Artificial sweetener cleared of cancer link

[Not_Just_DNA]

I know many people are convinced artificial sweetener either directly or indirectly causes a variety of cancers. And I know this study will not convince most of those people, but I get the impression that this was a very sound study and plan to read up more about it in general. I will be interested to see if there any similar studies done in the future by reputable sources.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12155793/

And yet I will admit despite this study, I do approach artificial sweeteners differently than I used to. I used to drink a fair amount of diet soda when suddenly out of the blue I developed Grave's disease and very nearly died as a result of thyroid storm and resulting medical complications- I've had radiation, etc. so hopefully in time I will recover fully. I keep finding information about sweeteners and Grave's disease and am curious if there is statistically significant link or if it is all coincidence. Only time will tell I suppose.

[HollyElise]

I've been hearing more and more stories about artificial sweeteners and GAINING weight. Here is one article:

http://www.newstarget.com/001253.html

Even casual observation at the supermarket will show you that most people who drink a lot of diet soda are obese. If it worked... wouldn't they be maintaining a better weight?

If you examine instead the habits of people who DO maintain health and a healthy weight, you will see a very strong bias in favor of the more natural diet.... organic, unprocessed foods... LOTS of vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, beans, fish, whole grains, lean meats in moderation, and natural sweeteners, sparingly. And the drink of choice? water.

Try to find people (over the age of 30, where our habits more clearly show on our bodies)... who use artificial sweeteners on a regular basis and who have a healthy weight and good health. I think you'll be hard pressed to find them.

You can't get thin and healthy by emulating the habits of fat and unhealthy people. If you want to model health... then find out the habits of healthy people. They are not out buying diet soda by the case, i assure you.

So my question is, if artificial sweeteners aren't working well for maintaining a healthy weight, why take even more risks on top of it?

[Not_Just_DNA]

That is a very interesting read! You make a good point- I wonder why so many people force diet products (artificial sweeteners) on themselves in order to lose weight when the best route would be to just to emulate the habits of healthy individuals. I agree with everything you have just said. I started buying diet soda occasionally in college from vending machines or such, perhaps for caffeine, maybe 2 a day. I personally never drank diet sodas due to weight issues, nor had weight issues as a result- I’m 105lbs. soaking wet, I actually need to gain back some weight I lost from the grave's disease. I am pretty health conscious, although not perfect- my two worst enemies being Ben and Jerry. I have cut out all soda and caffeine, now I drink mostly water, some decaf coffee in the morning. Little changes can affect our bodies significantly.

The key for me has always been exercise- I have always been a jogger. Unfortunately I had to stop per Dr’s orders, but hopefully can start back soon. It’s amazing how much your body misses exercise when it’s a real part of your daily life. For those struggling with weight it really is about changing habits.

[HollyElise]

Well, you probably have a much better diet than me, even with Ben&Jerry's!

My special weakness is white mocha coffee with whipped cream on top! ...but what i'm trying to work on is eating more vegetables. I've been pretty bad in that area lately, and with two friends fighting breast cancer, it's a weekly reminder to me to improve my diet!

When i'm in the market and getting in to the check out line i always check my basket one last time for it's health content. I am allowed ONE treat if i want it, and one treat only, per trip. Your power is when you are deciding whether or not to bring it home, not when you have it in the house. But largely, my basket should be filled with vegetables, fruits, dairy like yogurt and cheese, almonds, salmon, brown rice, lentils... maybe some "goodies" like sundried tomatoes or olives or avacado, maybe a little beef to put into stew....

.....now look in other people's baskets in the check out line! I found this so enlightening!!! Sometimes it's even hillarious... sometimes it's sad. It's funny what you can guess about people based on what they are getting. Families with "fruit roll-ups," "cheese-product," bags of candy and GOBS of meat, and whiny, overweight, kids. Single men with a 12 pack of beer and fried chicken from the deli. And looking at what people buy... and then looking at their weight and health.... aHAH! This is where i got my best education and it became clear to me how our food determines our destiny... not from reading any article.

You're right about the exercise, too, though. Lately i've been walking about 6 kilometers a day, and occassionally doing a routine with dumbbells and super crunches. Slowly my body is coming around again to what it was a few years ago, when i was pretty much at my peak.

[Not_Just_DNA]

I'm sorry about your friends, that is so hard. My mom fought that battle for 8 years. So I also try to eat lots of veggies, since there are so many studies now concerning diet and cancer. I get my veggies in mostly from salad, I pick either the lunch or dinner meal to be a salad, that way I get enough in to count them as pretty much all my veggies for the day. I eat fruit in the morning and afternoon.

But I certainly have my vices. This is the first time I've been in a situation to need to gain a little weight and instead of planning a higher calorie diet accordingly I keep reaching for the chunky monkey every night around 8pm.

The grocery carts are pretty interesting. It's really true that we are what we eat- and certainly we are what we take home to eat.
I guess it's all a learning process, I know for me the habits I have changed slowly over time are the ones I have stuck with the easiest.

[HollyElise]

It's pretty hard to eat healthy in today's culture. Take yesterday, for example....

I was about to go for my walk, which is about 6 kilometers. I was hungry, so as i passed a store on my way out of town i went in to get some juice. Wading through the sodas, Nutrisweet flavored waters, etc., I was surprised and pleased to see a single serving container that read PINK GRAPEFRUIT in big letters with appetizing pictures of grapefruit on it so i bought it and started drinking on my way out of town.

Later when i was back home and putting the bottle into recycling i noticed it didn't actually say JUICE on the label. Getting one of those queer feelings i decided to read the ingredients list.... finding a looooong panel i read the first ingredient: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

ARRRRRRRGHGHGHGHG!!!!! They GOT ME!

EVIL. It's just evil, i tell you!

[Celyn]

Hahah Holly. They got you. Nevermind, I think that was only because you were suddenly hungry and it was something of a rushed impulse buy. I bet your more usual shopping is fiendishly clever. You could take up carrying a little haversack on your walks - that way it's easy to carry a bottle of water and a couple of bananas for snacks - nice, instant, pre-packed convenience food!