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Essay on health effects of artifical sweeteners
Assignment about artificial sweeteners considering
Essay artificial sweeteners effects on health
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Artificial sweeteners are a food additive that attempts to duplicate the taste of sugar while using less food energy. Artificial sweeteners can be used for weight loss because they have 4 calories per gram and are 180 to 200 times sweeter than regular sugar so less is used. Some examples of artificial sweeteners include Saccharin, Sucralose, and Aspartame. There is ongoing controversy whether artificial sweeteners are health risks because some studies show that they cause diseases in laboratory rats. The following disscusion will deal with one such artfical sweetener: Asparatame.
Aspartame, under the trade name of NutraSweet, is a white, odorless, crystalline powder, which is synthesized from aspartic acid and phenylalanine. They are two naturally occurring and essential amino acids. Aspartame was first discovered in 1969 by a researcher, Mr. James Schlatter, at G.D. Searle & Company. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Aspartame in 1981 for use in tabletop sweeteners and various foods and dry beverage mixes. In 1983, Aspartame was approved for use in carbonated beverages and since then, has been approved for use in any foods and drinks.
Aspartame has many benefits. It has a very similar taste to sugar but, unlike sugar, it does not promote tooth decay. Aspartame does not contain many calories so it can help people manage their weight. As well, Aspartame doesn’t require insulin to metabolize therefore it is useful for patients with diabetes. They can have the benefit of a sweet taste, without elevating their blood sugar. But, as the saying goes: with the sweetness of honey, may come the sting of a bee. The safety of Aspartame has come into question.
The reason why some believe that Aspartame may ...
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...adies from Alzheimer’s to cancers to Parkinson’s. However follow-up studies and review of previous medical studies concluded that the majority of serious illnesses for which the artificial sweeteners were blamed were unfounded. The few concerns that were confirmed depended upon ingestion of massive amounts of the product. The other concerns, like restless leg syndrome and hypoglycemia, are minor associations. Olestra, a fat substitute, can be considered generally safe but with unpleasant side effects when food containing the product is consumed in moderately larger portions than average. All in all, for the general population, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes are safe. A caveat can be made on an individual basis if a person finds that whenever he ingests these products he experiences unwanted symptoms, then the products should obviously be avoided.
A: According to the observations in the table above, I have concluded that icing sugar is the mystery powder. From the very beginning of the experiment it was narrowed down to two substances, icing sugar and cornstarch. It was concluded to be those two because the physical appearance and the texture only matched with icing sugar and cornstarch. The two main factors of finding the mystery powder was the reaction with water and vinegar.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Sweeteners: Issues and Uncertainties. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1975.
Aspartame, or more commonly known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal Measure; was discovered purely by chance in 1965 by a chemist named James M. Schlatter, who was testing an antacid drug (Prantini; 2014). The commercial industry believed that “a wonder product” had been discovered, which stood to revolutionise the food industry as an artificial sweetener. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which is found in many of our foods and beverages universally. Aspartame is two-hundred times sweeter than sugar and is commonly used as a tabletop sweetener, a sweetener in prepared foods, diet foods or drinks, flavored waters, chewing gum, condiments and is even found in flavoring of medicines. It is found in majority of our food products marketed for weight control (Prantini; 2014). Aspartame has a sweeter taste in comparison to sugar, and therefore less of the sweetener can be used in food products in order to achieve the same level of sweetness as if sugar was used; which results in an individual consuming fewer calories and less sugar (American Cancer Society; 2014).
Consuming energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and the 5- Hour Energy Shot, which contains caffeine and other additives, is dangerous to an individual’s health and in some cases fatal. Manufacturers of energy drinks claim consumption of their products will improve athletic performance, concentration and reaction time, as well increase basal metabolism. However, manufacturers’ of energy drinks add additional energy-enhancing ingredients such as glucose, taurine, guarana and ginseng. Each of those ingredients has numerous adverse side effects, see table 1 on page 8. Yet, energy drink manufacturers are not required to list the amount or type of additive used in their products. According to the Food and Drug administration (FDA), approval of the FDA is required in order to use additives in conventional foods. Dietary supplements, is considered by the FDA as generally recognizes safe by qualified experts therefore not considered a food additive. Unfortunately, the FDA need not approve adding them to conventional foods such as drinks. Consequently, manufacturers of energy drinks are taking advantages of this by labeling their products as “dietary supplements. “ Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be in a position to regulate the ingredients added to energy drinks. In addition, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which regulates both dietary supplements and conventional foods does not require manufacturers of conventional foods to report serious adverse events (FDA, 2012).
Abstract: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), like many other unhealthy constituents that are used in foods, is cheap and retains the taste of the natural products it emulates, possibly even surpassing them in many areas. However, experiments have shown that fructose is not an ideal sugar for human consumption, not to mention the fact that the use of GM ingredients can be dangerous. In order to prevent the continued consumption of this noxious sugar, food producers should use healthy alternative sweeteners to prevent the further dependence on HFCS in our foods and drinks.
ingredient was put on labels. In fact, this act was given to the Bureau of Chemistry section in the
The average American eats 156 pounds of added sugar each year. Sugar is delicious and once we have it, our body constantly wants more. Added sugar has become an American epidemic. “Eighty percent, or 480,000 of the 600,000 food products sold within the U.S. have added sugar, which, according to researchers and medical doctors, is why we have the world 's highest obesity rate is at 31 percent,” (Fed Up). The addictive quality of added sugar makes our brains want more of it constantly; however, our bodies are being negatively affected by its consumption in many ways.
HFCS can be habit forming since it is a sweet replacement for sugar and in his article Peretti mentions that David Kessler said “sugar, through its metabolisation by the gut and hence the brain, is extremely addictive, just like cigarettes or alcohol.” People enjoy the taste and because of this they consume large quantities, which lead to health factors such as: obesity, diabetes, heart problems, infertility, liver problems, and so on. Our limited perspective may cause us to lose sight of how much of a risk HFCS possesses.... ... middle of paper ... ...
dangerous for the body, and can many times lead to being very ill or death.
American Cancer Society. “Aspartame. What is Aspartame?” Learn About Cancer, Carcinogens. N.P. 17 February 2011
... in food in the cafeteria lead to clogging the arteries that eventually lead to heart diseases (Ardis). Nevertheless, artificial sweeteners have not been tested in humans and show kids they are healthier, rather than real sugar and real sweeteners, when in reality they contain ingredients that can cause cancer.
Four solutions were tested an out of the four only one had a color change, meaning that it had alcohol present. This solution was methanol and of course it would produce a color change because methanol is an alcohol. One solution that should have changed color was solution 4, the base-hydrolyzed aspartame, but it did not produce a color change when aqueous ceric ammonium nitrate reagent. Water and fresh aqueous aspartame are not going to produce a color change because there is no alcohol group in there structure.
Consuming sugar is a part of American daily diet. People consume vast amounts of sugar daily without awareness. Sugar added contributes to extended calories that distributes extra pounds onto individual’s bodies. However, added sugar fails to become
Although many things in life are helpful, they can become harmful when overused. This is true for anything, whether it?s food, drinks (including water), drugs, or even medicine. For example, medicine is only beneficial to your body in limited amounts, and once that limit is reached, anything above it becomes damaging. When consuming food, medicine, etc., make sure you know how much is useful and how much is harmful. Use everything in moderation.