Is Nutrasweet bad for your health? Does it cause Alzhiemers Disease?
Have you heard or read about the controversy regarding the possible health hazzards of consuming Aspartame(Nutrasweet)? Half of Americans consume some form of artificial sweetner on a daily basis, most likely due to the desire to cut a few calories(or for glucose-sensitive persons).
The National Cancer Institute is currently studying aspartame and other dietary factors to see if aspartame consumption has any relation to an increase of brain tumors. Many reports from nutritionists and health-food advocates claim that two amino acids in aspartame(phenylalanine and aspartic acid) can cause neurotoxic effects and brain dammage. Consider the warning label on products containing aspartame which suggests that persons with the disease phenylketonuria to refrain from consuming them. Many people may not be aware of the fact that pregnant women may have an elevated level of phenylalanine in their blood, thereby placing them in the phenylalanine-sensitive category.
Regardless of the controversy, aspartame cannot be used for cooking,as it breaks down under heat. Saccharin may be used for cooking, but becomes bitter tasting when exposed to heat. A new artificial sweetner, Splenda (sucralose) may be used in cooking. It will not become bitter when heated or break down. It has no calories or carbohydrate values. It has been used in many European countries for twenty years. It has been reviewed by more than 110 animal and human safety studies conducted for over twenty years in the United States. The FDA approved sucralose in 1998. It does not affect blood glucose levels,so diabetics can use it for global-sweetener purposes.
Today, you can purchase splenda in bulk at the health food stores. You may also see Splenda in your local supermarket.