Toxic sweeteners

Many people chose to consume artificial sweeteners in an effort to avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup. On the surface this seems like a good idea...sugars increase calories and weight gain, right? It's not quite so simple. Many artificial sweeteners are extremely toxic.

Aspartame is probably the biggest artificial sweetener available. It goes by the brand names Equal and NutraSweet. These are used by many people for weight loss and blood sugar control, but are they worth the risks? You decide....


Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar. When taken into the body it is broken down into methanol and then formaldehyde. Yes folks the nasty smelling liquid used to pickle that frog you dissected in Biology class. In laboratory studies it has been shown to cause irreversible brain damage in animals and cause changes in the endocrine system leading to obesity. It will also increase cravings for those calorie laden carbohydrates we're trying to avoid leading to more calorie intake and weight gain. A study by the American Cancer society found that "among women who gained weight, artificial sweetener users gained more than those who didn't use the products." Just one diet soda contains an amount of aspartame that will create methanol in the body several times the EPA limit for consumption. Those people consuming more than one diet product a day will increase that production of methanol and formaldehyde even further.


Aspartame products can cause a variety of side effects including anxiety and depression, headaches, dizziness, memory loss, vision loss, confusion and seizures. It has also been reported to cause nerve damage similar to that seen in Alzheimer's disease and cause short term memory damage. Another concern for those diet products is the amount of essential minerals it displaces from your body.

Stopping Aspartame use is always a good idea. It can however cause symptoms of withdrawal like cravings for the foods that contain the artificial sweetener. Within a few weeks these symptoms should dissipate and symptoms improve.