The Dangers Of Artificial Sweetener

Artificial sweeteners are very popular with those people on a diet, but do you really know what you are adding to your coffee or tea?

The World Health Organization (WHO) classified aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener, as a possible carcinogen. The decision was based on limited evidence and didn’t change the recommended acceptable daily intake levels for aspartame.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in many low-calorie products like Diet Coke and sugar-free Jell-O. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decades ago, but some people continue to question the safety of this sugar substitute.1

The WHO’s cancer research group, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), uses four categories to classify carcinogens or cancer-causing agents.

Aspartame is now listed in Group 2B alongside things like gasoline, lead, and whole-leaf aloe vera extract. Group 1 consists of harmful substances with “sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans,” including tobacco smoke and ultraviolet radiation.2

To be placed in Group 2B, the research group must find “limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans,” “sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals,” or “strong evidence that the agent exhibits key characteristics of carcinogens (regardless of whether from exposed humans or human cells or from experimental systems).” “For current consumers of diet drinks, this news isn’t cause for major alarm. Aspartame has been classed in IARC’s Category 2B, which means there’s limited evidence that it might cause cancer, not that it does or is likely to,” Alexandra Jones, PhD, Senior Research Fellow in Food Policy and Law at the George Institute for Global Health in Australia, said in a statement.

How Dangerous Is Aspartame?

Some people have turned to aspartame and other artificial sweeteners as a way to reduce their sugar intake. Consuming too many added sugars has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

But with the news that aspartame is a “possible carcinogen,” some people may wonder if the swap from sugar to aspartame is worth it. Carcinogens are cancer-causing. This doesn't mean you will get cancer but you are increasing your risk. Many people get cancer from carcinogens but not everyone, so if you are at high risk for cancer cutting out carcinogens is a way to lower your risk.

“No one ingredient or food increases cancer risk. It’s the amounts and patterns of food we consume over time, along with other genetic and lifestyle factors, that influence health risk,” Debbie Petitpain, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian in Charleston, South Carolina, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Verywell in an email.

Aspartame is one of six sweeteners currently approved by the FDA as “safe for the general population under certain conditions of use.” The FDA determined that it’s safe for most people to consume up to 50 mg/kg body weight of aspartame every day.

In tandem with IARC’s possibly carcinogenic classification, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of aspartame is 40 milligrams/kilogram of body weight.

“To exceed this, a 150-pound person, who would have a daily limit of 3,400 milligrams, would have to consume 19 cans of diet soda or more than 85 individual packets of aspartame every day over the course of their lifetime,” Petitpain said.

The available research on aspartame and cancer has offered some mixed results. A controversial animal study from 2006 linked aspartame to cancer in rats,4 but an observational study published the same year didn’t find a link between aspartame and an increased risk of brain cancers in humans.

However, an observational study in 2022 suggested that aspartame may increase overall cancer risk in humans, especially obesity-related cancers and breast cancer.

The FDA maintains that aspartame is safe for most people and the website states that the agency has “reviewed more than 100 studies designed to identify possible toxic effects, including studies that assess effects on the reproductive and nervous systems, carcinogenicity, and metabolism.”1

“When a substance or product may have cancer-causing potential, it is essential to weigh the benefits and health risks. The most important piece is for individuals to have transparency on the safety information to make an informed decision,” Sudarsan Kollimuttathuillam, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope in California, told Verywell in an email.

Try Another Sweetener If You Are Worried About Aspartame, it's always important to read the labels.

If you’re concerned about aspartame, look at nutrition labels to determine if your favorite products contain this artificial sweetener. It is also known by the brand names NutraSweet and Equal.

You don’t have to give up all sweets if you decide to avoid aspartame. Petitpain recommends using some of the other FDA-approved non-nutritive sweeteners like saccharin or sucralose or one of the sweeteners, such as stevia, monk fruit, or allulose, that the FDA has said are “Generally Recognized as Safe.”

She also said that some people can decide to consume foods and drinks with low amounts of added sugar.

“Examples include beverages such as water, unsweetened tea or coffee, 100% juices or milk, and snacks including fruits, nuts, unsweetened yogurt and other whole foods,” she said.

For now, the only strong health advisory against aspartame is for people with phenylketonuria (PKU) who can’t break down the protein phenylalanine which is found in aspartame.

“If you have concerns about aspartame or its potential impact on your health, it is always advisable to consult with a healthcare professional who can provide personalized advice based on your specific circumstances,” Kollimuttathuillam said.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Another Article I found

 An article by the Mayo Clinic Staff

When it comes to weight loss, there's no shortage of diet plans. Check any magazine rack, and you're bound to see the latest and greatest diet plans. But how do you know if a diet plan fits your needs and lifestyle?

Ask yourself these questions about any diet plan you're considering:

Does it include various foods from the major food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources, and nuts?

Does it include foods you like and that you would enjoy eating for a lifetime — not just for several weeks or months?

