Artificial Sweeteners - UK-Muscle Body Building Community

squat_this · 08-08-2006, 09:42 PM

How bad are they for you? Or are they a neccessary evil to avoid "added" sugar in drinks? Any artificial sweeteners which should be avoided at all costs?

**Pscarb** · 08-08-2006, 10:08 PM

i use splenda on my oats year round...

**hackskii** · 08-08-2006, 11:01 PM

Stevia, and splenda, those two taste the best.

Tatyana · 09-08-2006, 09:33 AM

I don't think I could diet without stevia and splenda.

I think the research is not conclusive if artificial sweetners are that bad for you.

The poison is all in the dosage

x
x
x

T

**hackskii** · 09-08-2006, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tatyana

The poison is all in the dosage

This is very true.

Just today on the news they said that if you had one soda a day after one year you would be 15 pounds heavier.

Seem's that they are going after the soda industry like the did the tobacco industry.

Thos soda folks really deffended them selves.
They pay the schools to put those soft drink dispensers and it generates alot of revenue to the schools.
They stopped that as of recently.

I mean, people drink soda like it was water. When they are thirsty, they grab a soda instead of water

Tatyana · 10-08-2006, 09:55 AM

Yes the huge amounts of pop/fizzy drinks/soda was a part of the 'American' lifestyle.

It did affect people's teeth badly, and all that SUGAR!

Now it is diet drinks.

Here is a link to a thread on ASPARTAME

I also think that putting in something about the cephalic (head) phase of digestion, just that the presence of food in the mouth, the body starts to prepare for digestion. The taste of something sweet does start insulin secretion.

There is a thread with a paper and a study with rats somewhere on this site!

x
x
x

T

Tatyana · 10-08-2006, 09:58 AM

SWEET RELIEF
Now, the good news: If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll be relieved to know that you don’t have to suffer. There’s a natural sweetener that tastes great, and better yet, research has shown that instead of being dangerous to your health, it actually has several wonderful health-supporting qualities. It’s called Stevia, and it comes from the South American plant Stevia rebaudiana. What’s interesting about this semi shrub, indigenous to Paraguay, is that every part of it tastes intensely sweet. The dried leaves, however, are the only parts that are used for medicinal and commercial purposes. Scientists have found that Stevia’s delightfully sweet flavor comes from a group of substances in it called “glycosidal diterpenes.”

Compared to sugar, only very small amounts of Stevia are needed. That’s because Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sucrose, the type of sugar found in table sugar. Stevia hasn’t yet been approved by the FDA as a food additive—write your senators and Congressional representatives!—so at this time you won’t find it in any processed foods in the United States. In this country Stevia is considered a dietary supplement. Health food stores and national-chain grocery stores that specialize in organic foods, such as Wild Oats and Whole Foods, usually carry Stevia.

Stevia comes in multiple forms: a fine white powder, a green powder, or a liquid. I found that certain brands of Stevia can taste bitter or leave a weird aftertaste if you use too much. There’s one brand, however, that solved this problem by adding some fiber to it. It is called Stevia Plus by SweetLeaf .

Stevia can also be used in cooking, but it’s a little tricky. The amount you should use can vary a lot from brand to brand, so you definitely should use a Stevia cookbook. Many of the companies with Stevia products have their own cookbooks.

Stevia has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years by the native tribes in Paraguay and Brazil to treat high blood pressure and diabetes. Modern research has shown that it does help both conditions. Stevia causes blood vessels to dilate. When the diameter of a blood vessel increases, the blood pressure in it goes down. A double-blind placebo-controlled study was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology in the year 2000 documenting Stevia’s ability to lower blood pressure. Researchers found that after only three months, patients with high blood pressure who were given Stevia three times a day had a significant decrease in both their systolic (the upper number) and diastolic (the lower number) blood-pressure numbers.

Stevia is a great sugar substitute for people who really need to avoid sugar, such as diabetics. In addition, Stevia has an added benefit for type 2 diabetics: It seems to have an effect opposite to that of sugar on their bodies; it causes blood sugar to go down. Research has also discovered two more Stevia health benefits. First, it can kill certain bacteria and viruses. In a study published in 2001, Stevia was found to have antiviral effects against the rotavirus. This virus can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration, especially in infants. Secondly, Stevia shows a strong ability to kill a wide range of food-born bacteria.

Tatyana · 10-08-2006, 10:04 AM

Stevia in the UK and EU-Food Standards Agency

Stevia and Stevioside
Wednesday 27 March 2002

Stevioside is a high intensity sweetener, 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose.

It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), where it is present at levels up to 13%, and has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China.
As a result of the outcome of safety assessments which have been carried out Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the UK or elsewhere within the EU.

