By offering the taste of sweetness without any calories, artificial sweeteners seem like they could be one answer to effective weight loss.<\/p>\n
Today artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages; they're marketed as \"sugar-free\" or \"diet,\" including soft drinks, chewing gum, jellies, baked goods, candy, fruit juice, and ice cream and yogurt.<\/p>\n
Reasons for use<\/strong><\/p>\n In response to artificial sweeteners, even if blood sugar does not increase, there can be increased hypoglycemia\u00a0<\/b>or hyperinsulinemia<\/b>\u00a0and increased food intake the next time there is a meal. Furthermore, the natural responses to eating sugary foods (eating less at the next meal and using some of the extra calories to warm the body after the sugary meal) are gradually lost.<\/p>\n Artificial sweeteners may exacerbate, rather than prevent, metabolic\u00a0disorders such as Type 2 Diabetes\u00a0and also obesity. Artificial sweeteners can increase the blood sugar\u00a0levels in humans by altering the composition\u00a0and function of the gut flora.<\/p>\n It is still unclear if artificial sweeteners affect the risk of cancer. Studies have linked saccharin to bladder cancer in laboratory rats. But numerous research studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities.<\/p>\n Comparison to sugar<\/strong><\/p>\n It is about 200 times as sweet as sugar and can be used as a tabletop sweetener or in frozen desserts, gelatins, beverages, and chewing gum. When cooked or stored at high temperatures, aspartame breaks down into its constituent amino acids making it undesirable as a baking sweetener. It may also not taste exactly like sugar. Because it is so intensely sweet, relatively little of it is needed to sweeten a food product.<\/p>\n People having Phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid aspartame. Aspartame also has some negative side effects in normal people including headaches, dizziness, mood variations, vomiting and\/or nausea, abdominal pain and cramping, changes in vision, diarrhea, memory loss, and fatigue.<\/p>\n It is generally marketed in the name of NutraSweet, Equal and Sugar Twin.<\/p>\n FDA banned the sale of cyclamate\u00a0after lab tests in rats involving a 10:1 mixture of cyclamate and saccharin causes bladder cancer. Cyclamates are still used as sweeteners in many parts of the world, including Europe (e.g. UK and Russia).<\/p>\n It is generally marketed in the name of SweetnLow.<\/p>\n Saccharin is 300 to 500 times as sweet as sugar and is often used to improve the taste of toothpastes, dietary foods, and dietary beverages. The bitter aftertaste of saccharin is often minimized by blending it with other sweeteners.<\/p>\n High levels of saccharin may cause bladder cancer\u00a0in laboratory rats by a mechanism not found in humans. Effects on humans is unclear.<\/p>\n It is generally marketed in the name of Sweet \u2018N Low, Sweet Twin and Necta Sweet.<\/p>\n Stevia is an herbal plant. Its leaves have two glycosides\u2013\u00a0stevioside\u00a0and\u00a0rebaudioside.\u00a0 Stevioside is sweet but also has a bitter aftertaste while rebaudioside is better tasting, sweet and less bitter. Stevioside has some medicinal properties too.<\/p>\n There are three main categories:<\/p>\n This is the type of stevia is the best option, but still should be used in moderation.<\/p>\n United States patent for the Coca-Cola Company, Truvia goes through a\u00a042 step process\u00a0to make this processed sweetener.\u00a0 First, the rebaudioside is extracted from the stevia leaf then, chemical solvents are added including acetonitrile which is toxic to the liver and is a carcinogen.\u00a0 They then add in a GMO corn derivative erythritol.<\/p>\n Truvia or rebaudioside stevia products are about 400 times sweeter than sugar.<\/p>\n Also, many other stevia products contain additives such as sugar and dextrose that come from genetically engineered corn.<\/p>\n\n
\u00a0<\/strong>Health effects<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Weight gain and insulin response<\/h3>\n
Cancer<\/h3>\n
Aspartame<\/h3>\n
Cyclamate<\/h3>\n
Saccharin<\/h3>\n
Stevia<\/h3>\n
However Not All Stevia product are Equal!<\/h2>\n
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Sucralose<\/h3>\n