Sweet Poison 2008 The Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners Dr. R. Jay Shetlin; South Jordan, UT; May 2008 [draft 1.2] What is the real difference between TRUE With the increase of sugar intake in our sweeteners and ARTIFICIAL sweeteners? society certain side-effects became noticeable To answer that we will have in the general population... to take a look as molecular dental cavities, obesity structure and will be talking (which of course leads to about organic chemistry. other health complications, Don’t worry, it will be easier hyperactivity and Type II than you think. diabetes were among those noticed.) Let’s start from the beginning. Most people have Since, “Necessity is the a “sweet tooth” or at least mother of invention.” And it appreciate the delicious and almost addictive is just not human nature to ‘devolve’ to the nature of the palatable sweetness sugar habits of the past, something had to be done. delivers. Before chocolates and candies, the delightful and refreshing taste of fruit was Artificial sweeteners are usually hundreds or used for desserts. FRUCTOSE or the simple thousands of times sweeter than natural sugars sugar molecule found in most fruits is thus requiring less quantity and fewer calories deliciously sweet and easy for the per serving of sweet flavor. In the body to digest. 70’s, as people became more calorie conscious and with the rise of Through the years, we, the human diabetes, artificial sweeteners or race, and especially Americans, “sugar substitutes” had a marketing have developed a growing ‘casual edge. addiction’ to sweets. Molasses was used as a sweetener in early Sucrose (table Sugar) The food industry began using manufactured products. Through artificial sweeteners in more and the years sugar cane and white processed more products, some from “natural sources” sugar became less expensive to generate in and others being man made. Some of the large quantities and easier to use in popular ones where discovered in laboratories countless products from cola beverages to strictly by accident. canned goods. Today it is difficult to buy any processed, canned or bottled food or Sweet Poisons beverage without sugar additives. High In 1879 at John Hopkins University, two Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is an researchers were working with toluene inexpensive and popular sweetener today. derivatives and other toxic You even find it in canned vegetables. chemicals used in making gasoline, paint thinners, 100 year ago the average American ate less fingernail polish and the likes. than 5 lbs of sugar per year…today over 158 One of the scientists spilled the lbs per year. That is a single person! Wow, toluene derivative onto his hand what a big change! and later noticed his food at Saccharin dinner tasted oddly sweet. He traced the taste nervous system. [Other research has shown links to back to the chemicals and named the brain tumors, lymphatic cancer,4 irreversible genetic substance saccharine after the word damage, fatigue, chest tightness, sleeping problems, saccharide, which means, complex sugar.1 burning skin, fertility problems, low birth weight and [Surprisingly, saccharin may be the safest artificial memory problems such as Alzheimer’s symptoms.5 sweetener on the market. However, there is Personally, I suspect it is a contributing factor to gulf- correlation between saccharin and cancer, war syndrome from cans of diet drinks sitting in the particularly bladder cancer. Hmm…what we don’t sun prior to consumption by troops.] know CAN hurt us.] Splenda is one of the greatest public dupes in Aspartame was discovered in 1965. It history. Marketing spins such as “made from dominated the artificial sweetener market until real sugar,” lead the public to believe it is safe Splenda came along in the late nineties. and natural. Splenda is the brand name for Aspartame goes by several other names sucralose. Even the name sucralose is including NutraSweet® and Equal®. “Today it misleading (on Clorine is sold in over one hundred countries, found in purpose) to look over six thousand products, and is consumed similar to sucrose by over 250 million people. It’s found in most which is table diet sodas and a good portion of chewing sugar. However, gum.”2 It too was discovered by accident in a sucralose is a lab. A scientists working on a drug to treat chlorinated peptic ulcer disease licked his finger to pick artificial sugar. up a piece of paper and got the first taste of It’s proper name is, Sucralose aspartame. “1/6-dichloro1,6dideoxy-beta-D- fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D- Interestingly, 10% of the galactopyranoside.”6 molecule is methanol aka. “wood alcohol.” The Cloride vs. Clorine majority of the molecule is The fact that there are ‘little green attachments’ Aspartame made up of two amino on the sucralose molecule image shown above acids. should be troubling to any reader. These represent chlorine. When these two amino