Artificial Sweeteners are a hot topic these days, both in the media and in the research world. So is diet soda really that bad? Do artificial sweeteners really cause cancer? And is there a place for them in your diet?
Artificial sweeteners are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are categorized as a food additive or as a Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) substance. An ingredient is considered a food additive until qualified experts review additional research and determine the substance as safe for its intended use. If there were strong evidence of a correlation between any GRAS substance or food additive and the risk of developing cancer, the ingredient would be banned from our food supply. However, there are guidelines on how much of a food additive can be safely consumed, or what’s known as acceptable daily intakes (ADI). These limits would not be reached from a normal daily intake. For example, aspartame’s ADI is 50mg per kilogram body weight. Therefore, a 150-pound person would have a daily limit of 3,400 mg. A typical diet soda contains about 225 mg per 12 ounce serving, a light yogurt contains approximately 88 mg, and a packet of equal contains 22 mg.
That being said, none of these products are in their natural state. Saccharin (sweet and Low, Sweet’N Low, Necta Sweet) was discovered while trying to create more derivatives of coal tar. Aspartame was created originally when trying to develop stomach ulcer pharmaceuticals, and Splenda was found when trying to create a new insecticide. The most natural artificial sweetener would be Stevia (Truvia, Pure Via), but even then Truvia and Pure Via contain additives to mask Stevia’s natural bitter flavor.
Of these products, Saccharin and Stevia are most likely your safest bets. Saccharin has been on the market for so long with no proof of harmful side effects and Stevia is composed of the most natural ingredients of the group. Splenda is too new of a product for any conclusive studies on long-term effects. And lastly, Aspartame was added to the GRAS list in 1996, but there are contradicting studies and some evidence of increased headaches, increased depression, and allergic reactions.
A recent journal published in Behavioral Neuroscience found that experiencing the sweet flavors associated with artificial sweeteners without the calories the body expects to follow led to increased daily caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased fat tissue in laboratory animals. Another study published in Diabetes Care found diet soda drinkers to have a 36% greater incidence of metabolic syndrome and a 67% increased incidence of type II diabetes. Theories as to why include that the brain expects more calories if it experiences stimulation from sweet flavors, that these chemicals are affecting how we metabolize foods, or that they are simply interfering with our normal hunger and satiety cues.
This is not stated to scare anyone away from artificial sweeteners, but simply to stress that they contain no nutritive value. Whether they are safe for consumption or not, they lack any benefits to your health or diet. Most likely these products won’t hurt your health in any way, but maybe next time instead of that diet soda, you’ll reach for a glass of water!
