How bad are artificial sweeteners?

Toxicity of artificial sweeteners

All artificial sweeteners are toxic to our bodies. 

This is confirmed by a meta-analysis finding no benefits to the regular consumption of sweeteners, but an increase in obesity and other metabolic diseases.

But why are we using artificial sweeteners in the first place? Apart from the fact that they are the cheapest solution to replace sugar, it is also a formidable way to avoid talking about the toxicity of industrial food. 

Western societies were the first to rush into industrial food, which is toxic and lacks essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. This inevitably leads to various diseases like:

• Obesity
• Diabetes type 2
• Cancers
• Cardiovascular diseases

Therefore, the only logical solution is to forbid industrial food production and promote a healthy diet, full of organic food produced by sustainable organic agriculture. 

But this simple and effective solution to tackle these diseases of civilization has never been in the business plan of agrochemical multinationals.

For them, the solution had to be commercial, and that’s why artificial sweeteners came along. All they had to do to make it work, is to convince people that the problem with sugar was calories and that if we could sweeten with zero calories, everything would be fine.

This is how people eating junk food and industrial products containing hundreds of additives and pesticides really believed in the benefits of artificial sweeteners.

Sadly for them, not only do those benefits not exist, but they are replaced by problems.

How artificial sweeteners affect the body

Artificial sweeteners are toxic to our bodies in various ways.

Studies are always very cautious in order to avoid offending multinationals about their toxicity. Nevertheless, we notice in the management of patients that are consuming them, that they are not in good health. 

It is also perfectly logical to take into account that, in those cases, the overall diet is problematic as well since no one who has a healthy diet consumes artificial sweeteners.

Sweet taste can stimulate the release of insulin even without a rise in blood sugar. Although this is disputed and the mechanisms are not yet elucidated, it sure stimulates appetite.

Normally, the calories provided by healthy sweet foods trigger a natural feeling of satiety, but with industrial food and artificial sweeteners, that will not be the case.

The sweet taste is addictive and calls to consume more sweet taste. If the person consumes white bread, white pasta, white rice, cookies, and other refined products, it will automatically increase their consumption of “bad” sugar, which will accentuate the weight gain and other food-related problems like:

• Obesity
• Cravings
• Food disorders
• etc.

Aspartame interferes with brain metabolism and impacts our mental health. It is known to have a negative interaction with brain metabolism, people who consume it regularly are more prone to depression and irritability.

One study among many links aspartame consumption to fibromyalgia. Even if the mechanisms are not yet elucidated, it seems logical that these artificial sweeteners can harm the musculoskeletal system of our body. 

Our intestinal bacteria are also affected by the chemical molecules they may or may not feed on and how these will change their environment. The interface between the food bolus and the enterocytes is complex and delicate. 

In this case, artificial sweeteners will generate dysbiosis that can affect immunity and the proper functioning of the intestine, promoting irritable bowel and intolerances.

To summarize, it is more and more proven that artificial sweeteners are toxic to the body, but we don’t need to wait on colossal amounts of studies and data proving that to ban them. 

The simple logic of understanding how and why artificial sweeteners came along is more than enough to understand that they will inevitably be bad and unnecessary for the human diet. 

The only way is a healthy diet full of healthy foods rich in essential nutrients, tastes, smells, colors, textures, etc.

Natural sweeteners

In general, there is no need to find alternatives to artificial sweeteners when adopting a healthy diet.

A healthy diet, contrary to industrial junk food, contains the right amount and form of sugar, that is healthy for everyone, including people already suffering from diabetes and obesity. 

To understand what is a healthy diet and how to implement it on a daily basis, go check out our articles on the topic or directly subscribe now to access our ebook: “Healthy Food: Your Fundamental Right”.

In addition to that, it’s possible to use, in specific circumstances, natural sweeteners if you want to reduce even more the quantity of sugar. For that, you have the possibility to use two great sources of natural sweeteners: 

• Monk fruit 
• Stevia

Monk fruit

It is also known as Luo Han Guo or Siraitia grosvenorii, is a small, round fruit native to southern China. Monk fruit is used in Traditional Chinese medicine for different health properties on top of its culinary use as a natural sweetener. 

Stevia

It is a general word regrouping about 240 different species of aromatic herbs, a few of them containing natural sweeteners. 

Stevia rebaudiana, the most common specie rich in natural sweeteners, is native to South America. It has been used for centuries by indigenous populations in Paraguay and Brazil as a sweetening agent by infusing the leaves or eating them fresh.