Safety Evaluations
Sweeteners and other food additives are tightly regulated within the European Union (EU) and may only be used once their safety has been rigorously assessed.
The EC Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) is an independent committee that advises the European Commission on questions concerning consumer health and food safety, in particular relating to toxicology and food hygiene.

The SCF identified safety problems with stevioside and recently rejected applications to market the plant and its products as sweeteners and as novel foods within the European Union.

Stevioside was first considered by the SCF for approval for use as a sweetener within the EU in 1985 and the review was updated in 1989.

On both occasions the Committee raised several questions of concern and concluded that, based on the submitted documentation, it could not accept its use. Extracts from Stevia rebaudiana leaves were also considered as toxicologically not acceptable.

A further application for approval of stevioside was received by the European Commission in 1998 and again referred to the SCF.

The data considered by the Committee indicated that the extract has the potential to produce adverse effects in the male reproductive system that could affect fertility and that a metabolite produced by the human gut microflora, steviol, is genotoxic (ie. damages DNA).

The Committee concluded that stevioside was not acceptable as a sweetener.

In 1998 a request was made for Stevia (the plants and dried leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) to be marketed as a novel food under the EU novel foods legislation (Regulation 258/97(EC)).

The application was initially evaluated by the Belgian Authorities who recommended that the product should not be approved.

The product was then considered in the UK by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) as part of the approval process for novel foods.

The ACNFP agreed with the opinion of the Belgian Authorities and recommended that the product should not be approved due to lack of information supporting its safety, a view that was shared by a number of other Member States. The application was subsequently referred to the SCF.

The SCF concluded in June 1999 that the information submitted on the plant products was insufficient with regard to specification and standardisation of the commercial product and contained no safety studies.

There was no satisfactory data to support the safe use of these products as ingredients in food or as sucrose substitutes.

In December 1999 the Joint MAFF/DH Food Safety and Standards Group wrote to various companies known to be trading in Stevia products, informing them of the SCF’s opinion and stating that Stevia should not be offered for sale as a food or food ingredient in the UK.

A copy of the SCF’s opinion on Stevia as a sweetener and its opinion on Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plants and leaves is available at the link below.

Click here to view the letter setting out the ACNFP’s views

Alternatively, copies can be obtained by post from the Food Standards Agency at

Food Standards Agency
Chemical Safety and Toxicology Division,
Room 515B,
Aviation House,
125 Kingsway,
London WC2B 6NH

Telephone: 020 7276 8589

Fax: 020 7276 8514

Email: foodadditives@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Background to relevant UK legislation
In the UK there are 3 areas of legislation potentially relevant to the sale of stevia and stevioside – these are the general provisions of the Food Safety Act, regulations relating to the sale of novel foods and those relating to the sale of sweeteners.
Novel foods and sweeteners are both harmonised areas within the EU and the controls within the UK implement European legislation.

In the UK all food sold for consumption is subject to the general provisions of The Food Safety Act, 1990.

Whilst this Act makes no specific reference to Stevia or any other vegetable or plant extracts, it makes it an offence to sell or possess for sale food which is injurious to health.

This applies not only to retail sale but throughout the food chain. It would therefore be an offence to use extracts of Stevia or Stevia plants and leaves as food or food ingredients (or to offer them for sale) if it were to render the product injurious to health.

Any food products which were not used for human consumption to a significant degree within the European Community before 15 May 1997 are considered to be novel foods and are therefore subject to approval under EC Directive 258/97 on Novel Foods and Novel Food Ingredients.

An opinion of the SCF on Stevia plants and leaves has meant that approval under this Regulation has not been granted at the present time.

Any new application to market Stevia or stevioside as a food or food ingredient would have to include safety studies that sufficiently addressed any concerns about the potential toxicological effects caused by them.

Any food additive used or intended to be used to impart a sweet taste to food is subject to the provisions of the Sweeteners in Food Regulations 1995.

These regulations set out a list of permitted sweeteners. Again, following an opinion issued by the SCF neither Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), Stevia extracts or stevioside are permitted.

Some people think it is a conspiracy with the other artificial sweetner manufacturers.

So if this still stands, Stevia is illegal in the UK.

You can get it on e-bay. Not that I am recommending it or anything cause that would be illegal.

x
x
x

T

**hackskii** · 10-08-2006, 02:37 PM

I use stevia every morning in my coffee.

I do think splenda tasts a little better but I am not sure which one is better than the other. I suspect stevia might be healthier.
But I did read that the liquid (which is what I bought) might not be as good for you and that goes for the stevia that is a white powder as well.
i think that more of its natural state is healthier.

