Artificial Sweeteners And The Brain

An exhaustive array of studies regarding artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes has been undertaken recently.   Yet many people feel the jury is still out because of the contradictions this research has brought.

We all know that sugar is not the best substance for our body or brain if consumed in large quantities, yet we find it in almost everything we eat. 

Check out the ingredient labels of the next 20 items you pull from the cupboard or from the fridge, it's a good bet that that the majority of them have sugar as one of the ingredients.

We've all heard of the bad things that sugar does to our body and most of us have tried, at one point or another, to reduce our sugar intake.

When sugar substitutes first arrived on the scene they were welcomed with open arms as the answer to "having our cake and eating it too". Some tasted better than others but many of us found a favorite and learned to replace sugar in certain areas of our daily lives. Most of us tried it in our coffee and switched our soft drinks to the diet version. It was the right thing to do.

Finally, a safe way to get that great sweet taste we enjoy without the health risks or weight gain that sugar was associated with. Was it all too good to be true? Government regulators and many studies said artificial sweeteners were safe. Then, with no small thanks to the internet, people began to talk to each other.

It started slowly with postings about first time anxiety and panic attacks. More and more people joined the cacophony with stories of unusual dizziness, headaches, depression, seizures, visual loss, confusion, memory loss and other symptoms. They were starting to associate these symptoms with their consumption of artificial sweeteners. The previous symptoms were compiled from original posts on internet news groups by the way!

What was it that all these people were discovering when using artificial sweeteners? Could it just be coincidence, or maybe something else in their lifestyles that were leading them to falsely accuse artificial sweeteners as being the cause of their ills. More studies and research needed to be done!

Countless studies have now been done, and as with most controversial subjects, the results vary widely. The manufacturers say their products have been proven safe, the government agrees and says they're safe, yet many researchers and health groups will tell you to avoid consuming these products. Claims of long term illnesses disappearing after discontinuing the use of sugar substitutes are being reported. What are we to believe?

With so much information out there, and seemingly endless contradicting information at that, you may have to prove one way or the other that artificial sweeteners are not at the bottom of an illness if you suspect an artificial sweetener to be the cause. Thankfully this is a dead simple procedure.

If you suspect your brain (or body) is trying to send you a message, and you are consuming artificial sweeteners, your own "study" may be the only way to get to the bottom of it. You won't gain 300 pounds by giving up artificial sweeteners for a month or two and you may find, as many have, that your symptoms have mysteriously gone away completely after discontinuing these products. If you find no change in your symptoms after a few months you can always choose to return to sugar substitutes.

Weight conscious people may find that their dieting has taken them into a situation where many of their foods have artificial sweeteners in them instead of sugar. Some diet products that remove bulky sugar often have to replace it with other bulk ingredients such as flour to help make up for the loss in quantity and weight. You may find that some products using sugar substitutes have just as many calories as those that don't use it. Knowing a list of brain foods is a good thing!