A recent study in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine reported that artificial sweeteners contribute to weight gain. Rather than emotional issues as a primary cause, obesity in America has finally been linked to the widespread use of artificial sweeteners and other man-made chemicals.
Two early promoters of the link between artificial chemicals that impact both weight-gain and neurological function include Dr Leonard Coldwell and a retired neurosurgeon, Dr. Russell Blaylock. These are but two examples of medical practitioners stepping up to expand public awareness on results that indicate adverse effects from artificial chemicals increasingly used in our food supply. Studies have also begun in various European research facilities exploring the same issue that apparently causes weight gain and increased body size in both the general populace and newborns.
Ingestion of manmade chemicals, also termed excitotoxins, is additionally linked to neurotoxicity. Dr. Blaylock, author of The Taste That Kills, lists MSG and aspartame within his lengthy list of excitotoxins that impair the brain’s neurons. It should be noted that many of these synthesized chemicals promote the idea that they are simply a natural amino acid, or a form of natural sugar but don’t explain what chemical adjustments were made to the original source once in a lab. These become the synthetic chemicals that some researchers are indicating will eventually upset the natural chemical balance in the body. By adversely affecting the human nervous system these chemicals impact many systemic functions, including a decrease of our intestinal flora that’s necessary for proper digestion.
Artificial sweeteners have been recently acknowledged to simulate the appetite after thousands of studies surprised researchers with similar results. After learning that impaired neurological and brain function is also implicated we can only wonder if research has finally discovered why anxiety and the use of tranquillizers or antidepressants are so commonplace today. Are we on the edge of learning why our memories begin to fade in our mid-thirties, why the increase of neurological conditions like Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease continues, or why impaired digestive function is so common? The implications are huge. Yet sales continue to be strong for diet and low calorie anything.
It’s difficult to pick any one food to avoid because use of artificial sweeteners alone is estimated to be in over 6,000 food products. The greatest offenders include diet beverages and low calorie options because there is no low calorie food that doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners.
This emphasizes the importance of checking the ingredient list of all packages. You’ll notice artificial sweeteners listed with names like aspartame, nutrasweet, saccharin, equal or sucralose. They may have originated from sucrose as a plain sugar but after laboratory changes they all fall into the category of artificial chemicals that our metabolism cannot recognize nor process. Researchers and respected facilities have reports accessible for anyone interested in this subject so before you buy diet options, this subject could be an important consideration.
The options? Natural sweeteners. Your body recognizes natural, pure food and can readily process it. That means raw sugar opposed to refined sugar that has been stripped of mineral and nutrient content. Natural sweeteners include honey from bee hives, maple syrup from a maple tree, unprocessed brown stevia from the stevia plant, cane sugar from the sugar cane tree. Agave nectar is another natural sweetener, also recognized as the plant from which tequila is made. Natural sweeteners may be slightly more expensive, but using less and knowing our body and mind is being fed healthier food makes it worthwhile.
Overuse of any sweetener, including natural sources, will enhance the craving for sweet foods and result in high calorie intake. Portion control is the only answer, both for sweets and for meal portions. There is no natural food that comes as ‘low calorie’ other than fresh vegetables. Eating wisely means variety, reliance on fresh produce instead of packaged and dried goods, as well as careful selection of sweets and beverages. Reading the ingredient list on every package, bottle or can that you purchase let’s you know exactly what you are feeding your body and your family.
When it comes to brown sugar, not all varieties are an unprocessed product. Natural brown sugar is made by partially refining sugar cane extract, contrasting most brown sugar resulting from the addition of molasses to a fully refined sugar which is now often sourced from sugar beets. And sugar beets are the latest addition of another genetically engineered crop in Canada. Golden coloured natural brown sugar is produced by extracting the juice from sugar cane, heating it to evaporate water and crystallise the sugar, then spinning in a centrifuge to remove some impurities and dry the sugar. It’s also sold as demerara sugar, originally named after its source in Guyana. In the USA, a similar natural golden sugar is called turbinado sugar, after the turbines in which it is spun. Most turbinado sugar is produced in Hawaii and sometimes sold as an organic product.
Check out http://www.naturalorganiclifestyle.com/unrefined-raw-sugar.html to learn more about the differences in unrefined sugars, as from this excerpt….
“Raw unrefined sugar is not the same as the brown sugar that you see in the store, even though they are both brown. Unrefined raw sugar is made from the juice from the sugar cane plant and has trace minerals and nutrients present. Refined sugar is devoid of all nutrients. Typically, white sugar is made of pure carbohydrates. Today, it is common knowledge that refined white sugar has devastating affects on the body and health in general. Besides being a certain way to elevate blood sugar levels, unrefined white sugar is considered to be “empty calories” as it offers no nutritional substance whatsoever.”
Aspartame and Weight Gain
‘A study conducted at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center reported a “41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.” The findings come from eight years of collecting data by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH and colleagues. The results of the study were reported at the 65th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association on June 10-14, 2005 (Abstract 1058-P). While this study, by itself, does not prove that aspartame causes weight gain, it adds to the evidence seen in independent research.’
.
