One of the largest food debates within the past decade is the use of artificial sweeteners. There is a lot of mixed information regarding whether the use of artificial sweeteners is beneficial or detrimental to the body. Artificial sweeteners offer the same sweetness as sugar with minimal caloric intake; however, this does not necessarily mean that artificial sweeteners are a better substitute for a healthier diet. The issue with artificial sweeteners has become more prevalent as a public health conflict due to its correlation with the obesity epidemic. As many people are becoming more self-aware of what they eat, many are turning to artificial sweeteners to reduce sugar and fat intake. Synonymous with “sugar-free”, “no sugar added” and “low …show more content…
Artificial sweeteners disrupt the metabolism and chemistry in the body. Aspartame is the most common example of this disruption. Numerous studies have found evidence of the carcinogenic potential of Aspartame in fetal rats. Rats, who consumed this sweetener, demonstrated a significant increase in malignant tumors, leukemia, and mammary cancer. In newborn rodents, aspartame led to neuronal necrosis and genetic defects. In addition, artificial sweeteners have been linked to increase weight gain and rather than weight loss. One study examined the long-term relationship between individual’s weight and consumption of artificially sweetened drinks. After adjusting for common factors such as dieting, exercising, and diabetes, the study found that there was a 47% increase in the BMI of people who consumed artificially sweetened drinks. The main problem is the body’s inability to gauge how many calories are being consumed with sweeteners; they effect the brain because they provide a sweet taste causing people to crave more sweets which can contribute to excess caloric intake. There are also many populations who are susceptible for deleterious effects from artificial sweeteners. These include diabetics, children, pregnant women, individuals at risk for migraines. These individuals face more health risk such as glucose intolerance, depressed growth, and folate deficiency caused by artificial sweetener consumption. Moreover, side effects from consumption of sweeteners are not well understood and long-term studies are lacking to determine the potential benefits of artificial
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Sweeteners: Issues and Uncertainties. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1975.
Aspartame, or more commonly known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal Measure; was discovered purely by chance in 1965 by a chemist named James M. Schlatter, who was testing an antacid drug (Prantini; 2014). The commercial industry believed that “a wonder product” had been discovered, which stood to revolutionise the food industry as an artificial sweetener. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which is found in many of our foods and beverages universally. Aspartame is two-hundred times sweeter than sugar and is commonly used as a tabletop sweetener, a sweetener in prepared foods, diet foods or drinks, flavored waters, chewing gum, condiments and is even found in flavoring of medicines. It is found in majority of our food products marketed for weight control (Prantini; 2014). Aspartame has a sweeter taste in comparison to sugar, and therefore less of the sweetener can be used in food products in order to achieve the same level of sweetness as if sugar was used; which results in an individual consuming fewer calories and less sugar (American Cancer Society; 2014).
Abstract: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), like many other unhealthy constituents that are used in foods, is cheap and retains the taste of the natural products it emulates, possibly even surpassing them in many areas. However, experiments have shown that fructose is not an ideal sugar for human consumption, not to mention the fact that the use of GM ingredients can be dangerous. In order to prevent the continued consumption of this noxious sugar, food producers should use healthy alternative sweeteners to prevent the further dependence on HFCS in our foods and drinks.
Abstract: The use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in various food and drink products has drastically affected the American people in the last three decades. Dominating 55% of the sweetener market because of its industrial benefits, HFCS’s increased use has caused dramatic effects in its consumers, including upsetting normal hormonal functions, destroying vital organs, nerves, and throwing off the body’s mineral balance. As the use of HFCS increased, the rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems have escalated, resulting in a nationwide epidemic.
Sweetness is usually correlated with sugar. The problem with sugar, otherwise known as sucrose, is that it has a lot of calories. These calories lead to weight gain if not spent by exercise, but now that humans have the knowledge and technology to create various substances, there are artificial sweeteners that do not have calories at all and taste even sweeter than sucrose. Many Americans avoid sugar-sweetened drinks by drinking beverages filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame to avoid weight gain. However, studies have shown that the adverse neurological and visceral effects of aspartame demonstrate that artificial sweeteners are more harmful than helpful; therefore, artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, should not be ingested.
