Free Republic

New research has discovered that common artificial sweeteners can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall, potentially leading to serious health issues. The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is the first to show the pathogenic effects of some of the most widely used artificial sweeteners—saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame—on two types of gut bacteria, E. coli (Escherichia coli) and E. faecalis (Enterococcus faecalis). Previous studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can change the number and type of bacteria in the gut, but this new molecular research, led by academics from Anglia...

I’ve jumped on the train to better, sugar-free health and have been trying the more healthy sweeteners - the “sugar alcohols” that aren’t supposed to be as questionable as the synthetics (Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucrolase, etc.) Just wondering what experience other FReeper have had with these, and what preferences you’ve come to. I’ve been using Stevia for a couple of years now and like it’s very sugar-like flavor and potency. I recently bought some Xylitol and Erytritol, to not so glowing report. I found the Xylitol just OK, but I had to use a lot of it to have a sweetening...

Artificial sweeteners are an important class of sugar substitutes known as high-intensity sweeteners. These substances provide a sweeter taste than sugar and also enhance food flavor, while contributing very little to energy intake.The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has approved the use of six artificial sweeteners, which includes aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, advantame, neotame and acesulfame potassium-k (ace-k), in food and beverages. The recent EU legislation has also approved these artificial sweeteners.-snip- “The results of our study might help in understanding the relative toxicity of artificial sweeteners and the potential of negative effects on the gut microbial community as well as...

MCNEAL — Once it housed soldiers stationed at Fort Huachuca, then it was moved to McNeal and was filled with the sounds of happy feet dancing and the chattering of ladies at coffee cloches. Now abandoned, there are new inhabitants that really are no fun — killer bees. The irritable, six-legged flying pollinators have been in the building on Frontier Road for a number of years, tending huge honeycombs and creating problems for those who walk their dogs, ride horses or just take a morning stroll. If one puts out nectar for the hummingbirds and orioles in spring within the...

HOUSTON, Texas – If you guzzle a lot of soft drinks, you know, carbonated colas, well, you could be paying a little more for all that sugar. And when you do, you can thank the gentle woman from Connecticut, Rosa Delauro. Rep. Delauro (D-CT) is responsible for the “Sugar Sweetened Beverages Tax Act” or just the “Sweet Act” if you prefer the lite version. She wants congress to put an extra tax on drinks that contain sugar or any other sweetener with calories. It would be just a penny per teaspoon, but that could end up adding about 15 cents...

Choosing diet drinks and artificial sweeteners instead of high-calorie treats may increase your craving for sugar, a study has found. It is because sugar substitutes tickle the taste buds, but can’t fool the brain. The pleasure we get from sweet treats is the result of a chemical called dopamine, which is released in the brain when sugar is consumed and is linked to a feeling of reward. Artificial sweeteners and other low-calorie options do not cause the same reaction, leaving dieters with their craving—and making them far more likely to binge on sugar later on. …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A California lawmaker introduced legislation on Thursday that would tax sodas and other sugar-sweetened drinks and use the proceeds to bankroll programs to fight childhood obesity. The bill, introduced by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, would slap a 1-cent levy on every teaspoon of added sugar and other caloric sweeteners in commercial beverages sold. The tax would be paid by companies that bottle soda and make finished beverages or syrup for fountain drinks, sponsors said. Initial projections from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy estimated the excise tax on beverage distributors could raise $1.5...

Taxpayers of Common Sense has compiled a list of the top 10 "sweeteners" in the bailout bill. Read list here

WASHINGTON - After one spectacular failure, the $700 billion financial industry bailout found a second life Wednesday, speeding toward passage in the Senate and gaining ground in the House where conservative opposition seemed to soften. Senators loaded the economic rescue bill with tax breaks and other sweeteners for the right and left, hoping to secure approval in the House by Friday, just days after lawmakers there stunningly rejected an earlier version and sent markets plunging around the globe. The measure has not caused the same uproar in the Senate, where both parties' presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack...

The Trouble With Old FolksThe BitPig Rant 2005.04.21 I have an honest question: What's with the whole "old-timers stealing sugar/sweetener packets" and "retirees bringing Baggies full of food home from the buffet" thing? I mean, most of the old folks I see swiping sugar, etc. from restaurants drive away in brand-new Caddies that cost more than my yearly income, so it can't be poverty. Some say it's a holdover from the Depression years, when scarcity forced people to do whatever they had to, but my late grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, and many of my other folks all survived the...

The lowdown on LowCarb Sweeteners Some call it ----ose, but think of it as SugarWhen dealing in chemistry, the ending "ose" indicates sugar; so beware of ---ose ingredients on food labels. Ordinary table sugar, the white granulated type, is known as sucrose. This is a list some of other names of sugars you might encounter are; sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, glucose, maltose.BEWARE: "ose" sugars are pure carb, thus 1 gram of sugar = 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories.Look for these other commonly used sugar-carbohydrate ingredients: white and brown sugar, succanat, turbinado, demerrara, molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey,...

"ISN'T THIS GREAT STUFF?" said the cashier at Puget Consumers Coop. "I'm glad we could get it in again." Then he added, sardonically, "It's OK to sell tobacco, but not this?" "This" is stevia, an herb that - depending on who's talking - is an amazing no-calorie sweetener, a diabetic's salvation, a nutritious health enhancer or an unproved folk flavoring with uncertain effects on heart, kidneys and blood sugar, and a possible detriment to female reproduction. In more than a dozen countries, stevia, sometimes called sweet leaf, is incorporated into manufactured foods and used as a sweetener. But in the...