“Sugar, spice, and everything nice” has been a commonly used saying for decades, but now if you were to ask someone about sweeteners they my say “Splenda, spice, and everything nice”. Artificial sweeteners are becoming increasingly popular throughout our society. For a variety of people, there is nothing more appealing to them than the two words; “zero calories”. For that reason, artificial sweeteners are preferred by many. The most common sweeteners include: sucralose (Splenda), acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), neotame, and saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet’N Low). Most of these sweeteners are created by replacing the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in sugar molecules with chlorine atoms. 

Now you may wonder why using artificial sweeteners instead of sugar is such a big deal, and one main reason is that these sweeteners can lead to health problems, possibly even cancer. Due to this concern, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has placed limitations and regulations on the consumption and the production of artificial sweeteners. As a result, all of these products must be reviewed and approved by the FDA before they hit the shelves. Laboratory studies have been conducted that have linked artificial sweeteners to cancer. In the early 1970s experiments with rats resulted in the discovery that saccharin lead to the development of bladder cancer. However, these results did not always apply to humans leaving researchers with no clear evidence until Aspartame came into the picture. Aspartame contains methanol which is bound to pectic (a fiber which enables methanol to move through your body without being metabolized). According to an article, since pectic is never metabolized it transforms into formaldehyde which impacts your body dramatically. Formaldehyde is most commonly found in paint remover and can be just as poisoning as ethyl alcohol. By allowing such harmful toxins into your body, you are putting yourself at higher risk for developing cancer. 

Artificial sweeteners can also make it extremely difficult for an individual to lose weight. This statement is shocking to most people considering all of these artificial sweeteners contain zero calories. Purdue scientists conclude that “fake sugar in diet sodas teases your body by pretending to give it real food. But when your body doesn’t get the things it expects, it becomes confused on how to respond.” So even though you make think you are intaking zero calories, your body is simply not satisfied by these products which will lead you to eat more than you would have if you had just eaten regular sugar.

Just like most products out there, using them in moderation isn’t going to completely kill you. You just have to be aware of the potential risks and make smart healthy decisions when substituting these products into your foods.