Can't Lose Weight? Artificial Sweeteners May Be the Cause

Can't lose weight? Artificial sweeteners may be the cause, says David Brownstein, MD, especially toxic sucralose.

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener found in many low-calorie, sugar-free products. Unfortunately, it has become a staple in our food supply. It is 600x as sweet as table sugar and over three times sweeter than aspartame (i.e., NutraSweet). I would venture a guess that a product that is 600x sweeter than table sugar is not be a healthy item for the human body.

Sucralose contains three chlorine atoms in its structure. Heating sucralose can create a chemical reaction with the chlorine atoms where they are transformed into a toxic product.

A recent study (Env. Sci. Techn. 2011; Aug 31.PMID:21879743) reported that water treatment plants were unable to fully remove sucralose from the finished drinking water. The researchers studied 19 U.S. water treatment plants serving more than 28 million people. The scientists reported that sucralose was found in the finished drinking water in 13 of 19 sites. What this means is that the water treatment plants were unable to remove sucralose from the end product coming out of your tap. Read more

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Posted in: artificial sweeteners,nutrition,sucralose

Neotame: A More Toxic Artificial Sweetener Than Aspartame?

Joseph Mercola reveals the dangerous science and politics behind Neotame.

Since 2002 an artificial sweetener called neotame has been approved for use in food and drink products around the world, although so far its use appears to be very limited.

Neotame is a chemical derivative of aspartame, and judging by the chemicals used in its manufacturing, it appears even more toxic than aspartame, although the proponents of neotame claim that increased toxicity is not a concern, because less of it is needed to achieve the desired effect.

Neotame is bad science brought to you by the Monsanto Company.

If Monsanto truly had nothing to fear with either of these artificial chemical sweeteners, they would have funded rigorous independent testing for safety. To date they have not, and they won't, because virtually every independent analysis of aspartame not conducted by Monsanto partners has revealed a long list of disturbing side effects, mostly neurological in nature.

Monsanto also has now sold the NutraSweet Company to someone else, but the approval of neotame came under Monsanto's ownership, and was most likely a result of Monsanto's cozy relationship with the FDA. More about that in a minute.

My recommendation for neotame is the same as that for aspartame, which is: it should be avoided if you care about your health.

Why is Neotame Dangerous? Read more

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Posted in: artificial sweeteners,aspartame,Neotame

Is There a Healthy Alternative to Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners?

Is there a healthy alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners? Mark Sisson discusses stevia.

After last week's article many of you asked about a natural alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners: stevia. It is widely used in the low carb community to satisfy sugar cravings or simply add a touch of sweetness to a hot beverage or dessert, but should it be? What is stevia? Is it safe? What is its effect on insulin, if any, and does it have a place in a Primal Blueprint eating strategy? Let's investigate.

Stevia is an herbaceous family of plants, 240 species strong, that grows in sub-tropical and tropical America (mostly South and Central, but some North). Stevia the sweetener refers to stevia rebaudiana, the plant and its leaves, which you can grow and use as or with tea (it was traditionally paired with yerba mate in South America) or, dried and powdered, as a sugar substitute that you sprinkle on. It's apparently quite easy to grow (according to the stevia seller who tries to get me to buy a plant or two whenever I'm at the Santa Monica farmers' market), and the raw leaf is very sweet. Read more

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Posted in: artificial sweeteners,stevia,sugar

Is Agave Worse Than High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Dr. Joseph Mercola says that agave nectar is no better than high-fructose corn syrup. How could natural, organic, alternative agave be no better than processed, Monsanto-sprayed, genetically modified high fructose corn syrup?

Many people interested in staying healthy have switched to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) but are unaware that most agave is actually WORSE than HFCS.

This expose will offend many hard core natural health advocates because they have been convinced of the agave hype by companies that are promoting it. Read more

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Posted in: agave,artificial sweeteners,high fructose corn syrup

A Simple Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure, and Lose Weight Too

There's a simple to lower your blood pressure and lose weight, too: avoid fructose, especially high fructose corn syrup.

A diet high in fructose, a form of sugar found in sweetened soft drinks and junk food, raises blood pressure in men.

Two recent studies provided the first evidence that fructose helps raise blood pressure. One study further suggested that people who consume junk foods and sweetened soft drinks at night could gain weight faster than those who don't.

Fructose accounts for about half the sugar molecules in table sugar and in high-fructose corn syrup, the sweetener used in many packaged foods. Read more

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Posted in: artificial sweeteners,fructose,high blood pressure,high fructose corn syrup,Weight Loss