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July 10th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda MONDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) — Non-nutritive sweeteners like
Splenda, Equal and Sweet’N Low may have a role to play in maintaining or
even losing weight, as long as people don’t use them as an excuse to treat
themselves later with high-calorie goodies.
That endorsement of six sugar substitutes as a dietary aid came in a
scientific statement released Monday by two major health organizations,
the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.
“There may be a benefit to people who use them smartly and who don’t
compensate later in the day and negate the benefit,” said Christopher
Gardner, lead author of the new scientific statement.
According to background information in the document, which is being
published simultaneously in the journals Circulation and
Diabetes Care, some 6,000 foods and beverages on the U.S. market
contain at least one of the six available non-nutritive sweeteners.
Four of them — sucralose (Splenda), acesuflame-K, neotame (made by
NutraSweet) and saccharin (Sweet’N Low) — are artificial sweeteners and
are regulated as food additives by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). Aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet) is composed of three amino acids
and stevia is a plant derivative, so technically both are not considered
“artificial,” but they do have FDA approval, Gardner explained.
Regardless of where they come from, non-nutritive sweeteners have
become increasingly popular. In 1965, only 3 percent of Americans used
them in their diet; by 2004, 15 percent did.
That rise in popularity, however, has not been accompanied by a
decrease in the consumption of added sugars, which contribute to obesity,
diabetes and a host of other health woes, the scientific statement noted.
Overall, the scientific literature on non-nutritive sweeteners is
scant, but there is some evidence that drinking a zero-calorie diet soda
in place of a sugary soda may help reduce calories.
Neither beverage has any nutritional value, but people who drink diet
beverages are not likely to compensate with cookies or other empty
calories later in the day, Gardner said.
On the other hand, he added, people who eat foods containing
non-nutritive sweeteners are more likely to compensate with sugar-laced
items later in the day.
At this point, it’s not clear what effect non-nutritive sweeteners may
have on actual weight loss or gain or total calorie or carbohydrate intake
or if they have any effect on other risk factors for heart disease and
diabetes.
But there is some evidence (largely anecdotal) that consuming products
with non-nutritive sweeteners can help people with diabetes monitor their
sugar intake, a key component of managing diabetes, Gardner said.
“Picking diet sodas over sodas or even picking foods with non-nutritive
sweeteners can have a direct impact on sugar intake and [can be used] as a
viable tool to get people to monitor their sugar intake,” he said.
Similarly, if you’re planning on having coffee anyway, “using a blue or
yellow or pink packet, that’ll help,” Gardner said.
Overall, though, non-nutritive sweeteners are probably not the ultimate
answer for keeping a healthy weight and staying healthy.
“I don’t think they’re the magic bullet for weight loss,” said Nancy
Copperman, director of public health initiatives at North Shore-LIJ Health
System in Great Neck, N.Y.
Statement author Gardner agreed. “If people are counting on this as the
way to control calories and sugar, this isn’t it,” he said. “The bigger
impact has to be from an overall healthy diet. You’re never going to turn
a junk food into a health food just because you eliminated the sugar
content. You never find non-nutritive sweeteners in carrots, broccoli or
kidney beans, all the things we tell people to eat.”
More information
The American Heart Association has more on healthy eating.
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