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Fake Sugar, Energy Drinks, and Label Literacy

BY JEANNIE A. SMITH, BCTMB, MMP, CCH, CPLC, TAM

Today, I want to talk about the importance of reading ingredient labels before purchasing a product and the dangers of artificial sweeteners and energy drinks.  

I went to make a protein shake the other day with a decent, (I thought) healthy shake powder.  The last two ingredients, Sucralose and Acesulfame potassium‌, made me think, “I should have known better.”  This protein powder was expensive and I got the biggest size. These last two ingredients are artificial sweeteners. Why should I care so much about this topic? Because artificial sweeteners can have detrimental effects on the body.  Something that people consume because they think it is healthy, may have an undesired opposite effect.  

Here is a list of artificial sweeteners that sometimes go by different names that may not be so good for you as you may think. 

Aspartame, Acesulfame potassium, Alitame, Cyclamate, Dulcin, Equal, Glucin, Kaltame, Mogrosides, Neotame, NutraSweet, Nutrinova, Phenlalanine, Saccharin, Splenda, Sorbitol, Sucralose, Twinsweet, Sweet ‘N Low, Xylitol.

And now, here is a list of side effects of consuming these artificial ingredients. 

  1. Can be addictive. People will crave more and more sweeter foods to fill the satiation gap that is not provided by artificial means which can lead to overeating and obesity.
  2. Can lead to weight gain by messing up your metabolism, your gut microbiome and can alter glucose homeostatis leading to overeating.
  3. Can lead to poor gut health by affecting the good gut bacteria and actually increasing the bad bacteria which can cause gut inflammation and Crohn’s like symptoms.
  4. Can increase cancer risk, especially aspartame and acesulfame potassium‌.
  5. Can lead to metabolic syndrome and diabetes.  Frequent consumption of these ingredients can lead to metabolic dysfunction.

I had a client come to the office the other day that I had treated for Plantar Fasciitis, which resolved a couple of years ago and she continues regular treatments. Her chief concern was a list of symptoms that sounded to me like Aspartame Poisoning. Now, I am not a doctor, but I do know how to read and have been researching the dangers of artificial sweeteners for quite some time. According to Livestrong.com and other information available, Aspartame poisoning can lead to psychological, neurological and physical symptoms. My client revealed to me that she had been suffering from neurological symptoms-dizziness, facial pain and headaches and physical symptoms-ringing in the ears and joint pain. I asked her if she was consuming artificial sweeteners to which she replied that she had been drinking two or more diet sodas per day for a while. I wrote something on a piece of paper and told her to read it every time she wanted a diet soda and advised her that it would be in her best interest to remove all artificial sweeteners from her diet. The paper said “To thine own self be true.”

The next time I saw her she reported she hadn’t had diet soda since her last appointment, and though there was a detoxification process that her body went through, she is feeling better and better. It amazes me how simple changes in diet and lifestyle can make all the difference in the world when it comes to being healthy. We have far more control than we give ourselves credit for. It is time to take responsibility for our health to not only improve the quality of our lives, but to be happier and healthier.

BONUS: Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are supposed to help you be focused and give you more energy, These drinks are high in caffeine and contain gobs of sugar and may pose some health risks.  These energy drinks can also contain lots of taurine (an amino acid) and guarana and ginseng, natural herbal extracts.  Having one of these energy drinks on occasion may not be that bad, but increased consumption can raise the risk of adverse health effects, especially if you already have a medical condition.  

Consuming energy drinks can put you at risk for these side effects: Anxiety, Depression, Diarrhea, Hallucinations, Mood Swings, Nausea, Rapid Heart Rate, Stroke, Tooth Decay, Weight Gain.

Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is a really bad idea.  The energy you get from the caffeine and herbal ingredients like guarana will mask how buzzed you get from the alcohol.  This can also lead to dangerous behavior like driving drunk or riding with stranger or unwanted or unprotected sex, or risk of injury.  The same goes for medications, especially if you are on anti-depressants or blood thinners.  

The temporary boost you get from energy drinks is short and will leave you not feeling great.  Instead, you may try coffee, black tea, green tea, coconut water, kombucha or sports drinks.  

Make it a habit of checking labels to see what exactly you are putting into your body and what effect it will have on your health.  Don’t do what I did and end up with a bag of protein powder that I can’t use because I didn’t do just that.  Once again, we have to take responsibility for our health.  It really is up to us to be informed so that we can make better health choices.