Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad For You?

Most people who want to reduce their calorie intake from sugar are switching to artificial sweeteners. As the name (artificial) implies, they are not natural at all.

The questions arise… Are artificial sweeteners bad for you? What are the side effects of artificial sweeteners?

What are artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners are a type of sugar substitutes. They are many times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) and yet, contain no or low calories.

They are commonly used in “sugar-free”, “low sugar” and diet foods and beverages. These include diet sodas, yogurts, chewing gum, jams, baked goods, cereals and candies.

Interestingly, aspartame, sucralose and saccharin were discovered by accident by chemists.

Types of artificial sweeteners

Some of the popular artificial sweeteners are:

Aspartame: Equal, Nutrasweet
Sucralose: Splenda
Saccharin: Sweet ‘n Low, Sugar Twin
Acesulfame potassium or acesulfame-K: Sweet One, Swiss Sweet and Sunett.

What are artificial sweeteners made of?

Aspartame: aspartic acid, methanol and phenylalanine
Sucralose: synthethically made from sugar via chlorination process (also known as chlorinated sweetener)
Saccharin: toulene (derived from petroleum)
Acesulfame potassium or acesulfame-K: acetoacetic acid

Side effects of artificial sweeteners

Aspartame: headaches, seizures, nausea, depression, panic attacks, tiredness, heart palpitations, insomnia, mood and behavioural changes, blurred vision

Sucralose: migraines, allergies, heart palpitations, seizures, gastrointestinal problems, joint pains, itchy eyes

Saccharin: headaches, diarrhea, muscle dysfunction, irritability, skin irritations, breathing difficulties

Acesulfame potassium or acesulfame-K: headaches, visual problems, nausea, depression
(these side effects are caused by methylene chloride, a carcinogenic compound  in acefulfame-K)

See Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners for severe side effects that resemble symptoms of diseases.

Artificial sweeteners and weight gain

Many people have been led to believe that artificial sweeteners can help them to lose weight or avoid gaining weight. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

See this post on –> Artificial Sweeteners and Weight Gain

Related posts:

1. Do Artificial Sweeteners Cause Weight Gain?