Artificial Sweetener$

Here is a rundown of the common alternative sweeteners to sugar.  Also see my post on Fake Honey. 

Sucralose UPDATE (2/23/12) Splenda Essentials - latest tweeking by the spin masters!

Sucralose (Splenda): Made from sucrose (sugar) by chemically changing the structure of the sugar molecules by substituting three chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups. Although the manufacturer claims this artificial sweetener is not absorbed and is passed through the digestive system unchanged, but according to the FDA's "Final Rule" report, 11% to 27% of sucralose is absorbed in humans, and the rest is excreted unchanged in feces. According to the Japanese Food Sanitation Council, as much as 40% of ingested sucralose is absorbed.
About 20% to 30% of absorbed sucralose is metabolized. Both the metabolites and unchanged absorbed sucralose are excreted in urine. The absorbed sucralose has been found to concentrate in the liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. According to The Sucralose Toxicity Information Center, sucralose is broken down "into small amounts of 1,6-dichlorofructose, a chemical which has not been adequtely tested in humans.
Research in animals has shown that sucralose can cause many problems in rats, mice, and rabbits, such as:

Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage)
Enlarged liver and kidneys.
Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus
Increased cecal weight
Reduced growth rate
Decreased red blood cell count
Hyperplasia of the pelvis
Extension of the pregnancy period
Aborted pregnancy
Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights
Diarrhea
See: Loren
I don't know about you, but if somebody lies about something I'm going to be putting into my body, I'm NOT going to be using it!
Here is a fairly good site MedicineNet that gives a rather comprehensive rundown. The trouble with these and other food additives is the accumulative and long term side effects. And neither you nor your doctor is likely to associate your problems with these additives. So you end up with a drug to treat the symptoms. Since it does nothing to treat the cause, you end up with more symptoms (from the drug) and get more drugs to treat those symptoms. Does it work? Yea - for the pharmaceutical companies! Follow the money!

  The battle continues on Stevia. [Interesting update on Stevia] The sweetener taken from the whole plant has been used in native cultures for hundreds of years without problem. But, the FDA has determined it is not safe as a food additive and has banned its use. Then they turn around and approve two stevia derivatives as GRAS (generally regarded as safe): Truvia and PureVia patented respectively by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, those two world renowned health food companies! Both of these seem to rely on the extract rebiana for its sweetness. It seems to be just another story of 'follow the money' as to how these lucrative sweeteners (they're patented) got a GRAS rating but the natural sweetener did not! So you all are the mice in this experiment!

The big thing about artificial sweeteners is to cut down on the calories associated with sugar. So how come we keep getting fatter? There is a lot of controversy over these chemical demons. Many nutritionists have concluded that its best to stick with natural and avoid the fake stuff.

Aspartame approved based on falsified reports. FDA


Aspartame is really good - if you want a lot of health problems. Click HERE for more sites and info.  
Update (3/17/12) Brain Tumors & Siezures.
Update (3/2/12) Aspartame Withdrawal.
How do you come down with cancer? One theory is that the DNA of normal cells gets changed so they become cancerous. Formaldehyde, one of the breakdown components of aspartame or aspartate, attaches to DNA nucleotides and results in serious strand breaks leading to cancer. This substance builds up in cells and is hard to remove so it keeps working long after you've taken it! The problem labeling substances as carcinogens (cancer causing) is that it often takes 4, 8, or 10 years or more for the cumulative effects of DNA breakdown to result in cancer - and is highly dependant upon the strength of your DNA repair mechanisms.

Saccharin - linked to bladder and other cancers? See -  Sherpa  This was where Monsanto got it's start in the early 1900's (selling it to Coca Cola - great bed fellows!).  Before it went on to poison the earth with PCB's; but that's another story...

Me? I'll just stick to whole fruits, grains, veggies, and maybe a little honey. It's just hard to improve on mother nature.

Sorbitol - Here is an interesting reference linking sorbitol to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Xylitol seems to be good at cutting cavities (much better than fluoride!). I've been using it instead of toothpaste and it works great! I don't use it in food or drinks instead of sugar because I'm trying to cut out all sugar anyway!

CAUTION - Xylitol causes dogs to over-secrete insulin thus drastically lowering their blood sugar, causing liver damage and death - so keep anything with Xylitol out of reach of your pooch! Due to differences in metabolism, this doesn't occur in humans. Just search the Internet with "dogs Xylitol".

And where is the FDA while we are being poisoned? FTM! (follow the money)