I know  many people who consume artificial sweeteners from their lo-cal candy, diet soft drinks, and sugar free gum without giving it a second thought. They may not be getting the calories but they may be getting more than  expected. It may not seem like much but because you absorb less of the nutrients from your food as you age, getting the right amount of nutrients is important and you’re not going to get them from artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are a combination of chemicals that make foods tast2 sweeter without the sugar calorie. Most of these have side effects and their chemical breakdown in the body may be harmful.  If this weren’t enough, when artificial sweeteners are combined with other food additives, like artificial colors, they can have a more potent effect on your nerve cells. For instance, in a research project a few years ago, the application of a specific additive alone stopped mouse nerve cells from growing and  also interfered with proper signaling systems.  When the artificial color yellow and aspartame were combined, the effect on the nerve cells was seven times greater.

Interestingly, there is an increasing number of products that are low in calories but more people are getting fatter.  How can this be? It happens that when you eat something sweet but don’t take in the calories, your body will crave more calories than if you had eaten real sugar. That means the more artificially sweetened anything you eat the more weight you are likely to gain because you will crave more sweet foods. Besides, most of the foods that contain artificial sweeteners are of poor nutritional value causing your body to starve itself if that is all you are eating. You are still hungry all the time because your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs.

Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is one of the sweeteners frequently mentioned. It is found in low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes and soft drinks. It comes in individual packages used in place of sugar and has been the focus of hundreds of studies. Conclusions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization, say the additive is safe.  However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest gave it a very low ranking in a review of food additives suggesting there may be a link with aspartame and cancer but more research needs to be done.

If you define food additives as a substance not normally consumed as a food itself and not an ingredient of the food, then we humans have been adding additives to our food for centuries just by looking at salt. Or vinegar or even sugar. Most of us tolerate these food additives and many of the artificial additives. However, some are considered toxic and may even be carcinogenic. To be on the safe side, it is best to look on the low side or even eliminating artificial sweeteners from your diet.

Do you think you over indulge when it comes to artificial sweeteners? Type your story at the Comment window. Let’s see what kind of sweet tooth this group has!

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan

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Filed under: Fitness and Nutrition

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