Can you easily find these foods in your local grocery store?

Will you be able to eat your favorite foods or, better yet, all foods (even if some are in small quantities)?

Does it fit your lifestyle and budget?

Does it include proper amounts of nutrients and calories to help you lose weight safely and effectively?

Is regular physical activity part of the plan?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, keep looking. There are better diet plans out there for you.

The best plan is the one you can stick with for life.

I think we all have that idea that all you have to do is cut back on the snacks, cut back on the alcohol, and the weight will come off. That's what you did last time and you lost 5 pounds. This will be easy peasy. 

That's probably not going to work. It's easy to lose a few pounds but doesn't always come back? The truth is that the weight will always come back because you're still eating the same foods and drinking the same drinks that put on the weight. 

The only way to lose weight permanently is to lose body fat. Forget the scale. When you drop 2 pants, then you're losing fat. At that point, keep it up. Your waist, at your navel, should be half your height. For example, If you're 5'10", that's 70 inches, your waist should measure 35 inches.

You want to measure your waist early in the morning before eating or drinking. You should be standing straight with your muscles relaxed.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

How Much Belly Fat Is Risky?

 

Whether it's on the latest magazine cover, during a doctor's appointment, or even just in the department store change room, belly fat seems to be getting a lot of our attention these days. But how do you know whether your personal stockpile of abdominal fat is a longevity threat, or just a cosmetic nuisance?

As we get older, fat tends to migrate towards the mid-section of our body, whether we're male or female.

Many women notice a "menopot", or thickening of their waistline after menopause. This can be true even if they traditionally had a flat tummy, and haven't gained any weight. Yes, as you get older your waistline can grow and you don't have to gain weight. Other parts of your body are naturally shrinking. Your muscle mass can shrink over 50, especially if you don't workout.

You can avoid that menopot by changing your diet and doing some exercise. It's inactivity that will change your body's shape.

Read more: Help! My body shape is changing!
While subcutaneous fat sits just beneath your skin and is not considered dangerous, visceral fat that surrounds your internal organs is hormonally-active tissue associated with insulin resistance and a host of other serious problems. Visceral fat can lead to diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors that increase your chances of cardiovascular disease, even death.

Read more: How obesity hurts your liver
One way to assess your belly fat risk is to measure your waist-to-hip ratio; a ratio of 0.8 or less in women, or 1.0 or less in men is considered within a healthy range. Other methods of measuring visceral fat include computerized tomography which uses multiple x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound technology.

Get the answer lying down: In her book Fit to Live, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland's medical school Pamela Peeke, MD, has this advice on a low-tech way to determine which kind of six-pack you're packing:

Lie down on your back
Feel for your pelvic bones with your index fingers
Contract your abdominal muscle as if you were lifting something very heavy
Feel your abdomen from side to side
Peeke writes that if your abdominal muscle stays quite flat as you're bearing down, then the fat you feel on your abdomen is subcutaneous, or "outer" fat. If, on the other hand, your abdominal muscle sticks out (as though you're slightly pregnant), it means you have dangerous visceral fat within your abdominal cavity.

Try it! While crunches and other ab exercises may tone your belly, they won't remove the fat inside it. The good news is that getting rid of any body fat will help diminish the amount of visceral fat within your abdomen. Eating enough fruits and vegetables, fiber, whole grains and fish — all part of a Mediterranean-style anti-aging diet — as well as regular daily exercise will help you lose pounds and dangerous belly fat.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

 

Can You Be Kind Of Fat And Still Fit?

The short answer is NO!! It is not possible to be both. Yes, younger adults will feel fine even if they’re overweight, but if they don’t exert themselves, they don’t use much energy so they feel fine. In their minds, they don’t see what’s wrong with being overweight. Young people all have that attitude that they will deal with it if it happens.  As a person ages, the extra weight caused by the extra fat you are carrying will cause health problems. This blog post will give you the details.

Extra weight linked to extra risk, even if blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol all normal

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

No amount of extra weight is good for your heart, no matter how fit you are by other measures, new British research shows.

“Our findings suggest that if a patient is overweight or obese, all efforts should be made to help them get back to a healthy weight, regardless of other factors,” said study co-author Camille Lassale, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health.

“Even if their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol appear within the normal range, excess weight is still a risk factor,” Lassale said in a university news release. In fact, the increased risk of developing heart disease was more than 25 percent, the study found.

The study used statistics about the health of people in 10 European countries. Researchers focused on weight and signs of heart disease when blood vessels become clogged.

The authors looked at more than 7,600 people who had cardiovascular events such as death from heart attack and compared them to 10,000 people who didn’t have heart problems.

After adjusting their figures so they wouldn’t be thrown off by other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that people with three or more heart risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or large waist sizes (more than 37 inches for men and 31 inches for women) were more than twice as likely to have heart disease, regardless of whether their weight was normal or above normal.

