Saturday, January 21, 2012

The Artificiality of Artificial Sweeteners

Ok. yeah, it's been a long time since my last post, and...um...well...I don't have a good excuse. Oops. So, well, let's get started.

ar.ti.fi.cial adj. Not genuine; made by man; not found in nature; following the design of, but without the genuineness of, a natural occurance. Webster's Classic Reference Library Dictionary

Artificial sweeteners. It's a topic that promotes great emotion and sensitivity. Yes, I've learned if you talk trash about someone's favorite artificial sweetener, you are the devil incarnate. So, let's get the party started! Although today I'll just be discussing artificial sweeteners in general.

First point I want to make, I think I've already made. Artificial sweeteners are just that...artificial...fake. In fact, the whole idea about artificial sweeteners for weight loss or perhaps even diabetics is artificial, hence the artificiality (yes, I know that's really not word!) of artificial sweeteners.

The following information is from Stevia, The Diabetic's Dream: The Fat cell's Nightmare by James A. May.

"...Artificial sweeteners may be even more harmful (than sugar), not only for diabetics but for the general population as well. Artificial sweeteners may cause more fat storage than sugar. ...Researchers say that they make the problem worse because they rob the body of chromium ( a trace mineral required by the body to control blood sugar and therefore to prevent diabetes and hypoglycemia), increase insulin production while also incresing the desire for sweets and may actually raise the setpoint, which is the fat maintenance level chosen by the weight-regulating mechanism in the brain."

According to Renowned Nutritionist, Ann Louise Gittleman, "a six-year study of 80,000 women shows that the higher the artificial sweetener consumption, the more likely the women were to pack on the pounds."

The American Cancer Society documented back in 1986 that people who use artificial sweeteners gain more weight than people who avoid them.

Furthermore, Dr. Julian Whitaker has written, "Artificial sweeteners are marketed with the promise of weight control, and the vast majority of people who consume them do so to either lose or avoid gaining weight. Folks, this is a fraud of gigantic proportions..."

"...Sugars and artificial sweeteners are the enemy to diabetics and everyone who is trying to lose fat and enjoy health and well-being. These sweeteners cause fat storage, and excess fat is an underlying factor leading to diabetes."

So, there you go. Just some brief, and yes, basic information about artificial sweeteners from people know more than me.

Aside from the reference mentioned, this information, or at least some of it can also be found online at www.steviauniversity.com