Recent Studies on Low-Calorie Sweetners
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LowCarbHeart
Posts: 69 Member
Hey guys!
I came across this article today, very interesting! http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/839455
My diary is completely open so you can see that I do eat some foods with Splenda and I'll drink a diet soda on occasion for the extra caffeine boost. I know its not ideal, but its a significant improvement over how I used to eat. I figured a little bit in moderation couldn't hurt, but I'm always keeping an eye out for these studies!
In this one, the European Food Safety Authority concluded aspartame is safe so long as ingestion doesn't exceed more than 40 mg/kg per day (The equivalent of 12 cans of soda in one day, that's a pretty high threshold!)
While the studies didn't find any high risks associated with consuming low-calorie sweetners, they didn't find any benefits either.
Quote from the article's author:
"In my view, we should not consider sweeteners as "healthy" foods, because there is no proven benefit. However, for people (especially diabetics) who regularly consume soft drinks or unsweetened fruit juice and who cannot replace these beverages with water, I think we should engage in a reassuring dialogue, and we must encourage the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages rather than sugary drinks." - Boris Hansel, MD
Happy Tuesday!
I came across this article today, very interesting! http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/839455
My diary is completely open so you can see that I do eat some foods with Splenda and I'll drink a diet soda on occasion for the extra caffeine boost. I know its not ideal, but its a significant improvement over how I used to eat. I figured a little bit in moderation couldn't hurt, but I'm always keeping an eye out for these studies!
In this one, the European Food Safety Authority concluded aspartame is safe so long as ingestion doesn't exceed more than 40 mg/kg per day (The equivalent of 12 cans of soda in one day, that's a pretty high threshold!)
While the studies didn't find any high risks associated with consuming low-calorie sweetners, they didn't find any benefits either.
Quote from the article's author:
"In my view, we should not consider sweeteners as "healthy" foods, because there is no proven benefit. However, for people (especially diabetics) who regularly consume soft drinks or unsweetened fruit juice and who cannot replace these beverages with water, I think we should engage in a reassuring dialogue, and we must encourage the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages rather than sugary drinks." - Boris Hansel, MD
Happy Tuesday!
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Replies
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That's nice to know. I've found something odd though, personally. I can do Splenda, and it doesn't bother me, but Stevia tends to give me a headache and a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I can't do aspartame...makes my throat ache. I'm really cutting down across the board, but I was just curious.0
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My husband has the same issue with Stevia, but I have a friend at work that absolutely loves it. I've been eating low carb for about a year and I've noticed my tastes starting to change, even Splenda can be a little too sweet sometimes!0
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Yes, I know I have cut how much sweetener I use. And actually, I just tried the powdered Stevia (Pure Via brand, non-gmo), and it didn't cause the same reaction as the liquid stuff, so who knows!0
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I generally eat an overall low processed diet. I think about all of the other chemicals and additives that I have cut out just by eating more whole foods, and I am ok with the artificial sweeteners. I will usually have a packet of Splenda with my tea in the afternoon, but mostly I use Smoky Mountain Sweetner. It is a liquid saccharin. I love it, 0 carbs since it is liquid, I love the taste. Unfortunately, I just read that they went out of business Dec 31. So I'm not sure what I will do when I can no longer find it!0
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »That's nice to know. I've found something odd though, personally. I can do Splenda, and it doesn't bother me, but Stevia tends to give me a headache and a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I can't do aspartame...makes my throat ache. I'm really cutting down across the board, but I was just curious.
OMG!! Stevia gives me a headache and a weird aftertaste in my mouth too! Everyone else I've told that to thinks I'm crazy. But I do like Diet Coke and don't have a problem with it. Splenda has a weird taste to me and I don't like the taste when I've baked cookies with it. The Equal packets are my favorite when sweetening ice tea or my chocolate whipped cream.
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I wonder which one works better for baking, the Splenda or the powdered Stevia? Has anyone used both?0
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Has anyone tried Xylitol? (is it good or bad?)
Dan the Man from Michigan
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I have used xylitol and erythritol and they seem fine.0
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I enjoy using liquid stevia. Liquid stevia in the raw, and skinny girl brand are my faves, so i don't really bother with others all too much.
Sugar alcohols (those sweeteners with "ol" are not supposed to effect blood sugar or insulin levels, and are (I believe) regarded as zero on the glycemic index if you are into that kind of thing. I've read that sugar alcohols can cause digestive issues for some. Sometimes just some gaseous noise and stink...sometimes worse.
Plucked from the inter webs..."In small amounts, erythritol is not supposed to cause digestive upset and diarrhea that other sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol are known to cause, because erythritol is a smaller molecule and 90 percent of erythritol is absorbed in the small intestine and excreted for the most part unchanged in urine. This quality makes erythritol unique among the sugar alcohols."
I fostered and subsequently killed a stevia plant this past summer. The leaves were incredibly sweet. This year I'm hoping to try again, and make my own extract.0
