Aspartame: This chemically produce product, up to 22 times sweeter than sugar, is commonly found under the brand name NutraSweet and the most widely used artificial sweetener in the country. According to sweetpoision.com, aspartame can-unlike saccharin-break down as it is digested and can deposit itself in any tissue. More than 90 adverse side effects have been linked to aspartame, including blindness, hearing impairment, severe tremors, personality changes, high blood pressure and nausea.
Saccharin: Around since the early 1950’s, saccharin can be up to 500 times sweeter than sugar and is commonly found in toothpaste and dietary foods. It has been banned by some countries after lab tests indicated it could cause bladder cancer-but is still available in the United States.
Splenda: Also known as sucralose, Splenda is made through the chlorinization of sucrose, is four times sweeter than aspartame, and can be used in baking. An ingredient in diet Coke and in at least one Starbucks offering {its Frappuccino light blended coffee line} sucralose has been criticized by some as possibly causing long-term health problems, such as chronic immunological and neurological disorders.
The healthy choice:
Stevia: Extracted and processed from herbs and shrubs in Latin America, this darling of many in the health-food industry is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It has been widely used in Japan for more than a quarter-century. Studies have shown it is acceptable for use by diabetics, can lower blood pressure and has been known to reduce one’s appetite for tobacco and alcohol. In 1995, the FDA gave its approval for use solely as a dietary supplement and there are now several stevia products on the store shelves. Just look for it next to the sugars and sweeteners in the baking aisle of your favorite grocer.
To your health!
Gail Grieger