Fat News: Artificial Sweetners: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The New York Times ran an article on artificial sweetners yesterday, which made me oh so happy (Brody, Jane E. "Sweeteners: Real Aid or Excuse to Indulge?" The New York Times. 16 February 2009.) I was delighted to discover that the vast majority of non-caloric sweeteners that we often use (for example, the high amounts of aspartame I consume in the form of Diet Coke) have not been linked to cancer (they reported on one study done in the 60s that found that the risk of developing bladder cancer increases when two non-caloric sweeteners are combined).

The article reported that people attempting to lose weight can use non-caloric sweeteners as an effective substitute for regular sugar, but one should be careful about using artificial sweeteners like Splenda in exchange for something high in calories (i.e. - putting Sweet & Low in your coffee doesn't make up for your apple pie and ice cream).

Good news for all of us Diet Coke fiends out there... I know I'm not alone. Those of you who are into regular soda - you can cut down on your caloric intake SO MUCH by simply switching from regular to Diet. I know that the taste is different... but if I can make myself go from 2% milk to skim, I know you can do it!

Check out the full article here.