Artificial Sweeteners

In order to cut back on calories or carbohydrates, many people are switching to artificial sweeteners in the tea and coffee. But are these little packets really that harmless? I looked into several well-known brands to find out a bit more, but I've also included links to more scientific material as well. There typically is research both for and against many of these products.

Splenda
Splenda is the brand name for a sucralose sweetener. Sucralose is made from natural sugar, by a process of chlorination. The addition of chlorine to the sugar molecule makes it unusable by the body, and it is not broken down by your metabolism. Splenda (sucralose) is 600 times sweeter than natural sugar and contains no calories.
Splenda home page

Nutrasweet
Nutrasweet is the brand name for a sweetener with Aspartame. Unlike sucralose which is based on natural sugar, Aspartame is a fully artificial product. Its full chemical name is L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, and its base components (aspartic acid and phenylalanine) are actually protein molecules and are found in many meats and dairy products. Aspartame is about 200 times more sweet than natural sugar, and Nutrasweet has 'virtually' no calories. There has been much controversy about the possible health risks associated with Aspartame.
Nutrasweet home page

Sweet'n Low
Sweet'n Low uses a mix of dextrose and saccharin in its products. The dextrose is a natural carbohydrate used to dilute the actual sweetener, which is saccharin. Saccharin is 300-500 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories because it is not digested by the body. It can become bitter in high concentrations, but stable in high heat. Saccharin was associated with bladder cancer in the 1970s but has since been deemed safe. It's an artificial product, with a complex chemical structure.
Sweet'n Low home page

Equal
Another brand name for an Aspartame-based sweetener, and has the same properties as Nutrasweet (above).
Equal home page

More Links:
Everything You Need to Know About Sucralose
Potential Dangers of Sucralose
Aspartame Information Center
Aspartame Dangers Revealed
Saccharin.org

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