Joel Fuhrman - Eat To Live

Eat to Live 245

his diet. These individuals should still follow my general recommen-

dations for excellent health and can accommodate their individual

needs by keeping animal-product consumption down to compara-

tively low levels.

Do you recommend low-calorie or no calorie sweeteners?

Sweetening agents, such as NutraSweet (aspartame), are added to

more than six thousand foods and drugs. Many people use these

sweeteners in an effort to control their weight. It doesn't work; it just

perpetuates your desire for unhealthy food. When researchers com-

pared the caloric intake of women fed aspartame-sweetened drinks

with women given higher-calorie beverages, the women given the

aspartame merely consumed more calories later.^26 It is not the solu-

tion.

Since these sweeteners cause brain tumors and seizures in ani-

mals, a legitimate health concern exists, despite the FDA's declara-

tion that aspartame is safe. In the past twenty years, brain tumor

rates have risen in several industrialized countries, including the

United States. Aspartame was introduced to the American market

several years prior to the sharp increase in brain tumor incidence.^27

This suggests to me that the potential danger of aspartame should be

more carefully studied.

Clearly this is a controversial subject because much of the re-

search documenting the so-called safety of aspartame was financed

by the aspartame industry, and a huge amount of political and mon-

etary pressure led to eventual FDA approval. My opinion is that the

possible dangers of aspartame are still unknown. Utilizing such arti-

ficial products is gambling with your health. Aspartame also exposes

us to a methyl ester that may have toxic effects. I recommend play-

ing it safe and sticking to natural foods. Getting rid of your addictions

to unsafe substances is valuable in achieving long-term success.

Many health gurus recommend substituting Stevia in place of ar-

tificial sweeteners. Stevia is natural and its use is permitted in Japan

and other countries. Despite its widespread use, there is a surprising

lack of human clinical trials evaluating its safety. Unlike with saccha-

rin, no evidence has been reported that stevioside and its metabolites

are carcinogenic. However, animal reports of nephrotoxicity do exist,

which suggests that Stevia is likely safer than the other sweeteners, but

not entirely without risk.^28 The extent of risk is unknown at this time.