Artificial Sweeteners Are Fine

Artificial sweeteners are safe. Despite the abundance of naysayers, there's no reliable, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence that they cause any harm in reasonable quantities. Here's what the Mayo Clinic has to say.

"According to the National Cancer Institute and other health agencies, there's no sound scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer or other serious health problems. And numerous research studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities, even for pregnant women.

There are many different kinds of artificial sweeteners and they are regulated by the FDA, which means they must be approved before they can be sold to the public. Any artificial sweetener you buy has been evaluated and tested and approved for human consumption. When new studies show that there are negative effects from the product or that they cause a specific problem that can be identified through testing, the FDA can pull its approval for the product.

This happened with saccharin many years ago when consumer advocates questioned its safety for the public. As a result of this pressure saccharin was required to have a warning label about its potential harmful effects. Later when testing showed that there was no risk, the FDA allowed the warning label to be removed.

Sometimes the FDA declares a substance to be "generally recognized as safe." Substances are given this classification based on scientific data showing that they are safe for their intended use or that they have been used for a long time by the public and their have been no ill effects found. Foods like this are generally considered safe and don't required FDA approval. Stevia is one of those products.

The FDA also establishes what are known as an "acceptable daily intake" for each product they approve. This level is the maximum amount considered to be safe for daily use over the course of your lifetime. They approved daily amount is about 100 times more than what they consider to be harmful.

There are hundreds of reports about this stuff and there is no valid scientific proof that I can find to indicate there's anything wrong with using them. There are plenty of websites and self-proclaimed experts about how bad things like Splenda or Equal are, but none that I can find have any peer-reviewed research to support their allegations. I don't know how much more evidence anyone needs in order to believe that these products are safe in reasonable quantities. After 30 or 40 years you'd think someone would have substantiated the problem by now if there was one.

As for their effect on diet, there is some research to indicate that drinking too many diet drinks can trick your mind and actually cause you to eat more food than you need. Much of this overuse of diet drinks is based on our misguided belief that we have to consume far more water than is necessary.

Before you believe all the stuff you read on the internet, do some research of your own. If you are trying to lose weight, artificial sweeteners are a great way to enjoy food and drink without the additional calories of sugar or other calorie laden sweeteners.

It you don't change your habits, your habits will make sure you never change.

My name is Larry Allen and I spent the last four years researching and analyzing why diets and exercise programs don't work to lose weight and keep it off.

"It's Just A Habit" is an bold, new, easy weight loss solution that enhances your self esteem and confidence by helping you create a better looking you. It provides the support and coaching you need to lose weight and keep it off.