Effects Of Artificial Sweeteners On The Rise Essay

I grew up playing the game “Candyland”, and I dreamed of finding the golden ticket and living in Willie Wonka’s factory. I was also given a Gatorade after every sporting event I ever played in so what could be so bad about sugar? Sugar, real and artificial, can be found in almost every product we consume and although sugar is a simple carbohydrate that the body uses for energy, its impact on our body is far from simple. The consumption of sugar has been linked to a host of chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The addictive nature of sugar is also a significant problem that leads to the other detrimental effects listed above. Sugar has also been useful to help preserve goods, fuel fermentation, balance acidity, and add flavor to other foods. Whether it’s cereal, spaghetti sauce, or yogurt, sugar is everywhere and has become unavoidable in our daily diets. As Americans, we have become accustomed to the sweet addictive taste of sugar, and our dependence on excessive amounts of sugar in its different forms has become alarming to many health experts. In analyzing preference and dependency with sugar, I will trace the addictive nature and major risks sugar has placed on society.

Did you know that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) accounts for over half of the artificial sweeteners used in the United States today? Although it is loved by big food companies due to its extended shelf life and cheap production, is it the healthiest option for the consumer? This is a widespread question that has been asked in the United States since the invention of HFCS in the 1960s. This artificial sweetener is rumored to increase one's chances of obesity, high cholesterol, etc. Due to the health risks linked to HFCS it is adamant that people in the United States greatly reduce the intake of this sweetener. This can be accomplished with three solutions, being, by simply raising general awareness about the health risks associated with HFCS, having stricter regulations on artificial sweeteners, or by lowering the tariffs on imported natural sugar.

In an article written by Julie Corliss, medical writer at Harvard Health Publications, she addresses Americans unhealthy sugar intake, “Added sugars make up at least 10% of the calories the average American eats in a day. But about one in 10 people get a whopping one-quarter or more of their calories from added sugar” (Corliss). Sugar not only leads to weight gain, but also increases the chance of suffering from heart disease. Moving away from artificial and processed foods will help Americans lose weight and start towards a healthy lifestyle. If the body is consistently treated poorly, this will reflect in the mirror and on the scale.

Nowadays, Americans are facing the danger of being overweight. The article Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables written by Mark Bittman highlights that “one third of all Americans either have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.” The fat in our body cannot be formed in one day or two. Instead, it is the result of constantly unhealthy eating habit. The author of Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause stated that “Energy intake rose because of environmental push factors, i.e., increasing available, cheap, tasty, highly promoted obesogenic foods.” Additionally, according to Bittman, “The average American consumes 44.7 gallons of soft drink；s annually.” The fact that Americans like soft drinks and food that are high in calories is irreversible, but we can do something to change this situation.

Karen Congro, the director of the Wellness for Life Club program at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and nutritionist stated that long-term effects of aspartame in humans have not been studied . So from a marketing standpoint Pepsi’s switch away from aspartame may benefit their falling rates. In contrast, Diet Coke still only uses aspartame in their diet soda product. Though their advertising does not consistently, directly address the aspartame in their products, Diet Coke in 2013 defended their use of aspartame by stating in an ad that studies over the last 40 years has not discovered negative effects of aspartame . Interesting, today in 2015, 61 percent of Americans rely on online, websites or social media apps: Twitter, Snapchat, etc.—media reports—for their news . While 38 percent of Americans receive their news from offline sources, like newspapers, journals, etc. . Therefore, individuals should be wary that both journals and media reports, particularly the latter, may be withholding significant details or exaggerating scientific results in order to persuade the

"WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco” (Tama, M., 2015). Will this warning detour the American public from drinking sugary beverages? In 2011-2013, the Center for Disease Control reported that two states Colorado and Hawaii had less than 20% obesity. The Midwest led the country with a 28.7% obesity rate. When surveyed again in 2013, the South now leads the countries obesity epidemic with 30.2 % and the Midwest comes in a close second with 30.1%. There are no longer any states that fall beneath the 20% threshold (Obesity Prevalence Maps, 2013). With obesity rates rising, researchers are focusing on what leads to these statistics so that it can be reversed. These startling statistics requires action to be taken to reverse this growing epidemic. Obesity, Tooth decay, and Type 2 Diabetes have been linked to negative side effects of sugary beverages. As a leader in healthcare, Mayo Clinic should remove sugary drinks and foods from their hospitals, clinics, and health systems to model healthy living.

The use of artificial sweeteners in beverages and food has been on a steady rise since 1969, the year it was authorized in the United States of America. The popularity of artificial sweeteners has been on a rise because of the benefit that it is a zero calorie sweetener .Even though artificial sweeteners have some great benefits many scientists believe that it causes adverse effects such as cancer, weight gain and depression. I strongly believe that consumers are not aware of the side effects of artificial sweeteners hence the increase in consumption since 1969.

NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure are all brand names for aspartame, a low calorie sugar substitute used in more than 90 countries to sweeten foods and beverages. Aspartame is a synthetic chemical that is created through the combination of the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, and a small amount of methanol. Aspartame can be found in several products, such as soft drinks, over-the counter drugs, vitamin and herb supplements, instant breakfasts, candy, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, coffee, juice, and tea beverages, tabletop sweeteners, and gelatin desserts. This product may have seemed like a dream come true when it was first invented in 1981

Sugary beverages suggest a poor dietary quality; they are loaded with added sugars and attribute to the body’s energy density. “A 20-year study on 120,000 men and women found that people who increased their sugary drink consumption by one 12-ounce serving per day gained more weight over time—about 4 pounds per year” (19). Through increasing the daily intake in trivial increments, the body substantially results in an increased BMI (body mass index) and an increased body fat percentage score. Another study conducted at Harvard found that a 60 percent increase occurs in children for each 12-ounce they additionally drink daily. (________) The growing correlation between obesity and sugar has led to further studies, and statistical data. Researchers have revealed that in total, “half the people in the U.S. consume sugary drinks; 1 in 4 get at least 200 calories from such drinks; and 5% get at least 567 calories.” It was additionally found that one-fourth of Americans are consuming more than 135 grams of sugar per day from soda and other sweetened beverages, which compares to people of the past who only had 10 grams of fructose a day (_____). Such a high daily intake of sugar and calories illustrates the risk that arises when people consume too much sugar; that is, sugary drinks result in weight issues and medical consequences.

The debate between naturally derived sugars and low-calorie artificial sweeteners has been going on for years now. As our population’s obesity rate grows every year and health concerns related to weight-control grows along with it, natural sugar is scrutinized and we are told to keep away from it as it is our enemy. Over the last couple of decades, we have been introduced to more and more varieties of artificial sweeteners promising to deliver the same sweetness or even more sweetness than natural sugar (some offer as much as 200 times more sweetness than sugar) but with a much lower calorie content, or some even no calories at all. Artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Sweet n’ Low, NutraSweet, and Equal have become popular as “better alternatives” to table sugar, promising to help battle weight gain and actually assist in losing weight. However, does this make it the healthier option? As with all things, both natural sugar and artificial sugar have their pros and cons, but in order to find the best option in regards to our health and futures, it’s important to weigh them according to scientific findings and research.

With soft drinks being available at every street corner from convenience stores to department stores, it has been easy for consumers to purchase such high-calorie drinks as a quick snack. However, with the knowledge that these high-calorie drinks are injurious to health because of the quantity of sugar it contains, individuals are cutting back the high calorie and replacing it with diet drinks thinking it is supposedly a healthier choice. Unfortunately, the public is blinded by the word “no calorie” and unaware that these drinks contain fake sweeteners that pose serious health issues. According to statistics, it is shown that Diet coke is ranked first as the most popular soft drink consumed in Canada

Marketing and advertising in Australia promotes the consumption of specific foods in the name of “health” and “wellbeing”. In his new book, The Blood Sugar 10 Day Detox Diet, Dr Mark Hyman claims that sugar is the new nicotine (SUHR, Heather, 2015). In 2013, a group of researches concluded that that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine. They found that Oreo cookies activated more neurons in the brain’s ‘pleasure centre’ than exposure to drugs (SUHR, Heather, 2015). These claims have resulted in a trend towards reducing or eliminating sugar in one’s diet. The sugar-free diet has become one of particular interest amongst Australians. The less extreme form of the diet permits low sugar fruits, non starchy vegetables and restricts all added sugars, honey, processed foods, chocolate, desserts, sweetened yoghurt, most breakfast cereals, sauces, soups and marinades. On the extreme end, the diet involves cutting out all types of sugar and often carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Companies have manipulated this trend to more successfully market their products to appeal to consumers. The term ‘sugar free’ is popularly used to appeal to health-conscious shoppers. Companies such as Coca-Cola developed the drink ‘Coke-zero,’ claiming that it has zero sugar. However, to maintain the taste, artificial sweeteners are used instead.

The past fifty years has seen a spike in the consumption of sugar, that number totaling a tripling increase. However, sugar is not the only risk factor here, alcohol and tobacco can also be attributed with the spike, albeit not as prevalent as sugar. The biggest question that Lustig et al. poses to its’ readers is this: “What aspects of the Western diet should be the focus of intervention”? (par. 3) The current USDA has been deemed “boogeymen” of diets, as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Lustig et al. all believe that our attention should be turned towards “added sugar”, which is a sweetener that has fructose in it. Perhaps the biggest controversy from the past fifty years has been none other than a severe culprit that experts know as high fructose corn syrup or HFCS.

Aspartame, a chemical that produces a sweet taste without producing calories has been highly used since 1981 to replace natural sugar. People believe that aspartame could help them reach their diet goal, especially for those who are trying to lose weight. Is is widely used on food product like carbonated beverage and cereal, and people believe that by consuming aspartame sweetened products instead of naturally sweetened products, they would consume fewer calories and therefore reaching their diet goals. However, even though aspartame contains no calories, research had shown that people have a tendency to compensate that caloric intake through other sources. My goal is to persuade them that aspartame is an ideal replacement for

Every morning, my parents drink at least one diet pepsi. But now, diet soda brands, especially Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi sales have declined. Diet Coke sales have fallen 3.4 percent and Diet Pepsi sales have fallen 5.7 percent over the past year (Estrel). One of the factors is that people are leaning towards tea, juice, and sports drinks. For many people, the reason why they are not buying diet soda is because they do not think that the artificial sweetener, aspartame, is good for their health. Diet Pepsi’s response to those concerns came when Pepsi announced that beginning in August 2015, Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi will stop using the controversial sweetener, Aspartame for another sweetener, Sucralose