Artificial Sweeteners – Dangerously sweet?

I have to admit I have a sweet tooth.

Always have.

My parents had lots of dental bills to prove it too.

But according to new research I got off easy by consuming goodies that contained sweeteners that at least naturally originate in nature.

Not so for a certain artificial sweetener called sucralose (brand name Splenda®).

More and more its laboratory-created profile is showing up in many readily-available processed foods. Technically speaking Sucralose is sugar but with its chemical structure changed to create a chlorocarbon, or a sugar with chlorine added. This causes it to pass through the body largely unabsorbed, which means that it doesn’t add calories. Oddly enough though no research has ever convincingly shown that using these products contributes to weight loss.

In fact, recent research suggests that they may confuse the body’s response to sweet tastes and actually contribute to weight gain.

“Say what?”

That’s right. You choose products hoping to keep your waist-line down and you could be doing the opposite. Many consumers worried about weight gain choose beverages with artificial sweeteners in them and never think about it. But beneath that sweet veneer taste lies a potentially damaging chemical time-bomb.

New research suggests that when it comes to artificial sweeteners there’s more to count then calories. Cutting down on calories is usually good advice and Splenda®, although it is FDA-approved for use in foods like soft drinks, iced tea, and soft drinks may not be cutting it in the personal health aspect. These days you can even find it widely used in items like yogurt, cookies, and chewing gum. But the government seal of approval my not always guarantee safety to the consumer.

In fact eating Splenda® can be a dangerous gut-wrenching experience.

Research suggests that, as it passes through the intestines, it may be doing considerable damage.

In an article in Dr. David William’s newsletter Alternatives, research with rats has shown that “…Splenda® can reduce the amount of beneficial bacteria in the intestines by as much as 50 percent, increase the pH level in the intestines, increase body weight, and cause the re-routing or inactivation of certain drugs through the alteration of glycoprotein levels.”

Added to that is the surprising fact that Splenda® has something in common with organochlorine pesticides.The sucralose molecular structure resembles those of the class of organochlorine pesticides such as:

• DDT

• lindane

• endosulfan.

Although 85 percent or so of sucralose passes through the digestive system without being absorbed, the 15 percent that does hang around may be quite problematic.

So says Dr. James Bowen in an article entitled The Lethal Science of Splenda®, a Poisonous Chlorocarbon:

“…Any chlorocarbons not directly excreted from the body intact can cause immense damage to the processes of human metabolism and, eventually, our internal organs. The liver is a detoxification organ which deals with ingested poisons. Chlorocarbons damage the hepatocytes, the liver’s metabolic cells, and destroys them. The liver is a detoxification organ which deals with ingested poisons. Chlorocarbons damage the hepatocytes, the liver’s metabolic cells, and destroys them.

In test animals Splenda® produced swollen livers, as do all chlorocarbon poisons, and also calcified the kidneys of test animals in toxicity studies. The brain and nervous system are highly subject to metabolic toxicities and solvency damages by these chemicals. Their high solvency attacks the human nervous system and many other body systems including genetics and the immune function. Thus, chlorocarbon poisoning can cause cancer, birth defects, and immune system  destruction. These are well known effects of Dioxin and PCBs which are known deadly chlorocarbons. Just like Aspartame®, which achieved marketplace approval by the Food and Drug Administration even when animal studies clearly demonstrated its toxicity,  sucralose also failed in clinical trials with animals. Aspartame®  created brain tumors in rats. Sucralose has been found to shrink thymus glands (the biological seat of immunity) and produce liver
inflammation in rats and mice.”

Real sugar anyone?
When it comes to sweetness America is high on the intensely sweet taste of artificial sweeteners. Many concerned medical people think it’s long past time to kick that dangerous habit before it eats us.

So, how do we wean ourselves off of the chemical Frankensweets?

How about some real sugar for a change:

• it’s natural

• it doesn’t take much to sweeten up food and drink

• it hits the pleasure centers of the brain  (which the artificial sweeteners do not.)

Even better, why not reach for some fresh fruit while its in season. Not only does it come packaged with nutrition and fiber it tases good like something only mother nature could provide.

Now that’s sweet of her isn’t it?

Here’s to your health!

References

Nakagawa Y, Nagasawa M, Yamada S, “Sweet taste receptor expressed in pancreatic beta-cells activates the calcium and
cyclic AMP signaling systems and stimulates insulin secretion,” PLoS ONE. 2009;4(4):e5106. Epub 2009 Apr 8.

Abou-Donia MB, El-Masry EM, Abdel-Rahman AA et al, “Splenda® Alters Gut Microflora and Increases Intestinal P-Glycoprotein
and Cytochrome P-450 in Male Rats,” Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, Vol 71, Issue 21 January 2008,
pp 1415-1429.