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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Artificial Sweetners

This is a topic I've wanted to address for some time now, however there's a TON of information out there and i'm skeptical of reliability.

My trusty Nutrition Action Healthletter just included a quick synopsis and I figured i'd paraphrase.  More to come when I have some extra spare time.

Acesulfame-potassium (honestly, I'm not even sure what this is) - Tests conducted in the 70's were mediocre although one suggested it may result in an increased cancer risk in female rats.

Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) - Two recent rat studies show it may slightly increase cancer risk.  New studies should be done.

Saccharin (Sweet N' Low) - In animal studies it has caused cancer of the urinary bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin, blood vessels and other organs.

Stevia - It appears to be safe although it needs more independent testing.

Sucralose (Splenda) - It appears to be safe although there hasn't been a ton of independent testing.  It also apparently isn't as natural as ads have implied.

What does this all mean?  Honestly, i'm not sure.  Moderation perhaps?

2 comments:

Jamie said...

i wasn't sure how/where exactly to post something that i thought you might enjoy....any thoughts on that? i can just email them to you. anyways, thought this article was a good reminder.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/safe-and-healthy-salad-tips

Jessica said...

Thanks james! You can definitely email them to me and I'll gladly give you credit. :)