Artificial sweeteners are seen by many as a way to have your cake and eat it too. What’s better than a sugary-tasting soda pop without all of the calories? Believe it or not, artificially sweetened products may make it more difficult to keep a trim waistline.

What are They?

Artificial sweeteners are non-nutritive. Non-nutritive means that artificial sweeteners do not provide nutrition to the body. They provide no calories, vitamins, or minerals.

Where It All Began

The first non-nutritive sweetener was saccharin, created in the late 1800s. Saccharin is up to 500 times sweeter than sugar. Sugar shortages during the two World Wars increased saccharin use in the early-to-mid-20th century.

Saccharin was popular with early dieters eager to shed pounds without giving up sugar. It came under scrutiny when studies linked it to bladder cancer in rats.(1) The FDA mandated a warning label be added to saccharin-containing products in response to these studies.

Cyclamate is another early non-nutritive sweetener. It was approved for use in the US in 1958. Later research demonstrated a link between cyclamate and cancer in animals. The FDA banned cyclamate use in the US in 1969. Cyclamate remains in use in Canada and Europe.

The Latest, Maybe Not So Greatest

The 80s and 90s saw more non-nutritive sweeteners enter the market. First came aspartame, under the trade name NutraSweet. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It was approved for use in food and beverages in 1981.

The lack of a bitter aftertaste boosted aspartame’s initial popularity. Anecdotal reports of headaches and seizures associated with aspartame raised alarm. Others expressed concern that aspartame can degrade into formaldehyde at temperatures above 85° to 90° Fahrenheit.(2) NutraSweet is widely used in low-calorie products today.

Additional sweeteners approved in the last two decades include acesulfame-K, alitame, sucralose, and neotame. Sucralose, under the brand name Splenda, is the most well known. None of these chemicals have been in use long enough to fully assess possible, negative health effects.(3)

Reassuring on Cancer, Other Questions Remain

Many health experts in the mainstream medical community feel artificial sweeteners do not cause cancer or other major health in humans.(3) This may be reassuring, but new concerns are being raised. The nature of these concerns may surprise you.

Can artificial sweeteners make you fat? It would be ironic if this were the case. Most people choose artificially sweetened beverages and foods specifically for weight management.

Sweet and Healthy

Humans have a natural preference for sweetness. This isn’t a problem when the preference is satisfied with fruit. Fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Fruit was the only sweet food around for the majority of human history.  In short, fruit, which has been around forever, is a healthy way to satisfy the human sweet tooth.(4)

In contrast, artificial sweeteners have been around for just a few decades. Our bodies evolved ways to regulate food intake when the diet contained only natural foods. It should come as no surprise that we don’t always cope well with new “foods.” Artificial sweeteners in particular may cause some of this confusion between brain and body.

Confusing the Taste Buds and the Brain

Our taste buds, stomachs, and brains don’t always know what to make of artificial sweeteners’ confusing signals. Sweet flavors signal our bodies to prepare for calories. With artificial sweeteners, no calories follow. This may lead to a disconnect between body and brain.

This may lead to insulin overproduction and later overeating. For someone trying to lose weight, this is unlikely to help. Insulin is a hormone that encourages our bodies to store excess calories as fat.

Another problem is the “over-sweetening” of the American palate. Constantly stimulating our taste buds with intensely sweet flavors may foster a dislike of other tastes. Fruit seems only mildly sweet. Vegetables may not taste good at all. This may lead to unhealthy food choices and ... you guessed it, weight gain.(4)

Theory and Reality

These theories remain unproven, for now. Evidence to date highlights a potential link between artificial sweeteners and weight gain, however. A 7-year study of over 5,000 adults found those consuming 21 or more diet drinks per week had twice the risk of becoming overweight or obese compared to people having no diet drinks.(5)

A study of 6,800 adults suggested daily diet drink consumption increases the risk of metabolic syndrome by 36% and the risk of type 2 diabetes by 67%.(6)

These studies do not prove cause and effect. And it should be noted that a recent expert review concluded there is not enough evidence to say that artificial sweeteners cause metabolic changes or obesity in children.

The Rub

So there’s the rub. Artificial sweeteners may or may not have negative health effects. Artificial sweeteners may or may not induce overeating and overproduction of insulin. Artificial sweeteners may or may not make you fat.

I don’t know about you, but I think an apple and a cup of sweet licorice or ginger tea sounds nice right about now.

References

1. Whysner J, Williams GM. Saccharin mechanistic data and risk assessment: urine composition, enhanced cell proliferation, and tumor promotion. Pharmacol Ther. 1996;71:225-252.
   
2. Trocho C, Pardo R, Rafecas I, Virgili J, Remesar X, Fernandez-Lopez JA, Alemany M. Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue components in vivo. Life Sciences. 1998;63:337–349.
   
