New cautions about artificial sweetners

I quit paying any attention to most studies years ago. I have regular blood workups that cover about everything at least every 3 months, and I get numbers, not "it's normal etc". Then I decide what, if anything, I need to change if my blood reading have changed significantly.

That is how I do it.

I am almost off of splenda now. I use stevia in many forms almost 95% of the time..... and hope to be off of splenda very soon. I cut out diet soda about a year ago from drinking 7 cans a day to zero. I drink herb tea that I brew instead and drink that both hot and cold sweetened only with stevia. I hope these small changes make a difference long term in my health.

How can consuming chemicals ever be good for us?

I only have the one tea. I do love it. I have cut out all sodas. All sweeteners. But I want to drink this tea and perhaps I am overdoing it. That is why I asked since the new literature is against all artificial sugars. Cannot win I guess.

What about Stevia, I thought it was natural?

This is my story .....

I started sodas as a teen with TAB, sweetened with Sweet 'n Low years ago. Drank a ton of sodas and I eventually got to the point that was all I drank, diet sodas. They eventually came out with aspertame sweetened candies. I jumped on that bandwagon too, only realizing that horrific gastric horror would ensue. Did not stop me. I continued for years with artificial sweeteners, tea, colas, candies, etc. as well as eating sweets with sugar. It was a horrible ride.

Years and years later, after struggling with weight issues and gastric issues, I developed Type 2 diabetes, coming in with an A1C OF 12! Scared spitless because my blood sugar was averaging 500 and I was told I was in the realm of going into a coma, I cut out ALL sugar. I cut out all white carbs and faithfully stuck to multi-gram carbs, about 30 grams a day. My A1C dropped to 6.3 in three months. I've successfully kept it in the 6's for nearly 7 years now.

I understood that I couldn't have sugar, but I knew that I could still have my diet sodas, tea and sweeteners (including Stevia). More years go by and my gastric problems are getting more and more severe and intense. (Not nice) but barely controllable Diarrhea at times. BTW, I always used to eat Yogurt (love it and love the probiotics). This stopped for years until a sweetener version came out, so I began eating that too.

Then the grocery stores in my area stopped carrying the artificially sweetened yogurt! And the probiotics stopped.

What has been determined by virtue of elimination and my history, is a slowly developed and chronic hyper-sensitivity to artificial sweeteners.

So I stopped ALL artificial sweeteners. I drink water and have nothing that artificially sweetens. Of course, this is conjecture, but my doctor thinks that all the sweeteners might have contributed to developing the Diabetes as well as sensitizing my system to them. There is no Diabetes in my family. No predisposition. Again, this is conjecture and we realize that.

I stopped all artificial sweeteners at once. I added a good probiotic I get at the pharmacy and my gastric issues have stopped cold turkey!! (Again, not nice but part of the story)... what I thought was a colon issue or Crohn's disease because it had gotten so bad has disappeared. No bloating, no gas, no diarrehea, no stomach pain or cramping. AND no more feelings of depression or panic attacks.... I feel NORMAL....

All I can say is that what developed (from my first TAB) to the results of banning sugar AND sugar substitutes is actually feeling normal in my stomach for the first time in my adult life.... this is more THAN CO-INCIDENCE TO ME! That if I can inform at least one person that there may be a correlation between physical issues (including mental btw, depression, headaches, bi-polar and panic attacks), then sharing the horrible physical ordeal I've gone through is worth it.

BTW, I had three panic attacks starting last November for the first time in my life~!! I've never been afraid of much, I was a second degree Black Belt and fought in competitions. Suddenly the idea of being trapped in a car on a country road nearly blew me over. Or the idea of going to the dentist, having them start on my teeth and my being trapped there would start the "fight or flight" aspect of the attack. Truly horrible.

That aspect of this journey seems to have subsided to the point that I no longer have those horrible panic feelings.... I think that part is thankfully over.

I hope this helps even one person at least research these additives.

I won't go so far as to say they are a "poison" as many do in the articles I've read, but I will say that I believe (based on my very rapid recovery) is that they were a slow poison for me.

All I want (as I'm sure you do) is to feel GOOD and I will do whatever it takes to get there.

On 9/27/2014 PatsyCline said:

What about Stevia, I thought it was natural?

From my understanding, although Stevia is a natural compound it still is processed like sugar. The liver and pancreas gets involved and "thinks" and reacts as though the body is about to receive sugar (a fuel). That's one of the reasons the doctor thought the artificial sweeteners might have contributed to developing diabetes.