Are Artificial Sweeteners Really Safe for the Body?

By Carlo Rodriguez, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Are sweeteners bad for the body? Now, this has been a question floating around ever since artificial sweeteners were first introduced to the world.

Everyone knows that sugar, as sweet as it can be, isn't great for the body. Sugar contains several calories that greatly contribute to obesity and diabetes. Since sugars have become quite undesirable to a lot of people, it is only necessary to find a somewhat "safer" alternative. This is where artificial sweeteners come in.

Artificial sweeteners are basically low-calorie or calorie-free substances that are used in place of sugars and other natural sweeteners. A can of Coca-Cola contains about 138 calories and most of them come from sugar. Unfortunately, Coca-Cola, or any other sweetened product for that matter, wouldn't be so massively successful without the aid of sugar and sugar alcohols. Over consumption of sugar, however, could have serious repercussions to the human body.

Since artificial sweeteners offer a calorie-free alternative, they have become a popular choice among those who wish to reduce their weight and those who wish to live a healthy lifestyle. But questions regarding the safety of artificial sweeteners quickly arose. There are even claims that link artificial sweeteners to cancer but no proof has come of that as of yet. Artificial sweeteners are also chemical in nature which only adds to the worry; but then again, most of the food people eat today have chemical ingredients.

So, are artificial sweeteners really safe?

According to the Harvard Health Publications of the Harvard Medical School, the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association have cautiously approved of the use of artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved five kinds of artificial sweeteners: saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame and acesulfame. In the United Kingdom, the same kinds of sweeteners are considered safe with the addition of sorbitol, stevia and xylitol.

These artificial sweeteners are considered safe and have not been known to cause cancer. But if one wishes to be truly safe then careful consumption should be considered.