Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for You?

Those who have a craving for all things sweet and who are die-hard sugar fans, are finding it increasingly hard to stay clear of the sweet stuff. Now consumers are looking for alternatives in the market to satisfy both their cravings and manage their weights at the same time.

The popularity of sweeteners is growing because of its zero calorie content and being a far less fattier substitute than table sugar. Now you'll see everything on store shelves labeled as 'fat free' and 'sugar free', '100% low fat' and 'diet'.

They have artificial sweeteners in them of course to enhance the sugary bit in foods where everything from baked goodies, candies and snacks to yogurt, ice creams and cereal have sugar substitutes in them. No one ever takes the time to go over the ingredients of a package, where you'll find some sort of sweetener or another mentioned.

Like all additives and artificially made substitutes, there is a set of pros and cons that are waiting to be explored and evaluated. The FDA has stamped some sweeteners as A-OK for public distribution (Neotame, Saccharin, Aspartame and Sucralose) although there are problems that could occur in some people.

The advantage of consuming sweeteners is that you wouldn't require a lot of it like sugar, since its sweetness is quite heightened. People will tend to use lesser of this as compared to ordinary sugar.

Those who have weight issues, and are battling the bulge will benefit from using food sources and sweeteners while cooking, since the calories are actually non-existent when consuming these. It has also been proven that unlike ordinary sugar, sugar substitutes don't cater to dental cavities, being a better alternative for sweet toothed people.

Research has found that artificial sweeteners can actually fuel weight gain, although there hasn't been any conclusive evidence so far. The trick here is to lessen the amount of 'sugar free' and 'fat free' foods that one consumes because at the end of the day anything that has been prepackaged poses as a harm to our systems.

It has also been noted that some sweeteners can lead to problems like an enlarged kidney or liver, while shrinking of the thymus glands. It hasn't been publicized but another sweetener in question can lead one to suffer from brain tumors and seizures, including hallucinations.

Different people can take on varied effects of sweeteners depending on how their bodies react to these substitutes, so one can never be sure that this happens to all consumers. Some have also been found to cause stomach pain, diarrhea, skin rashes, bladder problems and so on.

It has been noted that cancer was seen in lab rats that consumed saccharin, although it hasn't been linked to humans yet as a cause for concern.

It is important to understand what we're putting into our systems before blindly trusting what a packaged eatable/drink blatantly proclaims as 'healthy', 'natural' or 'diet'. Always look through the table of ingredients to understand what is put into a product. The more organic the add-ons, the better it is for consumption.

For healthier and much better tasting white sugar substitutes, you can always go with organic honey, molasses, date sugar, stevia, organic maple syrup and so on. In this world of packaged goods and tempting food options, it is vital that we keep our heads above all of it and think of what our bodies have to endure.

When the health problems come around it is only then that we switch to healthy foods and an organic way of restoring our health. Act now before it is too late. Have a safe tomorrow.