I have to say that with being diabetic, I have enjoyed artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Equal, etc my entire life. Since I was diagnosed at 17 months old, it has always been recommended to use these by my doctors and dietitians. I used them through puberty and pregnancies, and in great amounts. It wasn't until immediately after I gave birth to my daughter that I noticed something was wrong with my body, and now looking back, it all started during my second pregnancy, in which I was consuming a large amount of these sweeteners in attempt to keep my blood sugar levels under control which really wasn't working. I couldn't figure out why, even though I was sticking to diet sodas and sugar free ice creams, cookies, candy, etc, my blood sugar was continuously staying in the higher range, and I was taking quite an increase of insulin compared to usual. I also had some breathing issues and some heart issues that no one could understand what they were from.
After I finally gave birth to a beautiful 9 lb baby girl, I just didn't feel good. I was experiencing vertigo symptoms, but couldn't be diagnosed with 'vertigo', I had an MRI ordered and other tests done, but nothing was wrong. I started thingking about my diet and realized that artificial sweeteners couldn't be "natural", hence the word "artificial", so I started doing research on them. It turns out I was right, and all of the symptoms I was having could very well be from the long-term use of them. I must say that after cutting all artificial sweeteners and foods containing them out of my diet, my vertigo has diminished. I used to be a gymnast and was able to do backflips and spins, but I now will get very dizzy and nauseaus if I attempt to do any of that while playing with my children. It's interesting how the bad effects of using these sweeteners long term happened over a short period of time, I mean 3 years ago I was able to do all of these things, and now I really can't, not without feeling the need to vomit.
I contacted Dr. Janet Hull with my story, and here is the response I got:
"Thanks for sharing your story. Sadly, your use of these chemicals was, as you say, for all your life. These toxins were present when you were just a child and present before you started puberty. Puberty is a very delicate time in a human's development, and the research does show harmful affects caused by these sweetener chemicals during hormone development.
Tell your story on the Internet; youtube, facebook, everywhere you can. People with similar experiences will find you, and you will find them. This issue is a very real issue, but the "mainstream" will not publicize it because it brings in so much money - the same companies making these diet sweeteners are the companies making the drugs for the side-effects they cause. You have to get the word out on the web and through the alternative channels. Just know that people are hungry to hear the truth, and they are sick too, but are not getting the right answers, just like you have experienced.
One day this all MUST stop - when and how, no one knows because the people supporting the diet sweeteners are the ones who are making money off the illnesses they cause. So sad, but so true!"
I found a lot of valuable information at splendaexposed.com, janethull.com, and mercola.com. Let me introduce you to a few things that I have learned through my research of these health-threatening products:
- Sucralose/Splenda was accidentally discovered in the 1970s by researchers looking to create a new pesticide.
- Sucralose/Splenda contains chlorine (chlorocarbon; chlorinated compound), which is responsible for damaging the body's immune and hormonal systems.
- Sucralose/Splenda has not undergone any long-term studies to prove it's safety.
- Sucralose/Splenda is an artificial substance which is partly absorbed by the human body, and the more the body absorbs sucralose, the more chlorine is absorbed as well.
- Some Sucralose/Splenda lab studies revealed shrunken thymus glands, and enlarged livers and kidneys in laboratory animals.
- Reactions in some, produced from the use of Sucralose/Splenda, are rashes, panic attacks, headaches, intestinal cramping, diarrhea, muscle aches, and stomach pain.
- Aspartame was accidentally discovered in 1965 while working on an antiulcer drug.
- the FDA had received over 10,000 complaints after 10 years of aspartame use.
- Aspartame has been proven in lab studies to eat holes in the brains of laboratory animals, cause mammary gland and testes tumors, lower fetal IQ, and affect fetal formation.
- Symptoms from the use of aspartame include: headache, nervousness, dizziness, memory impairment, nausea, temper outbursts, and depression.
Sucralose and aspartame are found in the ingredients of more and more food every day, and are pushed on the public as being good for you and supporting weight loss with a low glycemic index so they won't raise your blood sugar. Artificial sweeteners sold in powder forms usually contain matodextrin/dextrose (which contain just as many calories and carbs as table sugar) to increase bulk and will rapidly raise blood sugar. This is obviously the opposite of what it claims to do, and will affect blood sugar levels in a bad way.
Some people may not experience any symptoms, and it's important to remember that every person's body reacts and absorbs things differently. It can depend on a number of things such as how much is used and how often, age, present and past health, dietary habits, and the presence of other toxins in the body.