acids are found in normal food with other amino acids there is no Clorine gas is one of the most toxic chemicals problem. When they are alone and in high known to man and is not found in nature. It was concentration, they seep into the nervous used as a poisonous gas in WWI, killing almost system acting as nerve toxic agents. They 100,000 solders and hospitalizing over 1 create excessive firing of brain neurons. This million.7 is called excitotoxicity by Dr. Russell Blaylock. This can cause headaches, mental Without getting overly scientific…to confusion, depression, balance problems and manufacture Splenda, hydrogen atoms are seizures.3 It functions as one of the best ant artificially replaced with chlorine. These poisons. How? It is a neurotoxin so it most bonds are unstable (unlike NaCl or table salt likely kills the ants by interfering with their which is found in nature and is quite stable). The 4 1 Wikipedia- Sugar substitute, www.wikipedia.com Sweet Deception, Dr. Joseph Mercola; 2006 & 5 W. Duke, “Saccharin: A Real Look at an Artificial Sweetener,” Sweet Deception, Dr. Joseph Mercola; 2006, p. 62-63 6 web1.caryacademy.org Mercola & H.C. Grice and L.A. Goldsmith, 2 Sweet Deception, Dr. Joseph Mercola; 2006 “Sucralose-An overview of the Toxicity Data,” Food 3 Russel Blaylock, Excitotoxins:The taste That Kills. and Chemical Toxicology 38 (2000):S1-S6 MD Health Press (NM) 1996 7 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWgas.htm unstable chlorine bonds of sucralose can sweetener molecules still fool the body into deliver toxic clorine directly into our cells.8 thinking that blood sugar levels are elevated. [Some of the side-effects proven and still in question For a non-diabetic the body will then release include: damaging cellular DNA, fertility issues, insulin. Since we rarely have a diet drink by cancer, decreased urination, enlarged colon, enlarged itself, the next thing we eat goes straight to liver and brain; shrunken ovaries, enlarged and storage or fat. I don’t know how many times I calcified kidneys, increased adrenal cortical have seen an obese person with a diet drink and hemorrhaging, abnormal liver cells, growth a snickers bar or a diet drink and a value meal. retardation, and damage to the immune system.]9 That snickers or that value meal gets processed straight to fat storage…the exact opposite of Why are people willing to subject their bodies what the individual is trying to accomplish by to these chemicals? Two simple reasons: ‘reducing their calorie intake’ with a diet 1. Marketing has done such a good job beverage. leading the public to think that artificial sweeteners are “good for What I have recently learned may surprise you.” We as a public now think they you… “Labeling laws allow putting, “sugar- are great for diabetics and the low free” on the label if the serving size is less than calorie count will help everyone else .5 grams of sugar and “calorie-free” if the lose weight. serving size is less than 5 calories. Thus, all 2. Most often it is because the public artificial sweetener packets are at least 96 does not understand the true risks percent sugar! Even worse, Splenda® No behind the pseudo rewards. Calorie Sweetener is 99 percent sugar and only 1 percent sucralose.”11 It is important to note, however, that the potential side-effects far outweigh the risk of Diabetics beware! Artificial putting artificial sweeteners in your body. sweeteners are not all they are cracked up to be. Research by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio showed that, Stevia. “If you've ever tasted rather than promoting weight loss, the use of stevia, you know it's extremely diet drinks was a marker for increasing weight sweet. In fact, this noncaloric gain and obesity. Those that consumed diet herb, native to Paraguay, has soda were more likely to gain weight than been used as a sweetener and those that consumed naturally-sweetened flavor enhancer for centuries. 10 soda. But this innocuous-looking plant has also been a focal point My thoughts on artificial sweeteners and of intrigue in the United States in recent years weight gain have long been in agreement with because of actions by the U.S. Food and Drug UTHSCSA research findings. I suspect that Administration. beverages with artificial sweeteners may have fewer calories in them but the artificial The subject of searches and seizures, trade complaints and embargoes on importation, 8 Dr. James Bowen, “The Lethal Science of Splenda, stevia has been handled at times by the FDA as A Poisonous Chlorocarbon,” May 2005, if it were an illegal drug. www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm 9 Sweet Deception, Dr. Joseph Mercola; 2006 Since the passage of the Dietary Supplement 10 Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Health and Education Act (DSHEA), stevia can Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of be sold legally in the United States, but only as a Diet Soft Drink, By Daniel J.