SUGAR. The cocaine of the food world. It’s delicious. We can’t get enough of it, but excess sugar consumption can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, and other health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons (24 grams) of added sugar per day and men consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) of added sugar per day.
Welcome, dear readers, to the wacky world of artificial sweeteners! Buckle up, these extraordinary substances are here to revolutionize the way we sweeten our lives!
Let's take a look at five of the most popular artificial sweeteners and uncover the truth about why you should definitely kick sugar for good and use a perfectly safe and delicious artificial sweetener instead.
Saccharin: The Sweet Surprise!
Did you know that saccharin, the poster child of alternative sweeteners, was initially a pesticide?
Talk about a happy accident!
Yes, you read that right! It's the pesticide that decided it’d had enough with killing bugs and wanted to satisfy your sweet tooth instead.
It’s 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose), and doesn’t contain any calories.
Saccharin is made from coal tar, a byproduct of the petroleum industry.
Coal tar is first heated to a high temperature, and then treated with ammonia gas. The ammonia gas reacts with the coal tar... to form saccharin!
Talk about a transformation! Who needs sugar when you can have a pinch of bug-killing delight?
**Saccharin is also approved for use for certain technological purposes.
Aspartame: (more) Sweetness from the Petroleum Gods!
Love the thought of sweetening your beverages with petroleum byproducts?
Well, you're in for a treat! Aspartame is made from two amino acids: phenylalanine and aspartic acid. These amino acids are extracted from petroleum byproducts, a.k.a. the leftover materials from the refining of crude oil.
When eaten, Aspartame is broken down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol in the small intestine. The aspartic acid and phenylalanine are absorbed into the bloodstream, while the Methanol is absorbed into the bloodstream and oxidized into formaldehyde in the liver which is excreted from your body in the potty.
It's like adding a touch of fossil fuel flavor to your morning coffee. Now that's what we call a unique experience!
Erythritol: Nature's Fruity, Fermented Fun!
Erythritol is used in sugar substitutes like Splenda Naturals and Truvia.
Erythritol occurs naturally in some fruits, like pears and grapes, but why bother with nature when we can manufacture it?
The process involves fermenting glucose with yeast. Here are some nifty details about the manufacturing process of erythritol:
The starch hydrolysis step can be carried out using a variety of acids or enzymes. The most common acid used is hydrochloric acid, while the most common enzyme used is α-amylase.
The fermentation step can be carried out using a variety of yeasts. The most common yeast used is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but other yeasts, such as Candida utilis, can also be used.
Voila! You've got yourself a sweetener that's as natural as a lab-grown beard.
*A new study has found that a popular artificial sweetener called Erythritol has been linked to greater risk of blood clots that could lead to heart attacks or strokes.
**Erythritol has also come under fire recently because of another new study linking it to adverse cardiac events and thrombosis.
***These studies did not necessarily prove erythritol causes heart disease and stroke, only that there is an association between the two.
Xylitol: Gum for Your Dentist's Delight!
Are you tired of breath mints? Say no more! (no, really, it’s horrible, please close your mouth)
Xylitol, the dance partner of your taste buds, is here to revolutionize your chewing gum experience. Xylitol is made from xylose, a sugar alcohol that can be found in a variety of natural sources, including birch trees, corn cobs, and sugar beets.
The most common method of manufacturing xylitol is by hydrogenation of xylose in the presence of a metal catalyst. The most common catalysts used for xylitol production are platinum and palladium.
Platinum is a more active catalyst than palladium, but it is also more expensive. Palladium is a less active catalyst, but it is less expensive than platinum.
First, the xylose is dissolved in water and the catalyst is added. Then mixture is then heated to the desired temperature and the hydrogen gas is added.
The reaction is allowed to proceed for a set period of time. The reaction is then stopped and the xylitol is separated from the reaction mixture.
*Due to the adverse laxative effect that ALL polyols (sugar alcohols) have on the digestive system, xylitol is banned from soft drinks in the European Union.
Splenda: Sugar's Mysterious Doppelgänger!
Created by chemically modifying sugar and adding chlorine atoms, Splenda promises to make your taste buds question reality. It's like sugar's identical twin, but with a secret chemistry lab twist.
Let's unravel the mysteries of Splenda.
Splenda is Sucralose. The world's most commonly used artificial sweetener, sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in beverages, frozen desserts, chewing gum, baked goods, and other foods.
Originally, sucralose (like saccharine) was found through the development of a new insecticide compound. It was never meant to be consumed.
However, it was later introduced as a “natural sugar substitute” to the masses, and people had no idea that the stuff was actually toxic.
A recent study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Science, which was conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that when sucralose was heated to high temperatures, such as those used in frying or baking, it broke down into chloropropanols.
Chloropropanols are a class of compounds that have been linked to a number of health problems, including cancer, liver damage, and reproductive toxicity.
A 2020 study published in Cell Metabolism found that the consumption of sucralose in the presence of a carbohydrate rapidly impaired glucose metabolism and resulted in the dysregulation of gut-brain control of glucose metabolism.
That means sucralose triggers diabetes.
But, Sucralose only makes up about 5 percent of Splenda!
The other 95 percent contains a bulking agent called maltodextrin, which serves as filler, and corn-based dextrose, a type of sugar. Being that it is biochemically identical to glucose, it’s sometimes used medically to raise a person’s blood sugar levels when they are too low.
While digestive enzymes are needed to break down sucrose, or table sugar, into single molecules, dextrose is ready to be absorbed immediately.
*BONUS*
This article simply would not feel complete without mentioning sweet options like yacon syrup, sorbitol(glucitol), and monk fruit.
These quirky sweeteners come with their own set of surprises. For instance, pretty much everyone greatly dislikes the taste of stevia, and sorbitol is known for causing digestive distress.
But hey, who doesn't enjoy a good pants-crapping every now and then? It's the epitome of sophistication, just ask the current U.S. President.
A little "(p)OOPSIE" never hurt anyone's public image.
In conclusion, dear readers, the journey through the world of sugar alternatives is a mind-bending expedition from accidental pesticides to petroleum-infused pleasures and surprise poo-poo pants.
So, embrace the laughter, ponder the perplexity, and above all:
Please consider quitting sugar.
All of the experts say that it’s really really bad for you.
•
•https://youtube.com/shorts/RkkkFBSPlRw?feature=share
•
*** This author generates media with contributions from (and/or in collaboration with) various A.I., which is then reviewed, edited, and revised to the liking of the author, who takes ultimate responsibility for all publications.***
For less than the cost of a small, hot, decaf soy latte, xsweet w/ssyrup, you can let me know that i’m somewhat entertaining.(it’s free)