Regina Adams
Professor Wayland
English B 1A
5 December 2013
Research Paper
Artificial Sweeteners: Is this Sweet Causing Health to Sour?
Millions of people struggle with weight loss in America. Part of the problem with obesity in America is the large amounts of sugar consumed on average by Americans. According to Deborah Warner, author of Sweet Stuff, “The average American today consumes some 150 pounds of sugar each year…”(1) . In an effort to combat weight gain, scientists have designed no-calorie sweeteners for use in beverages, candies, pastries, chewing gum, and many other products. Many Americans, in an effort to lose weight, have swapped out their old favorite treats for these low or no calorie versions. But are these sweeteners causing obesity, diabetes, cancer, and a host of other health problems that are now plaguing the American people? And if so does the benefit outweigh the risk? Many studies done on these FDA approved sweeteners suggest that the benefits do not outweigh the risks. Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Kendra Degen Pearsall, who authored the book Sweet Deception, cite a list on file with the FDA that shows that thousands of people using these sweeteners have reported side effects ranging from migraines, dizziness and light headedness, to change in vision, and even fainting (239). These sweeteners are not good for Americans and should be eliminated from the American diet as well as American supermarkets.
The problem with artificial sweeteners began with sugar. Sugar cane was introduced to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1493. On his second voyage to the Americas, he brought sugar cane to plant. The plant flourished in the tropical climate of the Caribbean, and the American Sugar industry was born (Warner 5). Over the years Americans became addicted to this substance. In the book, The Bitter Truth about Artificial Sweeteners, Dr. Dennis W. Remington and Barbara W. Higa have documented the symptoms of sugar addiction within the patients under their care. When sugar was removed from the diet, they say, “most patients suffered withdrawal symptoms; these withdrawal symptoms were part of an addiction to the sugar, always included a strong desire for sugar-containing food, and often included headaches, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbance, body aches, fatigue, and depression” (102). The addictive quality of sugar has led many to over indulge. Obesity is a symptom of having too much in the diet. It could mean too much fat, sugar, or simply put calories. Sugar, however, is not the only calorie-filled sweetener that Americans are over indulging in. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is widely used in products that Americans consume every day. According to Hillary Parker, who wrote the article “A Sweet Problem,” for the News at Princeton University, HFCS is found in many products, from beverages and fruit juices, to condiments and bread. HFCS has been shown in studies to increase visceral fat, which is the fat around the abdomen area, an increase in this type of fat leads to a host of other problems. Parker notes, the Princeton University research team’s study on HFCS using rats that found, “in addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.” The article goes on to say that the rats who were fed with HFCS also exhibited all the signs of a person who has metabolic syndrome. This syndrome leads to heart disease, liver disease, and type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome also makes it more difficult for the overweight person to lose weight because of a slower metabolism.
The body does not recognize HFCS in the same way it recognizes sugar, and this can lead to problems. Mercola, and Pearsall say, “[F]ructose