Healthy Sweetener Use Guide
Healthy Sweetener Use Guide
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In his letter to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), Mark D. Gold outlines a long list of effects of aspartame including its effects to the eyes, ears, brain, psychological areas, lungs, gastrointestinal system, skin and allergies, hair, endocrine and metabolic system, menstrual changes, and so on.
Janet Hull says, “My first recommendation is NOT to use any chemical sweeteners at all, but merely use natural sugars or learn to adjust to the natural sweetness of raw foods themselves.
“The best thing to do is avoid all artificial and chemical sweetener substitutes. They have NO food value, trick the body into thinking it is eating something sweet, and they have by-products of harmful toxic side effects… It is very important that people who have any interest in their health stay away from the highly toxic sweetener aspartame and other questionable sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda), and acesulfame-k (Sunette, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One),” (Janet Hull, “Aspartame - Other Sweeteners,” SweetPoison.com)
The artificial sweetener that is said to be the most harmful and unhealthy is aspartame. Independent research data is said to show that aspartame is a carcinogen (a cancer causing substance). Excessive consumption of foods with aspartame is said to increase risks of cancer among many people.
On the Italian Ramazinni research Hull says, “The Ramazinni aspartame study was so damning in its proof of aspartame dangers, it was debunked (or attempted debunking, shall I say) by the organizations profiting the most from aspartame. So a second cancer study was repeated by the Ramazzini Cancer Institute to prove beyond any further doubt that aspartame, indeed, causes leukemia and lymphoma. The results of the second study were the same as the first study - well, actually, they showed more damaging results... Read for yourself,” (Janet Hull, “Does Aspartame Really Cause Cancer?” JanetHull.com).
Bible Probe, a Christisn ministry, makes an interesting observation saying that, “Did you know that in the 1970's it was Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of Searle who was influential in getting Aspartame approved by the FDA?” (Bible Probe, “Diet Soda -- True story. Don't blame God for this! He didn't make it,” BibleProbe.com).
Just for some who may have no idea about what Searle is and who Donald Rumsfeld is: Searle is a corporation that is the original patent owner of aspartame. Donald Rumsfeld before being CEO of Searle was in the Nixon and Ford administration. With his strong government ties he is therefore said to have influenced the FDA to reverse its decision of banning the use of aspartame in processed food.
What is the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame in order to avoid its harmful health effects?
Hull says, “In the USA, the acceptable daily intake for aspartame is 50 mg/kg of body weight. In the EU, it is 40 mg/kg of body weight. What does all this ppm and mg/kg really mean for humans?
“Well, typically people try to estimate aspartame consumption in terms of cans of diet soda, but aspartame is found in over 6,000 other products, including 500 pharmaceuticals. Following the average modern diet, it is easy for a person to exceed the ADI, especially children who have a lower body weight.
“Consider the following average daily consumption of diet products with aspartame: 2 cans of diet soda (and that's a very low estimate), 1 light yogurt, 1 diet dessert, 4 packets of Equal® (sweetener) in coffee or tea throughout the day, 10 candies or pieces of chewing gum. The aspartame content in the above totals 910 mg, exceeding the ADI,” (Janet Hull, “Does Aspartame Really Cause Cancer?” JanetHull.com).
I believe extreme minimization or total avoidance of aspartame and other artificial sweetener laden foods is better than trying to calculate the acceptable daily intake (ADI). Hull also maintains this view as you've read in earlier paragraphs. What if the ADI is not accurate?
Additionally different people react differently to toxic foods. Some have stronger defense mechanisms (immune system); others have a body makeup that in spite of a strong immune system causes them to adversely react to small doses of aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. Others may only experience the more severe effects in the long run. And so on. None of us really know how we'd individually respond to such toxic substances in the long-run. The results are the only proof. It's worth avoiding them by all means possible.
We eat to live, not the other way round. And eating to live ought to focus on the value of what we eat. If any food only serves the “feel good” purposes it's not worth keeping. It could be harming us in the long run. It is quite unfortunate that many people eat for taste more than for nutrition, even as grown ups.
How does one know if a processed food has unhealthy artificial sweeteners?
By reading the labels and ingredients on the package. Labels saying “sugar-free” while tasting sweet have artificial sweeteners. The list of types of foods with artificial sweeteners is endless as Jane Hull notes that there are over 6,000 products, including 500 pharmaceuticals contain aspartame alone.
The most notable processed foods that use artificial sweeteners include chewing gum, mints, candy (chocolate bars and sweets), sodas (soft drinks), popcorn, powdered drinks, protein products (bars, liquids and protein powders), weight loss products. It's worth reading the ingredients on a package. Some of these processed foods do not contain artificial sweeteners.
The most notable pharmaceutical products that use artificial sweeteners are cough syrup, vitamin supplements, toothpaste, and other drugs (medicine). It's worth reading the ingredients on a package or asking your primary health care provider.
Dealing with Food Intolerance and Food Allergies
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