The use of artificial sweeteners has both positive and negative effects on your body. Some learn the hard way, while others catch on before it’s too late. My mom got lucky that her thyroid doctor had warned her about the artificial sweeteners messing with her thyroid. After finding this out, she spread the word like wildfire. My family and I did countless hours of research on other effects of artificial sweeteners. We found that it causes cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin, and other organs” (WebMD). To my family, this was a big deal. We did not want to lose my mom, knowing we could have prevented it. So, we committed to not only saving our own lives but also warning others of the possible effects.
Although the negative effects of artificial sweeteners are scary, there is also an advantage: they can help people lose weight. This is due to the fact that sugar substitutes don’t count as a carbohydrate, a fat, or any other exchange” (WebMD). Even though this sounds glorious, especially to those individuals who have diabetes or are obese and must control the amount of sugar or carbs they consume, it is important to note that “they pass through our systems without being digested, so they provide no extra calories” (ADA).
Unfortunately, the risk is not necessarily worth the reward. Cancer is not the only side effect of these artificial sweeteners. Some include, but are not limited to, migraines, insomnia, change in heart rate, depression, memory loss, seizure, brain cancer” (Mercola). Even though foods and beverages may say “sugar-free,” this does not always mean that they are healthy or not fattening because the carbs and other ingredients can be just as fattening as sugar.
Even though we may feel like we can fool our bodies into thinking that the artificial sugars are real, our brain knows when it needs sugar and can’t be fooled… even if it is sweeter than real sugar… our brain can differentiate between real and artificial sugar” (Staff Reporter). After reading articles such as these, my family and I vowed to not eat or drink artificial sweeteners. If we have to, we do so in moderation so we can protect ourselves from the potentially fatal effects.
As healthy as the TV ads may make artificial sweeteners seem, they are really not all that good. If you do your research on the ingredients in the sweeteners, you will wonder why they have not been banned yet. Aside from the fact that they are dangerous, they have a good concept. If scientists can find a happy medium so that we can eat them in moderation combined with real sugar, it would be perfect.
The first artificial sweetener to be discovered was saccharin. It was accidentally found in 1879 by a chemistry research assistant, Constantine Fahlberg” (Hodgin, Greg). Saccharin comes from the Latin word saccharin, which means sugar. In the argument of whether artificial sugars were healthy or not, Teddy Roosevelt said, “Anyone who thinks saccharin is dangerous is an idiot” (Hodgins, Greg). Well, Teddy, you were wrong; it causes cancer. In our search for healthier artificial sweeteners, we found aspartame. Even though it has been found that aspartame is unhealthy for our bodies, “it is harmless to people in the amount it is ingested” (Hodgins, Greg).
So, are artificial sweeteners bad for you? I would have to agree that, yes, they are. Even though it is a good idea to help people get healthy, it can have some very unhealthy side effects, and it just does not seem worth it to me. Thankfully, for me, my mom found out about the potential effects of these artificial sugars, so we could start weaning them from our lives. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks that sugar-free is healthy.
WebMD, Inc. Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe?” WebMD. WebMD, 1 Nov. 2006. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
ADA. “Food & Fitness.” Artificial Sweeteners. ADA, 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
Mercola. “‘Sweet’ Isn’t All There Is To Aspartame and Other Artificial Sweeteners.” Mercola.com. Mercola, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
Staff Reporter. “Why Eating Artificial Sweeteners Won’t Help You Lose Weight.” Nature World News RSS. Staff Reporter, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
Hodgin, Greg. “The History, Synthesis, Metabolism and Uses of Artificial Sweeteners.” The History of Artificial Sweeteners. Monsanto, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
