Equal,saccharin,sweet and low,sugar free,splenda etc have become a common house hold names and it is used extensively in homes .
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself.
It is widely used in processed foods,including baked goods,soft drinks,powdered drink mixes,candy,pudding,canned food,jams and jellies,dairy products and a number of other food and beverages. Some artificial sweeteners may leave an aftertaste.
But all is not well, it appears,as tasting sweet enhances appetite regardless of calories and artificial sweeteners are shown to increase weight.
It also raises the risk of diabetes type 2,by altering the gut micro biome,which in turn may also cause or aggravate inflammatory bowel disease.There is additional concern about DNA damage and cancer risk.Please note that additional data and more study is required for its validation.
As more and more studies in humans and animals come to the fore, it is possible that a more complex picture of artificial sweeteners will emerge. There is growing literature which suggest that our dietary life may not need to be so artificially sweet.
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I think this is one area which is not adequately researched.Every now and then,new advise comes out.I am taking 2 or 3 tablets a day.I discarded aspertame and switched to sucralose.Now,I am hearing that splenda is better and safer.I plan to switch to splenda shortly.(two to three tablets a day)What is your opinion on this?
After hearing so many comments negative often, I have stopped taking sweeteners & take my coffee or tea without sugar or sweetener. Better to be risk free even it is mild
splenda is a sucralose. When three molecules of chlorine is added to sugar molecule ,the structure of sugar completely changes and new product is called sucralose. It is not found in nature and not metabolised in the body ,hence it is zero calorie.
Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar and FDA recommendation is 5mg/kg/day,which if converted into sugar for theoretical purpose,it is 100mg of sucralose==60gms of sugar (approx ).
Splenda is most researched artificial sweetener and there are divergent views regarding its good or bad effects. But it appears that balance is shifting towards its harmful effects. I am quoting conclusion of a research paper that says " Sucralose affects the glycemic and insulin responses to an oral glucose load in obese people who do not normally consume non nutritive sweeteners."
in my view more research in humans and a lot more data is required before we can safely come to a logical conclusion.
Stevia is a herb, so there should be no problem. It is native to South America and has been in as a sweetener since pretty long time. People used either raw leaves or dried and powdered leaves. So stevia can be put in three categories -
(1) Green Leaf Stevia (2) Stevia extracts. (3) Altered or Processed Stevia or truvia .
I will not put any comment but simply say that there is a huge difference between consuming real stevia and the chemically processed stevia.
A few years ago I used to take Equal but my daughter showed me one article which says that artificial sugar is more harmful than actual sugar we take. Artificial sugar leads to series diseases like cancer/kidney problem etc. So i stopped taking artificial sugar.
Artificial sweeteners completely avoidable for diabetic patient.
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