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Artificial Sweeteners

SpicyWater
SpicyWater Posts: 99 Member
In your calorie-counting journey do you use artificial sweeteners? If so, what kind? I've heard so much talk over the years about aspartame causing cancer (my husband's aunt died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the doctor told her it was caused by drinking multiple litres of diet Coke a day) and I've heard chatter recently about all artificial sweeteners being bad for you but I'm not really sure why. I usually just use dark brown sugar, maple syrup and honey and exercise portion control, but I'll buy pre-prepared drinks and food made with stevia, erythritol and xylitol.
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Replies

  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I've been drinking artificially sweetened beverages since they first came on the market. I've had a weight problem since I was a pre-teen, and it's always just been one way for me to save calories.

    I still drink diet soda. Some days I drink a lot, some days I drink hardly any. Most of my sweetener usage is a few drops of liquid sucralose in my morning oatmeal and the herbal tea I drink throughout the day.
  • SVZee
    SVZee Posts: 76 Member
    lustymads wrote: »
    Check out this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary

    Basically, correlation isn't causation and, with apologies to the doctor, it's generally pretty hard to point to one element and say, "Aha! That's why you got sick!" Even if there's a possible link (and I don't believe there is), there are so many other factors in play (diet, genetics, exposure to various chemicals, age, etc) that chalking it up unequivocally to diet Coke sounds a bit off-base to me.

    I use whatever artificial sweetener is on hand in my tea, drink a lot of diet cola, and use what the recipe asks for in cooking and baking.

    Thank you! I have a general BS in Molecular Biology but never learned about artificial sweeteners in my biochemistry studies. That article was reassuring and really interesting as well!

    That is seriously one of the best threads on MFP :)
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    I prefer the taste(lessness) of a product called Canderel. I have a good quality cappucino / espresso 3 or 4 times a week and only then do I use Canderel. Otherwise I don't have sweet or sweetened food - I prefer the salty varieties (meat, salads, fish etc.) any day. So I see a good cup of coffee with that sweetener as a "treat". There are many reports out there how unhealthy some sweeteners are but I haven't found any other healthier options which to my taste enhance the coffee and do not give me any other funny flavours.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Thank you GottaBurn - as with so much else: how unhealthy is it? I see it as a bit of a treat vs. unhealthy stuff and since I never have white / brown sugar added to my meals / drinks, I tell myself that Canderel isn't "too bad"...
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    lustymads wrote: »
    In your calorie-counting journey do you use artificial sweeteners? If so, what kind? I've heard so much talk over the years about aspartame causing cancer (my husband's aunt died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the doctor told her it was caused by drinking multiple litres of diet Coke a day) and I've heard chatter recently about all artificial sweeteners being bad for you but I'm not really sure why. I usually just use dark brown sugar, maple syrup and honey and exercise portion control, but I'll buy pre-prepared drinks and food made with stevia, erythritol and xylitol.

    I try to avoid artificial sweeteners because they taste bad to me and trigger migraines for me.
    I do not think they cause cancer or are dangerous if you choose to consume them. I suppose if you cosumed very large quanties daily you might see a negative health impact but that is kind of true with most things.
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    All my MD friends call BS on the artificial sweeteners causing cancer, but my GI does caution they can cause digestive issues (gas, bloating, diarrhea) in some people, so if those are an issue, try cutting down and see if there’s any improvement.

    I had painful flares of gallbladder pain (no stones, low functioning, but still working) and my GI suggested cutting the amount of artificial sweeteners I was consuming (maybe 2-3 12oz servings of Diet Snapple/other drinks at the time). I cut that out and I’ve been pain free for two years. No other diet or exercise changes.
  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
    A lot of the fuss around artificial sweeteners is scare mongering. I don't really use any added sweeteners of any kind because I don't sweeten my coffee, tea or cereal and I don't drink much soft drinks (maybe once or twice a week at the cinema or with a meal out). When I do drink soft drinks I will always choose the diet option because why would I waste my calories on drinks when they can be very low calorie and taste pretty much the same?
  • StefanieBerger88
    StefanieBerger88 Posts: 36 Member
    I also use artificial sweeteners and haven’t ever had an issue losing while using it. I do try limit my sweets including artificial low le no calories because I find it makes me crave sweets more.