Everyone will form their own opinions about artificial sweeteners. I have experienced good results from removing them from my diet, and everyone can benefit from removing them from their diets as well. If your child or someone you know has ADD or ADHD, try removing all artificial sweeteners from their diets and see if they get results. It is always worth it to remove something from your diet that causes disease and may increase your health and even your life span! When you think about it, do you really want to put chemicals and products from "accidental" drug mixtures in your body?
If you would like to report any adverse reactions or symptoms from the use of Sucralose or Aspartame to the FDA, please visit http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/default.htm.
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask :)
What are your thoughts on artificial sweeteners?
I have to say that with being diabetic, I have enjoyed artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Equal, etc my entire life. Since I was diagnosed at 17 months old, it has always been recommended to use these by my doctors and dietitians. I used them through puberty and pregnancies, and in great amounts. It wasn't until immediately after I gave birth to my daughter that I noticed something was wrong with my body, and now looking back, it all started during my second pregnancy, in which I was consuming a large amount of these sweeteners in attempt to keep my blood sugar levels under control which really wasn't working. I couldn't figure out why, even though I was sticking to diet sodas and sugar free ice creams, cookies, candy, etc, my blood sugar was continuously staying in the higher range, and I was taking quite an increase of insulin compared to usual. I also had some breathing issues and some heart issues that no one could understand what they were from.
After I finally gave birth to a beautiful 9 lb baby girl, I just didn't feel good. I was experiencing vertigo symptoms, but couldn't be diagnosed with 'vertigo', I had an MRI ordered and other tests done, but nothing was wrong. I started thingking about my diet and realized that artificial sweeteners couldn't be "natural", hence the word "artificial", so I started doing research on them. It turns out I was right, and all of the symptoms I was having could very well be from the long-term use of them. I must say that after cutting all artificial sweeteners and foods containing them out of my diet, my vertigo has diminished. I used to be a gymnast and was able to do backflips and spins, but I now will get very dizzy and nauseaus if I attempt to do any of that while playing with my children. It's interesting how the bad effects of using these sweeteners long term happened over a short period of time, I mean 3 years ago I was able to do all of these things, and now I really can't, not without feeling the need to vomit.
I contacted Dr. Janet Hull with my story, and here is the response I got:
"Thanks for sharing your story. Sadly, your use of these chemicals was, as you say, for all your life. These toxins were present when you were just a child and present before you started puberty. Puberty is a very delicate time in a human's development, and the research does show harmful affects caused by these sweetener chemicals during hormone development.
Tell your story on the Internet; youtube, facebook, everywhere you can. People with similar experiences will find you, and you will find them. This issue is a very real issue, but the "mainstream" will not publicize it because it brings in so much money - the same companies making these diet sweeteners are the companies making the drugs for the side-effects they cause. You have to get the word out on the web and through the alternative channels. Just know that people are hungry to hear the truth, and they are sick too, but are not getting the right answers, just like you have experienced.
One day this all MUST stop - when and how, no one knows because the people supporting the diet sweeteners are the ones who are making money off the illnesses they cause. So sad, but so true!"
I found a lot of valuable information at splendaexposed.com, janethull.com, and mercola.com. Let me introduce you to a few things that I have learned through my research of these health-threatening products:
Sucralose and aspartame are found in the ingredients of more and more food every day, and are pushed on the public as being good for you and supporting weight loss with a low glycemic index so they won't raise your blood sugar. Artificial sweeteners sold in powder forms usually contain matodextrin/dextrose (which contain just as many calories and carbs as table sugar) to increase bulk and will rapidly raise blood sugar. This is obviously the opposite of what it claims to do, and will affect blood sugar levels in a bad way.
Some people may not experience any symptoms, and it's important to remember that every person's body reacts and absorbs things differently. It can depend on a number of things such as how much is used and how often, age, present and past health, dietary habits, and the presence of other toxins in the body.
Everyone will form their own opinions about artificial sweeteners. I have experienced good results from removing them from my diet, and everyone can benefit from removing them from their diets as well. If your child or someone you know has ADD or ADHD, try removing all artificial sweeteners from their diets and see if they get results. It is always worth it to remove something from your diet that causes disease and may increase your health and even your life span! When you think about it, do you really want to put chemicals and products from "accidental" drug mixtures in your body?
If you would like to report any adverse reactions or symptoms from the use of Sucralose or Aspartame to the FDA, please visit http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/default.htm.
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask :)
What are your thoughts on artificial sweeteners?