3. Weihrauch MR, Diehl V. Artificial sweeteners--do they bear a carcinogenic risk? Ann Oncol. 2004;15:1460-1465.
   
4. Ludwig DS. Artificially Sweetened Beverages. Cause for Concern. JAMA. 2009;302:2477-2478.
   
5. Fowler SP, Williams K, Resendez RG, Hunt KJ, Hazuda HP, Stern MP. Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16:1894-1900.
   
6. Nettleton JA, Lutsey PL, Wang Y, Lima JA, Michos ED, Jacobs DR Jr. Diet soda intake and risk of incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Diabetes Care. 2009;32:688-694.
   
7. Brown RJ, de Banate MA, Rother KI. Artificial Sweeteners: A systematic review of metabolic effects in youth. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2010 Jan 18. [Epublished before print].

Food coloring often gets a bad rap, but not all food colorings are bad for you. Turmeric, a golden yellow spice native to India and Southeast Asia, is one of the most widely used natural food colorings in the commercial food industry. It's used to color cheeses, yogurt, sauces, popcorn, canned beverages, and even cake mixes. But there's more to it than its brilliant yellow-orange hue. 

Turmeric has been used for centuries in ancient Chinese and Indian medicine. In these traditions, it's been credited with many healing properties. Traditionally, it has been recommended for liver detoxification, digestive relief, and joint pain relief. Preliminary scientific research suggests it may have potential for treating high cholesterol, preventing cancer, and relieving skin conditions. 

The main beneficial compound in turmeric is curcumin.  Curcumin is a natural polyphenol found in the root of the turmeric plant. Curcumin is the pigment that gives turmeric its bright yellow coloring. In recent years, interest in turmeric and curcumin has exploded. Sales of turmeric increased 35% between 2004 and 2005, and a flurry of studies is underway. One of the most exciting benefits of turmeric is that it acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, which carry risks of gastrointestinal bleeding and liver damage, turmeric has few reported side effects.

Based on a number of studies over the past few years, some experts believe that curcumin may help ease arthritis pain and stiffness by reducing swelling. Arthritis pain is the result of the activity of COX-2 enzymes in the body. These enzymes cause inflammation around the joints. Curcumin is a natural COX-2 inhibitor. It neutralizes the effects of the pain-inducing enzymes – without the serious side effects of prescription drugs.

Curcumin also shows potential for treating other inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colitis, and Crohn's disease. In laboratory studies, mice were given an inflammatory agent that normally induces colitis. When curcumin was added to their diet five days in advance, they were protected from weight loss and cell damage. In a 2004 pilot study involving 500 volunteers with IBD, two-thirds of participants experienced significant improvement in their symptoms. A  2006 study of ulcerative colitis patients looked at the benefits of using curcumin supplements in addition to medication to prolong remission from symptoms. The results were encouraging. Patients who took curcumin experienced longer periods of relief from symptoms than patients who took drugs alone.

Want to include this spice in your health regimen? Many people prefer to take it in pill form. But it's also a popular culinary ingredient, especially in Indian and Southeast Asian cooking. You don't have to cook and eat Indian curries all the time, though. Turmeric can be integrated into many dishes such as steamed veggies or raw fruits. Just sprinkle it on to suit your taste. Or try mixing it into sour cream, hummus, or yogurt for a tasty and colorful dip.

References:

1. Jurenka JS. Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun;14(2):141-53. Review. Erratum in:
   Altern Med Rev. 2009 Sep;14(3):277
2. Kohli K, Ali J, Ansari MJ, Raheman Z. Curcumin: A natural
   antiinflammatory agent. Indian J Pharmacol 2005;37:141-7
3. Aggarwal BB, Sundaram C, Malani N, Ichikawa H. Curcumin: the Indian
   solid gold. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:1-75.
4. J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Dec;10(6):1015-8.
5. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006 Dec;4(12):1502-6. Epub 2006 Nov 13.

Is sea salt better for you than ordinary table salt? There are no studies showing that to be the case. But there is a difference.

Table salt is comprised of just two minerals, sodium and chloride. Additives are also present that allow the salt to flow smoothly from a saltshaker. Aluminum is one of the more common anti-caking agents. Dextrose, a sugar, may also be used. Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits, or harvested from the evaporation of seawater or salt lakes. It's then processed to remove trace minerals, bleached, and milled for a uniform texture. Many salt processors also add iodine, an essential dietary mineral.

Sea salt, too, is comprised of sodium and chloride. Unlike table salt, however, it also contains 80 or more trace minerals, including iodine. Sea salt is typically harvested by allowing seawater to evaporate in a controlled environment. It's coarse in texture, and grey or pink in color. It's moist to the touch. It tends to clump together, because drying and caking agents are not added. Many cooks insist it has more depth of flavor. It's often used to add texture to a dish. The trace minerals are an added benefit.

Sea salt may taste better, but there is one important thing to remember about both types of salt. They both add sodium to your diet. For anyone on a sodium-restricted diet or who is trying to limit sodium, both sea salt and table salt should be used sparingly.