However, those who were considered overweight yet healthy were still 26 percent more likely to develop heart disease than their normal-weight peers. Those considered healthy but obese had a 28 percent higher risk, the study found.

The findings, which don’t prove that extra weight causes heart risks to rise, were published Aug. 14 in the European Heart Journal.

“I think there is no longer this concept of healthy obese,” said study co-author Ioanna Tzoulaki, a senior lecturer in epidemiology at the university.

“If anything, our study shows that people with excess weight who might be classed as ‘healthy’ haven’t yet developed an unhealthy metabolic profile. That comes later in the timeline, then they have an event, such as a heart attack,” 

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Why Do So Many People Have A Weight Problem?

 “According to the Mayo Clinic, many factors affect your weight, such as genetics, age, gender, hormones, medications, stress, sleep quality, and physical activity. However, the most important factor is your diet. What you eat and drink has a direct impact on how many calories you consume and how many calories you burn. Therefore, choosing the right diet plan is crucial for achieving your weight loss goals.”

Gaining excess body fat is all about your diet. And if you are looking to blame your parents, well yes, everything you ate before you started going to the "Lunch Room" at your school, was your parent's fault. Those foods you ate at home or in your lunch box came from your Mom. She taught you what to eat.

But in defense of your parents, kids are very fussy and parents spend a lot of time trying to get you to me. I remember taking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch all through grammar school. After that, I think it was baloney and cheese. 

Everything you eat and drink has an effect on your body. One important thing that people didn't realize until recently is that the body can't process chemicals. That means the body can't pass chemicals through the digestive system. What happens is chemicals are stored in fat cells where they remain. Chemicals will remain in those cells and accumulate. After years of accumulation, they can form a mass and damage organs. 

By avoiding chemicals in food and drinks you can live a healthier life.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Is Obesity Hardwired To The Brain?

 Some people become obese because their food cravings are built-in, according to new research.

Australian and Spanish research teams came to their conclusions using MRI brain scans to investigate people’s responses to pictures of food. They found that a food craving activates different brain networks in obese people compared to those at a normal weight.

More than one-third of U.S. adults are considered obese.

The scientists say the risk of obesity may be tied to the brain, which could also explain why some people have more trouble losing weight and sticking to diets.

Other studies have suggested that the way the brain responds to food in some obese people is similar to alcohol or drug addiction, the researchers say.

Teams from the University of Granada in Spain and Monash University in Australia gave buffet food to 39 obese people and 42 with normal weights.

They were then given a functional or real-time MRI brain scan while being shown pictures of the food to stimulate food cravings.

Specific activity was observed in different brain parts that appeared to be related to the person’s weight category.

In the obese group, there was greater connectivity between the dorsal caudate and the somatosensory cortex — brain parts associated with rewards, habits, and high-calorie food.

In the normal-weight group, though, there was greater connectivity between different parts of the ventral putamen and the brain's orbitofrontal cortex which is linked with decision-making.

About 11% of the weight gain and body mass index (BMI) changes 3 months later could be predicted from the brain scans in some of the obese people.

Food Addiction

“There is an ongoing controversy over whether obesity can be called a ‘food addiction,’ but in fact, there is very little research which shows whether or not this might be true,” lead researcher Oren Contreras-Rodríguez says in a statement. “The findings in our study support the idea that the reward processing following food stimuli in obesity is associated with neural changes similar to those found in substance addiction.

“This still needs to be viewed as an association between food craving behavior and brain changes, rather than one necessarily causing the other.”

The researchers say the findings may point the way to using brain scans to diagnose the way some people respond to food and new drug or brain stimulation treatments for obesity.

These findings were presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual conference in Amsterdam. They haven’t yet undergone the “peer review” process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data before publication in a medical journal.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you are trying to be a healthier person

Start by doing more walking

Tips for Increasing Your Daily Step Count

Join a community exercise or walking group

Stroll through a new part of your town, a local park or trail, or a different neighborhood

Use a treadmill or indoor track if walking outside isn’t ideal or possible

Skip the elevator and take the stairs

Park your car further away from your destination

Take breaks during the day to do laps around your office, house, or yard

Put on some music and get moving at home, or listen to an audiobook or podcast while puttering around doing chores

While del Pozo Cruz’s study pointed to the 3,800 to 9,800 steps per day as being a possible “sweet spot” for decreasing the risk of cognitive decline, it’s far from an all-or-nothing rule.

What are the positives you get from more walking? I think the best thing is that it will increase blood flow. It's also a good exercise for your heart. A stronger heart will last longer. 

Now I know that some seniors suffer from knee pain so walking is difficult. You still need to walk more. Buy a knee wrap to support the knee. I have two. The one that works the best for me is adjustable. One size fits all. It uses velcro to tighten it. I walk an extra 30 minutes a day. 

Get a step counter, or use a cell phone app to count your steps for you. Most cell phones have a free app that can tell you how far you walk, how many steps you take, and how much time you spend walking.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.