The Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners

It’s really easy to see the words “no sugar added”, “sugar free”, “zero calories” or “diet” and think that it’s a great alternative to sugar. However, these claims really don’t live up to the way they sound. While refined sugar has problems of its own, trading them for artificial sweeteners poses great health risks.

The 2 most common & widely used artificial sweeteners are Sucralose & Aspartame. Pretty much any “diet” soda or food marketed as sugar free or zero calories uses one of these 2 artificial sweeteners. While they’re marketed to appear healthier, aspartame & sucralose have side effects such as increased risk of cancer, weight gain, neurological disorders, seizures, headaches and so many more! It’s safe to say these artificial sweeteners are anything but healthy!

Artificial sweeteners are a lot more common than you may think. One of the most familiar names that sucralose goes by is Splenda! Splenda is actually made in a laboratory, where chlorinated molecules are added to sugar molecules in a 5 step chemical process. With a tag line of “Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar” you might be tempted to think it’s a safe alternative, but there is plenty of information that says differently.

A few common side effects of Splenda are headaches & migraines, dizziness, seizures, blurred vision, allergic reactions, blood sugar increases, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and joint pain. In fact, I know people who have gone to the emergency room thinking they were having a heart attack, only to find out they were having side effects of Splenda that was hidden in food! Needless to say, Splenda is by no means a healthy alternative!

Additionally, Splenda is regularly found in foods that claim to be “diet friendly”, but the reality is they increase appetite & promote weight gain. Drinking diet soda actually doubles your chances of obesity!

Next, aspartame is one of the most common artificial sweeteners and goes by names such as Equal, NutraSweet, Blue Zero and many others. Aspartame is also created by chemicals and is pretty rough on the body to digest. As it digests, our bodies break it down into what is known as “free methanol”, which in turn actually breaks down into formaldehyde (you know, the stuff they embalm dead people in). Doesn’t sound too “sweet”, does it?

Aspartame can be found in over 6,000 products like diet sodas, zero calorie foods, sugar-free gum & mints, meal replacement shakes, pre-workout, fruit juices, yogurts, etc. The list goes on & on!

A 2017 study showed aspartame use to be linked to heart disease, increased body mass index and diabetes (which is ironic because a lot of products with aspartame are marketed towards diabetics). Aspartame is also linked to the following cancers: Liver, Lung, Brain, Breast, Prostate & cancers of the central nervous system. Other side effects include headaches, dizziness, mood problems, vomiting, abdominal pain & diarrhea, seizures, memory loss, breathing problems and more.

While aspartame & sucralose are the most predominant artificial sweeteners used, sweeteners like Saccharin (Sweet N’ Low) and Acesulfame K (ACE K) can still have negative effects on the body. For example, Sweet N’ Low was linked to bladder cancer in the 1970’s and was required to carry a warning level for many years.

Overall, artificial sweeteners are not natural & can have detrimental impact on your health! If you use artificial sweeteners on a regular basis, it’s time to make a switch! Here are some alternatives to kick the chemicals: Stevia, honey, Sugar in the Raw, agave nectar or just regular cane sugar.