There have been numerous independent studies of artificial sweeteners and most have reached the same conclusions: avoid them at all costs!
While most of the manufactured sweeteners are either low in calories or have zero calories, the health problems they can cause just aren’t worth any possible benefits they may provide. Artificial sweeteners are worse for you than sugar as evidenced by numerous studies. With real sugar, at least you know what it is made from – sugar cane or sugar beets. This is not the case with artificial sweeteners, for example, Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. Sounds yummy doesn't it :-)
Here are the top three reasons why you should avoid using artificial sweeteners.
Weight Gain
Wait a minute! Aren’t artificial sweeteners supposed to help you lose weight? That is what the CEO's of these companies would like you to believe. In reality just the opposite is true and supported by numerous case studies. What generally happens is artificial sweeteners cause a metabolic disruption. When you eat or drink something made with real sugar, your brain normally secretes the hormone dopamine that signals your stomach when you are full. Without real sugar, dopamine is not released and you don’t get the signal to stop eating. While artificial sweeteners do have less calories than real sugar, they do not have the same effect in the body as real sugar, and lead you to overeat.
Heart Disease
Drinking diet soda daily that is sweetened with aspartame has shown to increase your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke by 61%. This was the conclusion found in 2011 by a study done by both Columbia University and the University of Miami and presented at the International Stroke Conference. While the artificial sweetener directly isn’t responsible for the increased risk, its effect in the body results in an increase of calories through overeating which results in weight gain and Type 2 diabetes – major factors leading to a catastrophic heart event.
Allergic Reactions
In people allergic to sulfa drugs, ingesting Splenda can cause allergic reactions varying from mild itching to hives, abdominal cramping to diarrhea, and even anaphylactic reactions including shortness of breath, throat closure, a drop in blood pressure and seizures.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or other reactions, try eliminating sucralose (and for that matter all artificial sweeteners) from your diet and see if your condition improves. If so, you may have identified a source of your allergies.
Using artificial sweeteners is not worth the risk of the these health issues and even if you do get some benefit of losing weight do you thin your body enjoys these chemicals? From a health standpoint, you are far better off using natural Mother Nature made sweeteners.