Thanks for posting that Tat

08-08-2006, 09:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
squat_this The legend that is LBND!!! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Surrey Posts: 1,278	Artificial Sweeteners How bad are they for you? Or are they a neccessary evil to avoid "added" sugar in drinks? Any artificial sweeteners which should be avoided at all costs? __________________ Welcome to this thing of ours...a.k.a the UK-Muscle Mafioso Wasps - Premiership Champions '02-'03, '03-'04, '04-'05, '07-'08 Heineken Cup Winners - 2004, 2007

08-08-2006, 10:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pscarb UK-Muscle Moderator and NABBA Champion Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 9,215	i use splenda on my oats year round... __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Nutrition is your greatest anabolic agent; everything else is just the icing on the cake

08-08-2006, 11:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
hackskii Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Sunny Southern California U.S.A. Posts: 22,461	Stevia, and splenda, those two taste the best. __________________ "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - George Carlin Scott To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-08-2006, 09:58 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tatyana My name is EARL Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arnie 08 Posts: 3,376	Originally Posted by Hackskii on Brothers of Iron SWEET RELIEF Now, the good news: If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll be relieved to know that you don’t have to suffer. There’s a natural sweetener that tastes great, and better yet, research has shown that instead of being dangerous to your health, it actually has several wonderful health-supporting qualities. It’s called Stevia, and it comes from the South American plant Stevia rebaudiana. What’s interesting about this semi shrub, indigenous to Paraguay, is that every part of it tastes intensely sweet. The dried leaves, however, are the only parts that are used for medicinal and commercial purposes. Scientists have found that Stevia’s delightfully sweet flavor comes from a group of substances in it called “glycosidal diterpenes.” Compared to sugar, only very small amounts of Stevia are needed. That’s because Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sucrose, the type of sugar found in table sugar. Stevia hasn’t yet been approved by the FDA as a food additive—write your senators and Congressional representatives!—so at this time you won’t find it in any processed foods in the United States. In this country Stevia is considered a dietary supplement. Health food stores and national-chain grocery stores that specialize in organic foods, such as Wild Oats and Whole Foods, usually carry Stevia. Stevia comes in multiple forms: a fine white powder, a green powder, or a liquid. I found that certain brands of Stevia can taste bitter or leave a weird aftertaste if you use too much. There’s one brand, however, that solved this problem by adding some fiber to it. It is called Stevia Plus by SweetLeaf . Stevia can also be used in cooking, but it’s a little tricky. The amount you should use can vary a lot from brand to brand, so you definitely should use a Stevia cookbook. Many of the companies with Stevia products have their own cookbooks. Stevia has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years by the native tribes in Paraguay and Brazil to treat high blood pressure and diabetes. Modern research has shown that it does help both conditions. Stevia causes blood vessels to dilate. When the diameter of a blood vessel increases, the blood pressure in it goes down. A double-blind placebo-controlled study was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology in the year 2000 documenting Stevia’s ability to lower blood pressure. Researchers found that after only three months, patients with high blood pressure who were given Stevia three times a day had a significant decrease in both their systolic (the upper number) and diastolic (the lower number) blood-pressure numbers. Stevia is a great sugar substitute for people who really need to avoid sugar, such as diabetics. In addition, Stevia has an added benefit for type 2 diabetics: It seems to have an effect opposite to that of sugar on their bodies; it causes blood sugar to go down. Research has also discovered two more Stevia health benefits. First, it can kill certain bacteria and viruses. In a study published in 2001, Stevia was found to have antiviral effects against the rotavirus. This virus can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration, especially in infants. Secondly, Stevia shows a strong ability to kill a wide range of food-born bacteria.

