What are some examples of artificial sweeteners and how are they unhealthy?!
Answers: I've heard that artifical sweeteners are unhealthy to consume and can cause weight gain. Is this true and how is it possible? Also, what are some examples of such artificial sweeteners?
This is something that's really got too long of an explanation for Yahoo! Answers, so I'd encourage you to look it up on your own. That being said, aspartame is a HUGE artificial sweetener in tons of diet/sugar free foods on the market. Think of it this way: the less processed, the better. On the top of the chain you'd have natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables and grains, etc, still in their fruits, vegetables, and grains. They've got plenty of fiber and nutrients with them so that they're not just going to be put away as "emergency" fat. Then you have minimally processed sugars you can find in health food stores, not all equal but all better than regular white or brown sugar, which is better still than artificial sweeteners. These are as processed as you can get, synthetic chemicals made in a lab and not designed for our bodies to deal with like we do with real food. You can do research on aspartame, acesulfame K, to find just SOME of the known health problems associated with their use. Aspartame for one, was unanimously voted against for use by the FDA in 1980, then a couple years later the commisioner of the FDA approved it for one use, then another, then went to work for the company that manufactures it. Corporations that make them and want to make even more money have ways to influence what gets approved without (or regardless to) proper testing. Artificial sweeteners can cause: headaches, altered moods, brain, liver, lung, kidney, lymphoreticular cancer, brain tumors, (and thought to cause or excacerbate) birth defects, depression, mental retardation, chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's. Aspartame if stored at a temperature of 85o for a week for more breaks down into formaldehyde, formic acid, diketopiperazine, all toxic. And it's not just in diet drinks, it could be in pharmeceuticals, vitamins, breakfast cereal, lots of "diet" foods.
I avoid sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet), actually I avoid all artificial sweeteners. The only one that has been shown to be safe is called stevia, which is an herb you can grow on your own and very easily make into sugar or syrup. I myself haven't ventured that far; I just try to use minimally processed sugars where possible.
i heard that EQUAL and SWEET&LOW are not good cause cancer. try SPLENDA. i don't think they will cause weight gain cause they're not really sugar and most have 0 calorie. chemically, artificial sugars are shape like real sugars , so when you eat/taste sweetness, your tongue's receptors perceive as if they are real.
Aspartame, and Saccharin. Some of these have said to cause either cancer in mice, or liver problems. Stevia is one of the newest ones that is suppose to be all natural. I have not tried it. I still use Splenda. Haven't heard much about it, but I'm sure there is something negative about it as well. Stevia is more expensive. A teaspoon of sugar is around 5 calories, and is a natural sweetener. My doctor told me it is safer to use regular sugar than any of the artificial sweeteners.