Americans have a sweet tooth. And the artificial sweeteners we use to satisfy it may cause weight gain or even promote cancer. In the past 20 years, sugar consumption per person has increased from 26 pounds a year to 135 pounds. In the 19th century, the average consumption per year was five pounds. As our appetite for sugar increased, artificial sweeteners were created to be a healthy, low-calorie substitute for sugar. But actress and health expert Suzanne Somers says artificial sweeteners can be habit forming and cancer causing.

Today, you'll find artificial sweeteners in everything from diet sodas to yogurt and baked goods, and you're told by manufacturers that they are good for you. For years, many people, including Somers and world-renowned neurologist Dr. Russell Blaylock, have doubted the manufacturers' claims, fearing the sweeteners could cause a variety of health problems, including cancer. Recent studies indicate they were right all along.

"I don't use any artificial sweeteners," says Somers, who fought a successful battle against breast cancer more than 10 years ago. Suzanne has amassed research from numerous medical experts that show artificial sweeteners can cause ailments ranging from lupus and multiple sclerosis to cancer.

What's the difference between different types of sweeteners, and which are the safest? Read on.

The Fakes:

• Saccharin (SweetN' Low, Sugar Twin). Discovered in 1879, saccharin was the first major artificial sweetener and was widely used and accepted until it was linked with bladder cancer in laboratory rats in the 1970s. It's up to 700 times sweeter than table sugar, but has a bitter aftertaste. One of five artificial sweeteners approved by the FDA, many experts consider it the safest.

"Many years ago I recommended this product as an alternative to sugar," Somers says. "I felt it was better than aspartame if you were going to use an artificial sweetener. With the information I have today, I still think it is the least offensive of the artificial sweeteners."

• Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal). Approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar, asparatame was touted as the new safe sweetener in the 1980s. Questions of its safety began to appear in the 90s along with articles linking it to brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, and lupus. Leading the charge against aspartame was Dr. Blaylock, who was quoted as saying, "The ingredients stimulate the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees."

"In 2008," Somers said, "I interviewed Blaylock for my book, “Breakthrough” and he cited two new studies by one of the biggest cancer research institutes in the world, the Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in Italy. The results confirmed that aspartame breaks down in the body to formaldehyde, which breaks up the DNA and leaves the body with double-strand breaks, most associated with cancer induction."

The results left no doubt in Dr. Blaylock's mind. “We had good evidence before that aspartame most likely produced cancer, and now we know it does for sure,” he said.

• Sucralose (Splenda). Sucralose followed aspartame as the next "miracle" sweetener. Since it was made from sugar, although approximately 600 times as sweet, proponents claimed it tastes like sugar and hinted it was natural. But Somers discovered differently. "Come to find out, sucralose is made by taking a sugar molecule and adding chlorine to it," Somers said. "I am always shocked when I tell people this and they say, 'So? What’s the problem with chlorine?'"

Somers found exactly what the problem was when she interviewed Dr. Steven Hotze. He stated, "Any chlorinated hydrocarbon in the world is toxic, carcinogenic. Splenda was originally made as a pesticide — go dump it on your ant beds and come back tomorrow to see all the dead ants."

In addition to the toxic qualities of artificial sweeteners, Somers says studies show that artificial sweeteners are addictive. "This addiction makes us crave more and more sweet foods and can actually cause weight gain, rather than weight loss — which is the reason most people use these products anyway."

The Real Stuff:

• Stevia. A natural sweetener extracted from a South American plant that's approximately 300 times sweeter than table sugar. "There are no controversial reports on the health or safety of this natural sweetener," says Somers. Stevia can have a strong bitter or licorice after-taste, especially at high concentrations

• Agave syrup. A 100-percent natural product made from several agave species, agave syrup is sweeter than honey. "I have been using agave nectar as a low-glycemic liquid sweetener for the past five years or so," says Somers. "It’s the consistency of honey, but is not supposed to spike insulin, like honey. There is controversial information that the manufacturing process turns this natural sweetener into a syrup, similar to high fructose corn syrup."

• SomerSweet. This is Somers' signature sweetener. "It’s 100 percent natural," Somers said. "It's made mostly made from inulin, which is a chicory fiber. This is a pre-biotic soluble fiber — something your body needs anyway." SomerSweet can be used like table sugar to sweeten tea or coffee, and can be used in place of sugar in recipes.

• Raw sugar, honey, white sugar. "All are accepted by the body as sugar," says Somers. "I prefer honey of the three, then raw sugar, then white sugar. All cause increases in insulin, our fat storing hormone. Controlling this hormone, so that our food is burned as fuel rather than stored as fat, is a key tenet to my weight loss plan, “Sexy Forever,” so I moderate my use of all of these sugars." They are all much better choices than artificial sweeteners, says Somers, but should be used in moderation.

"Absolutely no one should be eating artificial sweeteners," says Dr. Blaylock, but he carries his advice one step further: "We really weren't meant to eat sugar either," he said. "American diets, which contain more sugar than diets in other parts of the world, are a major cause of disease. In fact, sugar and omega-6 fats, like corn oil, are the two major destroyers of our health."

http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Headline/Somers-artificial-sweeteners-cancer/2011/12/22/id/477953/