This is the handout from our presentation on Artificial Sweeteners. It goes along with the article “Why Are We Still Consuming Artificial Sweeteners? which you can access here: Artificial Sweeteners

This is the most important point of this whole presentation: 

While it is true that artificial sweeteners do not increase blood sugar (they can not as they are not a food), they still cause the insulin response.

Please continue reading so you will understand why!

Introduction/Inspiration for this presentation

•   Special thanks to the work of Dr. Janet Starr Hull for inspiring and providing this material.

•   Who is Dr. Hull?

•   Books by Dr. Hull

–  Sweet Poison:  How the World’s Most Popular Artificial Sweetener is Killing Us.

–  Splenda:  Is It Safe or Not?

Learning Objectives

•   What are artificial sweeteners?

•   Why are they harmful?

•   Where are they used?

•   What to avoid.

•   What is safe.

•   What you can do.

What is an artificial sweetener?

•   Mix of unnatural chemicals combined in a laboratory to provide a “sweet” taste.

•   The body can not process them.

•   They are not “food”.

•   They are not a recognized source of nutrition.

•   Since they can not be processed, they accumulate in the body.

What exactly does “accumulate” mean ?

•   They can accumulate in vital organs (brain, liver, etc.).

•   They pollute the bloodstream.

•   They form the basis for eventual cell mutations.

•   All of this can cause severe damage to your body.  Time frames and appearances of symptoms will vary depending on what else is going on with the individual.

 What is happening on a biological basis?

•   Artificial sweeteners were created to trick the body into thinking it had something sweet.

•   When the body gets sugar, what does it do? – Releases insulin to remove sugar from blood stream.

•   What happens when it does not find sugar? (Hint – here’s why you stay hungry or do not feel satiated by these foods.) – Still releases insulin to remove sugar from blood stream as the body was tricked!

IMPORTANT POINT – While it is true that artificial sweeteners do not increase blood sugar (they can not as they are not a food), they still cause the insulin response.

Artificial sweeteners linked in research to:

•   Weight gain

•   Disruption of sleep patterns

•   Sexual dysfunction

•   Increases in cancer

•   Multiple sclerosis

•   Lupus

•   Diabetes

Where are artificial sweeteners used?

•   Soft drinks, sports drinks (diet and regular)

•   Hot chocolates drink mixes

•   Protein shakes, “nutritional” bars and shakes

•   Gelatins, puddings, apple sauce

•   Sauces, toppings, syrups

•   Processed fruits (spreads, bowls)

•   Gum, candy

•   Baked goods, snacks

•   Dairy products

•   Flu remedies, toothpastes, lozenges

Where are these products found?

•   Low calorie.

•   Sugar free.

•   Low fat.

•   Vaccines!

•   They are in products not labeled “sugar free”.

•   They are in products were they are not listed (the 2% rule).

•   They are all over!!! – Splenda is in over 3,000 products.

•   You have to read your labels, and even then you can’t be sure!!!

 Artificial Sweeteners to Avoid

•   Sucralose (Splenda®)

•   Aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal®)

•   Acesulfame-K (Sunett®)

•   Neotame®

•   Alitame®

•   Cyclamate

Safe Natural Sweeteners, however (they are sugar)

•   Stevia

•   Raw, unprocessed sugar (Sucanat®)

•   Brown rice syrup

•   Barley malt

•   Date sugar

•   Honey

•   Maple syrup

•   Molasses

•   Sorghum

Other Sweeteners

•   The following are not chemically created, but have still been manufactured and/or processed slightly:

–  Fructose

–  Fruit juice concentrate, juice concentrate

–  Sugar alcohols (Polyols)

•  Isomalt, Lactitol, Malitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol, Xylitol

–  Turbinado® Sugar

–  Tagatose

Saccharin

•   The original “artificial sweetener”.

•   Originally came from a plant imported from China and was a complex sugar extract from the plant.

•   Safest of the “artificial” sweeteners.

•   The cancer scare (cyclamates).

Stevia

•   Safe for you, and possibly healthy for you

–  It has been found to help regulate blood sugar.

–  It may improve the function of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

–  It may improve glucose tolerance in people with diabetes.

•   250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar.

•   Comes from the stevia plant leaves.

•   Potent – you just need a pinch.

•   Comes in liquid and powdered forms.

•   Brands will be different, so experiment.

STEVIA YES, TRUVIA NO – It is not pure Stevia!

