I'll Have Another Chemical Cola, Please!

Soft drink industry experts predict the blending of artificial sweeteners for sugar replacement will be designed as the foods of tomorrow. They project manufacturers will continue to blend the various chemical sweeteners available (such as aspartame and sucralose) until they find the perfect mix for taste and shelf life. Just think: one day we may not be able to tell whats real and whats not unless we read the label with our chemistry books in hand.

Remember, for the past fifty years weve been told margarine is good for us? Now we are horrified to learn its trans-fatty acids damage our arteries. Now, the brave nutritionists, researchers and doctors who knew this from the beginning are hoarse from warning consumers all these years. Well, here we go again! Soft drinks and colas are merely a case of mix n match chemistry now a days. In essence, you are drinking a chemical cola!

In the past, we basically had two choices of alternative sweeteners: saccharin or aspartame. Today, with the ever-growing number of chemical sweeteners being formulated to satisfy our unquenchable taste buds, the possibilities of new chemical sweeteners is almost endless but what will these test tube wonders do once they enter our bodies? Heed the warnings

A partial list of the chemicals used in modern-day sweeteners includes: sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sorbitol, xylitol, high fructose corn syrup, and even cyclamates (a blast from the past: yes, cyclamates may come back. Cyclamates are still used in Canada and Europe and a petition for their return to the US has been filed with the FDA. ).

The two newest and most influential low-cal sweeteners are sucralose and acesulfame K. Interestingly, they originally gained popularity touting their superiority to aspartames toxic chemicals, and now are quietly blended with it.

So bottoms up. Ill have another chemical cola, please!

About The Author

Dr. Janet Starr Hull publishes a monthly health newsletter covering a wide range of important health topics. To sign up for her free newsletter or to view past articles, visit http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/index.php

An artificial sweetener expert, Dr. Hull is the author of Sweet Poison an expose on the dangers of aspartame, and Splenda: Is It Safe Or Not?, her newest book on the dangers of sucralose found in Splenda. Dr. Hull also features her detoxification program and Detox Kit, proven highly effective in cleansing the body of food chemicals and environmental toxins.