10-08-2006, 10:04 AM	#8 (permalink)
Tatyana My name is EARL Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arnie 08 Posts: 3,376	Originally Posted by Tatyana on Brothers of Iron Stevia in the UK and EU-Food Standards Agency Stevia and Stevioside Wednesday 27 March 2002 Stevioside is a high intensity sweetener, 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose. It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), where it is present at levels up to 13%, and has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China. As a result of the outcome of safety assessments which have been carried out Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the UK or elsewhere within the EU. Safety Evaluations Sweeteners and other food additives are tightly regulated within the European Union (EU) and may only be used once their safety has been rigorously assessed. The EC Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) is an independent committee that advises the European Commission on questions concerning consumer health and food safety, in particular relating to toxicology and food hygiene. The SCF identified safety problems with stevioside and recently rejected applications to market the plant and its products as sweeteners and as novel foods within the European Union. Stevioside was first considered by the SCF for approval for use as a sweetener within the EU in 1985 and the review was updated in 1989. On both occasions the Committee raised several questions of concern and concluded that, based on the submitted documentation, it could not accept its use. Extracts from Stevia rebaudiana leaves were also considered as toxicologically not acceptable. A further application for approval of stevioside was received by the European Commission in 1998 and again referred to the SCF. The data considered by the Committee indicated that the extract has the potential to produce adverse effects in the male reproductive system that could affect fertility and that a metabolite produced by the human gut microflora, steviol, is genotoxic (ie. damages DNA). The Committee concluded that stevioside was not acceptable as a sweetener. In 1998 a request was made for Stevia (the plants and dried leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) to be marketed as a novel food under the EU novel foods legislation (Regulation 258/97(EC)). The application was initially evaluated by the Belgian Authorities who recommended that the product should not be approved. The product was then considered in the UK by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) as part of the approval process for novel foods. The ACNFP agreed with the opinion of the Belgian Authorities and recommended that the product should not be approved due to lack of information supporting its safety, a view that was shared by a number of other Member States. The application was subsequently referred to the SCF. The SCF concluded in June 1999 that the information submitted on the plant products was insufficient with regard to specification and standardisation of the commercial product and contained no safety studies. There was no satisfactory data to support the safe use of these products as ingredients in food or as sucrose substitutes. In December 1999 the Joint MAFF/DH Food Safety and Standards Group wrote to various companies known to be trading in Stevia products, informing them of the SCF’s opinion and stating that Stevia should not be offered for sale as a food or food ingredient in the UK. A copy of the SCF’s opinion on Stevia as a sweetener and its opinion on Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plants and leaves is available at the link below. Click here to view the letter setting out the ACNFP’s views Alternatively, copies can be obtained by post from the Food Standards Agency at Food Standards Agency Chemical Safety and Toxicology Division, Room 515B, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH Telephone: 020 7276 8589 Fax: 020 7276 8514 Email: foodadditives@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk Background to relevant UK legislation In the UK there are 3 areas of legislation potentially relevant to the sale of stevia and stevioside – these are the general provisions of the Food Safety Act, regulations relating to the sale of novel foods and those relating to the sale of sweeteners. Novel foods and sweeteners are both harmonised areas within the EU and the controls within the UK implement European legislation. In the UK all food sold for consumption is subject to the general provisions of The Food Safety Act, 1990. Whilst this Act makes no specific reference to Stevia or any other vegetable or plant extracts, it makes it an offence to sell or possess for sale food which is injurious to health. This applies not only to retail sale but throughout the food chain. It would therefore be an offence to use extracts of Stevia or Stevia plants and leaves as food or food ingredients (or to offer them for sale) if it were to render the product injurious to health. Any food products which were not used for human consumption to a significant degree within the European Community before 15 May 1997 are considered to be novel foods and are therefore subject to approval under EC Directive 258/97 on Novel Foods and Novel Food Ingredients. An opinion of the SCF on Stevia plants and leaves has meant that approval under this Regulation has not been granted at the present time. Any new application to market Stevia or stevioside as a food or food ingredient would have to include safety studies that sufficiently addressed any concerns about the potential toxicological effects caused by them. Any food additive used or intended to be used to impart a sweet taste to food is subject to the provisions of the Sweeteners in Food Regulations 1995. These regulations set out a list of permitted sweeteners. Again, following an opinion issued by the SCF neither Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), Stevia extracts or stevioside are permitted. Some people think it is a conspiracy with the other artificial sweetner manufacturers. So if this still stands, Stevia is illegal in the UK. You can get it on e-bay. Not that I am recommending it or anything cause that would be illegal. x x x T Last edited by Tatyana; 10-08-2006 at 10:07 AM.

09-08-2006, 09:33 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tatyana My name is EARL Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arnie 08 Posts: 3,376	I don't think I could diet without stevia and splenda. I think the research is not conclusive if artificial sweetners are that bad for you. The poison is all in the dosage x x x T

10-08-2006, 09:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
Tatyana My name is EARL Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arnie 08 Posts: 3,376	Yes the huge amounts of pop/fizzy drinks/soda was a part of the 'American' lifestyle. It did affect people's teeth badly, and all that SUGAR! Now it is diet drinks. Here is a link to a thread on ASPARTAME I also think that putting in something about the cephalic (head) phase of digestion, just that the presence of food in the mouth, the body starts to prepare for digestion. The taste of something sweet does start insulin secretion. There is a thread with a paper and a study with rats somewhere on this site! x x x T

10-08-2006, 02:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
hackskii Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Sunny Southern California U.S.A. Posts: 22,461	I use stevia every morning in my coffee. I do think splenda tasts a little better but I am not sure which one is better than the other. I suspect stevia might be healthier. But I did read that the liquid (which is what I bought) might not be as good for you and that goes for the stevia that is a white powder as well. i think that more of its natural state is healthier. Thanks for posting that Tat __________________ "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - George Carlin Scott To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread: