Artificial sugars and sweeteners are everywhere, often in places we don’t expect to find them. What many do not realize, however, is that artificial sugars pose very real health risks. Here are a few considerations worth pondering before using your next packet of sweetener or baking your next low-sugar dessert.
Many foods and food products contain artificial sweeteners. In their most obvious forms, artificial sugars appear as replacements for natural sweeteners in either packet form, or provided in bulk for cooking low-sugar foods. Due to drops in prices and the need for less artificial sweetener to achieve the same sweetness profile as sugar, the food and beverage industry is launching many new products based on them. Artificial sweeteners are most commonly found in products intended for diet and health demographics due to their fewer calories. Unfortunately, some evidence suggests that these health benefits may be as artificial as the sweeteners themselves.
Many studies link artificial sweeteners to increased likelihoods of developing various cancers, often using laboratory rats as test subjects. These studies are often criticized because the subjects either consume sweeteners in quantities far greater than is normal or, as with saccharin, the mechanism by which the cancer is caused is simply not present in humans. Aspartame is another common artificial sweetener whose consumption has been linked to brain tumors. While some studies have shown this not to be true, said studies are often somehow affiliated with the artificial sweetener industry. In any case, while the link between artificial sweeteners and cancer may be a tenuous one, it has resulted in much controversy and banning of some sweeteners in countries around the world.
Another common artificial sweetener is High Fructose Corn Syrup. HFCS gained traction in response to higher sugar prices. Many products are now abandoning HFCS in favor of sugar, citing claims that the latter is a more natural and healthy choice. There is, however, little scientific evidence suggesting that HFCS is any more or less healthy than sugar.
In fact, some studies even suggest that artificial sweeteners contribute to Fat gain rather than loss. A 2005 study links increased diet soda consumption to Fat gain and obesity. Even more studies suggest that an insulin response is triggered by sweet tastes, causing increased blood sugar storage in fats, leading to hypoglycemia and increased food intake.
Artificial sweeteners are similar to another product manufactured as a healthy alternative to its unhealthy natural form, trans fats. A type of unsaturated fat, trans fats began appearing in the early 20th century as a healthier, more consumer-friendly form of more natural oils used for cooking. The advent of refrigeration made these an even more attractive option for the food industry.
As is true with artificial sweeteners, trans fats are not essential or healthy components of any diet despite being marketed as such, and are associated with health risks that make any gains simply not worth the risks.
Given the above, moderation is perhaps the best course. By consuming natural sugar in healthy doses, its advantages can be enjoyed while avoiding the health risks associated with its artificial competitors.
Nutrition is important, we should never ignore any stimulus that affects our eating habits. Television commercials as well as a multitude of other media sources try everyday to pull you into their profit margins by disregarding your health. Fight their tactics with proven techniques that not only allow you to lead a healthier life but repair all the years of damage that your body has suffered through at the hands of corporations.
