Can Splenda Artificial Sweetners be the cause of my problems?

[Danico85]

Since ive started taking sweetners rather than sugar in my tea i have noticed blood back in my stool. Do you think this could be a cause of it? And will normal sugar be ok to use again?
Thanks

 

[AlliRuns]

The reason why artificial sweeteners have "zero" calories is because the human body cannot digest them. This can cause discomfort for anyone,even people without IBD. I use honey in my tea or raw sugar.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

Really look at what you are consuming when you use artificial sweeteners. I just stick to honey or I find ways to incorporate fruits into my food/drink to help sweeten things if I can. But mostly I use honey and OCCASIONALLY white or brown sugar.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-artic...ber-most-dangerous-artificial-sweeteners.html

1. Aspartame

What's in it: Phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol.

Reported side effects: Headaches, fibromyalgia, anxiety, memory loss, arthritis, abdominal pain, nausea, depression, heart palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, neurological disorders, vision problems, brain tumors and weight gain.

Concerns: Phenylalanine and aspartic acid directly impact brain and central nervous system functions; evidence shows they play a role in mood disorders, memory problems and other neurological illnesses.

Methanol is converted into formaldehyde when metabolized. Makers of aspartame say methanol and its byproducts are quickly excreted. But research has found measurable amounts of formaldehyde in the livers, kidneys and brains of test subjects after ingestion of aspartame.

At high temperatures, phenylalnine breaks down into diketopiperazine (DPK), a known carcinogen. Phenylalnine is especially dangerous for people with the hereditary disease, phenylketonuria.

2. Aceslulfame-K

What's in it: Acesulfame-K is a potassium salt containing methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.

Reported side effects: Long term exposure to methylene chloride can cause nausea, headaches, mood problems, impairment of the liver and kidneys, problems with eyesight and possibly cancer. Acesulfame-K may contribute to hypoglemica.

Concerns: Of all artificial sweeteners, acesulfame-K has undergone the least scientific scrutiny. Early studies showed a potential link between the sweetener and development of multiple cancers in laboratory animals.

3. Sucralose

What's in it: Sucralose is a synthetic additive created by chlorinating sugar. Manufacturers say the chlorine in sucralose is no different from that in table salt. Fact: the chemical structure of the chlorine in sucralose is almost the same as that in the now-banned pesticide DDT.

Reported side effects: Head and muscle aches, stomach cramps and diarrhea, bladder issues, skin irritation, dizziness and inflammation.

Concerns: Research has shown sucralose can cause shrinking of the thymus gland, an important immune system regulator, and liver and kidney dysfunction. A recent study by Duke University found sucralose reduces healthy intestinal bacteria, which are needed for proper digestion and can impact the effectiveness of prescription and other drugs.

4. Saccharin

What's in it: Saccharin is a sulfa-based sweetener; its primary ingredient is benzoic sulfimide.

Reported side effects: For those with sulfa allergies, saccharin may cause nausea, diarrhea, skin problems or other allergy-related symptoms.

Concerns: Early safety studies of saccharin showed the sweetener caused bladder cancer in rats. The FDA recently lifted the requirement that saccharin be labeled as a probable carcinogen on food packaging.

The link between saccharin and bladder cancer has contributed to saccharin being the most investigated of all artificial sweeteners. To date, no connection between saccharin and bladder cancer in humans has been proven.

Switching out artificial sweeteners for all-natural, low-sugar substitutes is a smart option; you just might feel better.

 

[Ihurt]

Artificial sweetners like splenda and sweet and low and equal are all really bad for the body. They deifinitely are known to cause diarreha even in the healthiest of people! Unfortunately they use this crap in a lot of medications that have to be sweetend as well. I know when I had my MRE of my small bowel and had to drink that nasty contrast, it was filled with artificial sweetners. I got very sick with it, had terrible diarrreha and felt itchy all over. I will NEVER drink that stuff again.

Now, if you are looking for an alternative to sugar there are a couple natural things that are more healthy for your body. One is Stevia. This is a natural sugar that comes from the stevia plant. It is very sweet so you only need a very small amount when useing it for tea or whatever you are drinking. Also there is one called Agavae nectar. This is also a better alternative and does not have the toxic effects like the man-made artiicial sweetners... And like Alliruns said, raw sugar and honey and even pure maple syrup are better choices..

 

[KWalker]

They're actually arguably worse. It takes more chemical additives in order to achieve a level of sweetness comparable to real sugar.

Danico85- I use honey as a substitute. I would start by adding very little and then increasing to taste because if you use a lot at first it can really throw you off and turn you off from wanting to use it. Honey is good because it is natural sugar

 

[amrycrohns]

I can not use any artificial sweetners or even drink Crystal Light, MIO or similar products. I use honey for most things and use regular old sugar for everything else.

 

[bangarang]

Artificial sweeteners are just bad news. Stay away.

 

[wild_one353]

if you havent read this thread yet- http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=36726
its a about a research paper that claims artificial sweeteners could be one of the environmental toxins contributing to the cause of IBD. the theory is a little complex when you want to know exactly how they might do this. but i would say avoid this stuff.

 

[Ya noy]

Honey and lemon is wonderful in tea

 

[SCDSuccess]

Simply replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners is not changing your eating habits. Cut back on sugar / carb intake. Stick to sugars that occur naturally in whole fresh veg, fruit, nuts and honey. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet has helped me immensely with my gut problems. So have the right digestive enzymes.

 

[UnXmas]

Since ive started taking sweetners rather than sugar in my tea i have noticed blood back in my stool. Do you think this could be a cause of it? And will normal sugar be ok to use again?
Thanks

There could be many causes of bleeding. Is your Crohn's active at the moment? You really should see a doctor. It could be something more serious going on, that you're not going to solve with diet alone. Also if you're bleeding you may need to be checked for anemia.

 

[Danico85]

hey, thanks for all your comments. ive since stopped taking sweetners and back onto sugar although i might start taking honey as its more natural and might be better for me.

and unXmas, ive been bleeding for months now, my consulatant says it may be hemmeroids because i dont have any pain or other symptoms, i doubt its hemmeroids but im booked in for a colonoscopy on thursday so i will find out more then and i will keep you posted.

thanks again everyone

 

[Maree.]

I've been experimenting with some of the natural sugar alternatives that have been mentioned in this thread and thought I'd comment on what my impressions of the ones I've tried.

Stevia -- I found alright in strong flavored dishes, like fruit & nut loaves but it has a bit an of an odd taste, so I don't like unless with other strong flavors.

Agave - I love this, in syrup form it has a gentle flavor and I definitely prefer to maple syrup, which I find overpowering. I've found in powdered form too - 94% agave 6% maltodextrose (I looked maltodextrose up and it didn't look to sinister, please someone correct me if I'm wrong). This tastes great, I think nicer than sugar and as the flavor is so milk I think could probably be used in any recipe that contains sugar. I'm temptated to try making agave meringues to check that theory!

 

[UnXmas]

hey, thanks for all your comments. ive since stopped taking sweetners and back onto sugar although i might start taking honey as its more natural and might be better for me.

and unXmas, ive been bleeding for months now, my consulatant says it may be hemmeroids because i dont have any pain or other symptoms, i doubt its hemmeroids but im booked in for a colonoscopy on thursday so i will find out more then and i will keep you posted.

thanks again everyone

Glad you're being checked out. I hope the colonoscopy goes well.