Michael Pollan, a writer for New York Times and author of New York Times bestseller The Botany of Desire and named best book of the year by Borders, Amazon, and the American Booksellers Association, discusses some of these harmful effects along with many other facts in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Pollan discusses how corn syrup has consumed our nation in chapter six of his book. He discusses how high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has snuck its way into the food of the American’s every meal. As restaurants line roads and food lines pantries, HFCS lurks in almost every meal. Marlene Bishop, editor of Chocolate, Fast Food, and Sweeteners: Consumption and Health, states: “In the last 35 years, high fructose corn syrup has replaced the use of sucrose by food manufactures in the US due to its steady price and availability (White, 2008)" (3). Because of the excess corn and low price to make HFCS, it continues to pour into the ingredients of the American’s diet.
What we choose to drink can affect our health just as much as our eating habits. It is because of this that more and more people are going for little-to-no calorie options rather than high calorie options, which are supposed to be the ideal, chose. But is it? Have you ever had a sip of diet soda or regular soda and wonder what makes this drink so good? Or maybe the exact opposite, like what makes this drink so bad for you? These drinks can feel so refreshing on a hot summers day or even after a long day of work. What’s not so refreshing is what these drinks can do to your body.
Mosbergen, Dominique. "Diet Soda Health Risks: Study Says Artificial Sweeteners May Cause Weight Gain, Deadly Diseases (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 July 2013. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.
Sweeteners Saccharin is an organic petroleum-based compound that is three to five hundred times sweeter than sucrose. It is non-nutritive because the human body is unable to metabolize the foreign chemical. Saccharin does not contribute calories; for this reason it is commonly used in diet foods. " The obese [feel] that saccharin is their lifeline to slimdom, and diabetics [claim] it is essential to control their blood sugar"
The worldwide demand for high potency sweeteners is expected to rise especially with the new practice of blending various sweeteners; the demand for alternatives is expected to increase. The sweet herb of Paraguay; Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni produces; in its leave;, such an alternative with the added advantage that stevia sweeteners are natural products. The sweet steviol glycosides have sensory & functional & properties superior to those of other high potency sweeteners. Stevia is to become a major source of high potency sweetener for the increasing natural food market in the coming future.
Red Bull. 5 Hour Energy. Monster. These energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular not just for teenagers and college kids, but in the world of athletics as well. Athletes around the world are drinking these beverages for a boost in athletic performance and stamina to get an edge over their opponents. These drinks are even being promoted by professional athletes! This increasing popularity and consumption begs the question: are these drinks safe? I decided to dig into this question, and I have found some pretty startling answers. The drinks may bring enhanced performance and energy, but they also come with potential health risks. These health risks heavily outweigh the benefits the drinks could possibly bring.
One contributing factor of obesity today is pop or soda. Sugar drinks are a problem for many people. Both children and adults have to pay attention to what they drink. As adults, we have to set an example for our young children of what is right and wrong. Sugar drinks are high in sugar and have many empty calories. The calories are not the type that fills you up like food. An individual can of soda may contain around 150 calories (Harvard.edu). Soda is also not the only dri...
We are all familiar with sugar. It is sweet, delicious, and addictive; yet only a few of us know that it is deadly. When it comes to sugar, it seems like most people are in the mind frame knowing that it could be bad for our health, but only a few are really taking the moderate amounts. In fact, as a whole population, each and everyone of us are still eating about 500 extra calories per day from sugar. Yes, that seems like an exaggerated number judging from the tiny sweet crystals we sprinkle on our coffee, but it is not. Sugar is not only present in the form of sweets and flavourings, it is hidden in all the processed foods we eat. We have heard about the dangers of eating too much fat or salt, but we know very little about the harmful effects of consuming too much sugar. There still isn’t any warnings about sugar on our food labels, nor has there been any broadcasts on the serious damages it could do to our health. It has come to my concern during my research that few
We all enjoy a sugary drink every now and again,some more than others. Have you ever wondered how this affects your teeth. All major liquid drinks have some type of sugar in it,whether it is sugar or a sugar base. The project that was experimented with is the effect of sugary drinks on the teeth.
Would you drink something that is associated with health problems and even death? Well energy drinks are highly caffeinated beverages that many people have become depended on to get through certain things that need done. They are used to give individuals a quick energy boost to get things done. Today many people question how safe energy drinks really are for the quick energy they supply. In fact, a sixteen year old girl died of cardiac arrest just after ingesting an energy drink, while on vacation with friends. Almost everyone who enjoys drinking energy drinks, knows that high levels of caffeine are in these beverages, and they continue to drink the ignoring the risks. But some people are fine with the high levels of caffeine and just drink them because it makes them feel energized. They seem to accept the shocking circumstances because it helps them gets things done when they need the most energy. On the other hand, some people disagree and think that it is not only bad for individuals