The Proof – Aspartame

•   Aspartame

–  Italian study in 2005 links to cancer.

–  Greek study in 2005 links to memory loss.

–  Spanish study in 2005 links to nerve damage.

–  English study in 2005 links to learning disabilities, lowering of cognitive function.

•   Aspartame causes these symptoms because it dissolves in the body.

–  Breaks down into methanol.

–  Takes 30 days to withdraw.

Who’s Right?

•   Independent researchers say aspartame is harmful to human health.

•   Corporate researchers say it is safe for human consumption – for children, the elderly, the sick, and for pregnant women.

Splenda

•   Splenda – trade name for sucralose.

–  “Tastes like sugar because it’s made from sugar.”

–  “Does not break down in processing or in storage.”

•   Contains chlorine – a known carcinogen.

•   Various claims on absorption:

–  FDA 11 to 27% absorbed by human body.

–  Japanese study – 40%.

–  Creators of sucralose – 15%.

–  Marketers of splenda – 0%

Splenda – the unlisted ingredients

•   Remember the 2% rule? (Refresher: If an ingredient is not at least 2% of the total it does not have to be listed on the label!) These are all found in Splenda.

–  Acetone

–  Ammonium chloride

–  Benzene

–  Ethyl alcohol

–  Formaldehyde

–  Hydrogen chloride

–  Lithium chloride

–  Methanol

–  Etc.

Safety

•   How do these substances get approved?

•   Aspartame – 10 years in the making.

•   Splenda – shorten the time span, reduce the dosage.

Making Choices

•   Yellow packet (Splenda) – caution like in a traffic light.

•   Blue packet (Equal) – makes you feel “blue”.

•   Pink packet (Sweet N’ Low or generic saccharin) – you’re in the pink – the safest of the artificial sweeteners.

Interesting Facts

•   The UN World Health Organization is warning nations that a worldwide epidemic of diabetes will soon be a reality, no one knows “why.”

•   Degenerative diseases are now at epidemic levels, with no medical explanations for the causes.

•   Trillions of dollars are being spent on pharmaceuticals to control health symptoms, but no long-term cures have been discovered by traditional medicine.

•   Debilitating diseases are occurring at younger and younger ages.

•   These “Western” disease syndromes are now appearing for the first time in other countries that are exposed to America’s modern diet, particularly those food products that contain chemical artificial sweeteners.

•   Neither the human body nor the effects of disease have changed over time.  However, the magnitude of modern treatments and pharmaceutical medicines has increased, and the chemicals that cause illness are on the rise.

What does this mean?

•    The roots of disease and their cures are as old-fashioned as the body itself.

•    The causes of disease must be determined before the cures can be implemented.

•    If you have health symptoms your doctor cannot identify through traditional tests, then more likely you are reacting to an environmental cause – something outside of your body.

•    If these toxins are not identified and removed, the symptoms will not go away.

•    Toxins accumulate in weak places in the body.  Where you have pain during a detox is where the toxins are.

If you suspect

•   Identify and remove the cause of your health symptoms.

–  Remove all sugar-free products from your diet immediately.

–  Read all labels carefully.

•   Detoxify your body.

•   Restore depleted nutrients.

•   Exercise and get plenty of rest.

•   Eat 75% raw foods at every meal.

•   Drink lots of water.

•   Visit a nutrition consultant for an individualized plan.

Food Challenges

•   Refined/processed sugar and carbohydrates

•   Raises insulin – fat storing hormone

•   Processed carbohydrates made from white flour act like sugar in the body

•   If there is one thing all experts agree on – it is the problems associated with sugar consumption.

•   Before processed foods average per person consumption of sugar was 5 pounds per year.  It is now over 150.

•   The body can not keep up with this.

•   Processed fats are damaged fats

•   Not digestible

•   Increase free radical damage, heart disease, and cancer

•   Good fats help us burn fat.

•   Stop eating sugar and bad fats – you will change your life!

Amylase/Disaccharidases Deficiency

•   Lactose intolerance – diarrhea.

•   Maltose and sucrose intolerance – diarrhea or constipation.

•   Sugar intolerance – asthma, sleep issues.

•   Mental and emotional – depression, mood swings, angry, aggressive behavior, panic attacks, manic-depression, hyperactivity.

Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Coeur d’Alene, ID. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (208) 771-6570 or go to www.brwellness.com.