With Halloween only a couple of weeks away, we got to thinking about artificial sweeteners and whether they’re better or worse for us than the real stuff (sucrose or granulated sugar). So we consulted Toronto-based naturopathic doctor and best-selling author of The Carb Sensitivity Program, Dr. Natasha Turner, about the matter. Here’s what she had to say.
I’ve read that artificial sweeteners need only be “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, by the U.S. FDA before they’re approved for human consumption, but this seems blurry to me …
Yes. Well, I can tell you that they are certainly not without risks, and there is a link between neurotoxicity or, you know, brain cancer, in certain sweeteners. Plus, there is also a link between saccharin (which is one type of sweetener) and bladder cancer. I mean, overall, I don’t recommend them very much because there is also a direct link between the use of artificial sweeteners and increased body weight and obesity.…
Before we get into that, I want to know if artificial sweeteners actually have any benefits.
Well, there’s this one popular type called xylitol, and I know that it’s been proven to benefit your oral and dental health. Are there any other ones that are totally fine? [There’s also] stevia, which [based on my research] does not have any negative impacts on the body like refined sugar does. It’s considered a natural sweetener (which doesn’t cause a spike in blood glucose levels). Coconut sweeteners are good as well. These, for example, won’t raise insulin.
Well, what happens when our insulin levels are raised?
[Raised insulin level] is what we call a negative input impact that happens after we consume sugar and artificial sweeteners, and those sugars, like honey and maple syrup, for instance, specifically raise insulin, and insulin is the only hormone that tells the body to store energy and fat. The other ones I mentioned — xylitol, stevia and coconut sweeteners — don’t seem to have that impact.
So there is a definite link between consuming artificial sweeteners and weight gain?
Yes! That’s why I started my Carb Sensitivity Program, [which encourages patients] to do away with artificial sweeteners because they are directly linked to people who have a damaged metabolism, and [people] who can’t process carbohydrates or sugars very well. Drinks, some yogourts and some ice creams are sweetened with artificial sweeteners. The texture is different, it’s not as thick, so you end up eating more because your body doesn’t get the signal that it’s full.
And which artificial sweeteners would you recommend we stay away from?
I don’t recommend aspartame ever, nor do I recommend Splenda. Also, I don’t recommend Superose [liquid] sweetener at all.
Why stay away from those specifically?
Those are the artificial sweeteners that are the most prevalent in the market, and they’re all linked to neurotoxicity (which is what happens when toxins alter the normal activity of our nervous system). And then there are specific risks with the different sweeteners, too. [For instance,] I know that saccharin is linked to bladder cancer. And I know that aspartame is linked to headaches and brain tumours.
And what about children, should they not consume them either?
I have a really great study that shows the following: if you look at people who are consuming artificial sweeteners today and if we follow up with those same people 10 (or eight) years later, the group [consuming] the artificial sweetener products, versus the regular products, are the ones more overweight. So if we start feeding our kids artificial sweeteners, they’ll be even more prone to weight gain as adults. This is linked to the current epidemic of high childhood obesity rates. Also, in my last book, I talked about the problem with obesity and pregnancy and how, if the mother’s insulin levels are high from eating artificial sweeteners, the baby is born with the same imbalance, and that sets the child up for a lifetime of obesity even though the baby’s blood sugars are normal at birth.