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The Scary Side of the 5

In the 1970s, scientists discovered a way to blend chemicals to create super sweet powders without calories…artificial sweeteners.

When the rumor quickly spread that the artificial sweeteners may even help you shed some pounds, major food manufacturers started swapping out conventional

sugar for the artificial variety to provide consumers with what they thought to be the “slimmer” choice.

Artificial sweeteners are now in everything from diet soda to gum to baby formula.

But lately, increasing studies are showing that artificial sweeteners may

be responsible for creating the opposite effect on your body, by spiking

your blood sugar and creating more short-chain fatty acids in your gut so

you end up absorbing more calories from the other food you eat.

Here are the

and the latest

discoveries for

each one…

1. Saccharin

Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than table sugar, but is often mixed with other artificial sweeteners due to its metallic aftertaste. For nearly 20 years, saccharin was suspected to be a human carcinogen by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, until it was de-listed in 2000 due to insufficient evidence. The warning label was subsequently removed and suddenly it was fine for consumption, though health advocates still question its safety.

Avoid: Sweet N’ Low products and look for “saccharin” on the label.

2. Sucralose

Sucralose is a zero-calorie artificial sweetener that is 600 times sweeter

than table sugar. Though it is deemed safe by the FDA, a number of

reports claim that its composition makes it nearly impossible for our bodies

to metabolize normally. Reported side effects include: skin rashes,

agitation, dizziness, numbness, diarrhea, swelling, muscle and stomach

pain, headaches, intestinal cramping, and bladder issues.

Avoid: Splenda products and look for “sucralose” on the label.

While early studies showed a link between consumption of acesulfame

potassium and cancer in laboratory animals, more scientific study on the

artificial sweetener is needed. Concerns have been attributed to

contamination of methylene chloride, a known human carcinogen.

Avoid: Products such as Sunett, Sweet One, and Sweet ‘n Safe, and look

for “acesulfame potassium,” “acesulfame-k” or “ACE” on the label.

3. Acesulfame Potassium

4. Aspartame

The uncelebrated sweetener in diet sodas, Equal and NutraSweet, aspartame is one of the most controversial ingredients in pre-packaged foods. Out of all of the complaints that come into the FDA each year, aspartame accounts for roughly 75% of them. There are 92 reported side effects, including: birth defects, diabetes, arthritis, severe PMS, migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, aggression, severe depression, and suicidal tendencies. Need I say more?

Avoid: Artificial sweetener products such as NutraSweet, Equal, Sugar Twin, Spoonful and Equal-Measure, and look for “aspartame” on the label.

5. Neotame

The newest artificial sweetener on the block, neotame was originally

introduced by corporate behemeth, Monsanto, before it sold NutraSweet.

It’s chemically similar to aspartame, and like aspartame, it metabolizes

into formaldehyde when consumed. But there is one big difference:

neotame contains 3-dimethylbutyl, which sits on the Environmental

Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of the most hazardous chemicals.

Avoid: Artificial sweetener products such as NutraSweet and Sweetos,

and look for “neotame” or “neohexyl-aspartame” on the label.

Thanks to information from the original article published at

http://naturallysavvy.com/eat/artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-obesity-how-to-avoid-them

If you're like me, I used sweeteners for over 14 years as part of my obsession with food

and my disordered eating. Breaking the habit of using artificial sweeteners was one of

the biggest challenges I had to overcome. For more resources and a FREE course to

help you with breaking habits with food that aren't making you happy, check out

http://www.bingeeatingbreakthrough.com