Artificial Sweeteners: Maybe Not As Bad For You After All?

There have been a lot of reports lately touting the hazards of artificial sweeteners—particularly in diet sodas. ForMen.com recently gave you eight things to look forward to when you decide to put down that diet soda in our recent article, “8 Health Benefits To Quitting Diet Soda”. The New York Times came out with a piece recently that may make you think twice about always opting for pure sugar. In it, pediatrician and health writer Aaron E. Carroll outlines the evidence in favor of artificial sweeteners.

He blames artificial sweeteners’ bad rap on misinformation.

Saccharin—one of the oldest artificial sweeteners—was placed on U.S.’s list of carcinogens in the 1980s because of a connection between the chemical and bladder cancer in rats. However, saccharin was removed from the list in 2000 because, based on newer studies, a link was not found between cancer and saccharin in humans.

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In 1996, a study was published entitled “Increasing Brain Tumor Rates: Is There a Link to Aspartame?” While the article merely concluded only that there was a need for reassessing the carcinogenic potential of aspartame, most people gleaned that: (1) brain cancer had become more common from 1975 to 1992 and (2) that more people had started consuming aspartame recently.

A 1998 randomized controlled trial could detect no neuropsychologic, neurophysiologic or behavioral effects caused by aspartame. And safety review from 2007, published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, found that aspartame had been studied extensively and that the evidence showed that it was safe.

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But what about regular sugar? Carroll says studies have found that even after controlling for other factors, one’s intake of added sugars is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, with a 1.1 percent increase in prevalence for each can of sugar-sweetened soda. Another study published last year found that those in the highest group of added sugar consumption had more than twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those in the lowest group, even after controlling for many other factors.

Carroll shares what he and his wife allow for their own children: They limit their kids’ consumption of soda to around four to five times a week; and when they allow them soda, it’s almost always caffeine-free and sugar-free. Carroll concludes that: “There’s a potential, and probably real, harm from consuming added sugars; there are most likely none from artificial sweeteners.”

ForMen Takeaway: Whether you’re on Team Sugar or Team Artificial Sweetener, it’s important that you consume them in moderation. The fact that there are enough experts and evidence championing both arguments probably means there are important truths to both sides.

RELATED STORY: What Happens To Your Body When You Give Up Diet Soda

Curated Article from The New York Times
Curated Article from Cancer.gov