tylenol with no effect. That's not how its supposed to be.

Most of these were found by accident as alot of foods that you don't expect to have artificial sweeteners in them now have these artificial sweeteners hidden in them with no warning on the front of the package. Bear Paw Brand cookies have Sorbitol in them I believe. Quaker Granola bars started adding it to their dipped brand bars as well. Viva Puff Cookies and Ruffles (the chocolate cookie things) have artificial sweeteners in them as well. Sunny D has sweetener in it and there is a brand of juice box (I want to say Oasis but I don't think that's right) that includes an artificial sweetener in it. There is a number of foods on the market directed towards kids with artificial sweetener in them along with traditional sugar and absolutely nothing written on the packaging. I recently purchased a prepackaged chilled coffee drink to find out it had Stevia in it with no warning on the package. Back when gum was just switching over to artificial sweeteners I tried several types unknowing this was happening and would get insanely sick after chewing gum for a couple minutes. Check the package and they've replaced sugar with fake sugar. I've had allergic reactions at the Dental Office to the cleaning powder and found out that's yet another type of artificial sweetener in it so that it does not taste like baking soda. There's a number of toothpastes with it in it. I just bought an icing gel to put in icing to make a bright colour, read the label to see how much to use and in the ingredient list was an artificial sweetener. Also, many people nowadays believe like some here that its healthier to cook with these artificial sweeteners and so they do so, do not tell anyone that's what's been done and I again try something and when I'm done being sick go back and asked if there was any sort of artificial sweetener in them.

As photon eluded to, its not much different then a peanut allergy. You don't give a kid beer nuts because its a different peanut then honey roasted. The allergy exists and does so for all peanuts. Mine exists for all artificial sweeteners. I'm just thankful that unlike a peanut allergy, mine won't kill me. I get very sick, but it's not life threatening.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

#1 ingredient in diet pop is water

Ok let me explain then...

If you are drinking diet soda, you are forcing your kidneys to do work. There is more then just the articifical sweetners in there that your body needs to metabolize and none of it is helpful to you in anyway. While drinking diet pop, you aren't drinking enough water - you are drinking acid mixed with water.

If you just drink water, you actually aid your body in processing the crap in other food you eat.

People often substitute diet pop for water because real pop has more calories and they just don't like the taste of water. These people bug me... water has very little taste while diet pop, for the most part, tastes like donkey butt.

Just drink water. It's better for you.

[Devils'Advocate]

From Katherine Zeratsky, Registered Dietician for the Mayo clinic:

Drinking a reasonable amount of diet soda a day, such as a can or two, isn't likely to hurt you. The artificial sweeteners and other chemicals currently used in diet soda are safe for most people, and there's no credible evidence that these ingredients cause cancer. Some types of diet soda are even fortified with vitamins and minerals. But diet soda isn't a health drink or a silver bullet for weight loss.

Also, this Snopes article:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
states that 2/3rds of the water within sodas are retained by the body. So yes, water is better, but soda still does serve to quench the body's need for water.

Also "tastes like donkey butt" is YOUR OPINION. I rather like diet root beer. And that is what I choose to have at lunchtime. It's usually the only soda I have during the day. I don't know why I irritate you with that, but c'est la vie....

[OBCT]

Originally Posted by Drury18

I can list off 10 that I've tried and had the same reaction too. My body tries to recognize the chemical sugars as food, attempts to process the sugar and finds it out its essentially poison and I get sick. As explained to me, the body is not supposed to recognize these as food as they are medicinal. It would be like me being able to eat a bottle of Tylenol with no effect. That's not how its supposed to be.

<snip>

As photon eluded to, its not much different then a peanut allergy. You don't give a kid beer nuts because its a different peanut then honey roasted. The allergy exists and does so for all peanuts. Mine exists for all artificial sweeteners. I'm just thankful that unlike a peanut allergy, mine won't kill me. I get very sick, but it's not life threatening.

Interesting. That actually sounds pretty rough. I'm very glad I don't have allergies like that.

Personally, I'm not convinced that all these synthetic sweeteners are completely harmless, but at the same time, in the very small quantities I feel like I consume them, I'm not too worried, either. It's helpful to hear about your experience with artificial sweeteners, though.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by llama64

If you're drinking 5+ cans of diet pop a day, you probably aren't drinking enough water and that is where most people should be focusing their concern (IMO).

This is a good point. I've heard from dieticians that many people often end up eating, when they are really just dehydrated. That getting enough water every day really help one maintain a healthy weight. With pop (artificial sweetner or not) you're often getting caffine too, which only dehydrates you more. It's a bad substitute for the water you should be drinking.

[photon]

That's one benefit of the SodaStream, water is SO BORING, but just adding CO2 to it makes it much easier to drink more water.

[Devils'Advocate]

Oi.

I've heard just as many people claim the "people end up eating when they are dehydrated" theory to be a myth. And if you read the snopes article I linked to, the caffeine was such a mild diuretic that it had little to no effect on water retention. Again, there is so much misinformation out there that people can't tell fact from fiction anymore.

As far as I am concerned, if you are concerned about weight loss or diabetes:
Water > Diet Soda > Regular Soda

I, for one, prefer that my drinks have some kind of taste to them... so I'll add a dash of lime to my water, have the flavoured Aquafinas, use Crystal Light, or have a diet soda. I only have a glass or two of plain water a day. I don't think I'm in horrible health, but I could be wrong.

[Daradon]

^^^ I'm not saying it's a massive concern for most people, just that the healthiest choice would obviously be water.

As for flavor, yeah lime or lemon works great. I don't use a bunch of that other stuff as I hate the aftertaste of most artifical sweetners. If I do have pop I generally drink Sprite, less sugar and no caffine. But I drink less than a can a day of that so that falls well within moderation and healthy eating

Truth be told though, I love drinking water. I have a brita and I'll fill that pitcher twice a day most days. I just find nothing refreshes as much as ice cold water. The recommended 8 glass is easy to do for me.

Like anything, I think it all has to do with moderation. No one should be drinking 5 cans of pop a day. Real sugar or not.

Also I think, the consumption of pop may be a hint into the persons lifestyle and eating choices. Whether or not the diet soda is as bad as the regular stuff, people who insist on consuming 'junk food' like pop in great quantities probably make a whole host of other unhealthy choices.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by llama64

Ok let me explain then...

If you are drinking diet soda, you are forcing your kidneys to do work. There is more then just the articifical sweetners in there that your body needs to metabolize and none of it is helpful to you in anyway. While drinking diet pop, you aren't drinking enough water - you are drinking acid mixed with water.

If you just drink water, you actually aid your body in processing the crap in other food you eat.

People often substitute diet pop for water because real pop has more calories and they just don't like the taste of water. These people bug me... water has very little taste while diet pop, for the most part, tastes like donkey butt.

Just drink water. It's better for you.

Baloney. The amount of "stuff" to be metabolized in diet pop is miniscule compared to all the "stuff", natural and otherwise, consumed daily.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by llama64

People often substitute diet pop for water because real pop has more calories and they just don't like the taste of water. These people bug me... water has very little taste while diet pop, for the most part, tastes like donkey butt.

And I'm going to jump on this quote too..it's known that despite having some of the cleanest tap water in the world, many North Americans are actually chronically dehydrated. If you could get them to drink more diet pop because they prefer the flavour to water, they would be better off overall.

[Devils'Advocate]

And again, that 75% comes from that same internet e-mail chain letter that just now gets taken as gospel:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

More on that 75% myth here (myth #9):
http://www.wwrecipes.com/water.htm