We have also seen how with proactive efforts of activists like Dr. Betty Martini and parents, schoolchildren were able to reverse their behavioral and learning conditions through changing school meal plans to a healthier nutrition free of "garbage" foods and beverages and snacks tainted with aspartame (APM) and artificial additives.

I could go on and on with endless studies and personal stories, but I chose to select just one drop from the ocean of data on APM, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and other "dangerous" chemicals, found on the Internet. Such information is worthy of a book, considering the many symptoms and diseases caused by aspartame poisoning. Here is a variety of such illnesses: Birth defects, blindness, many types of cancers, heart disease, strokes, diabetes type 2, thyroid problems, weight gain, migraine and asthma. Moreover, aspartame can mimic the following disorders: Fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, lupus, joint pains, sexual dysfunctions, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), inability to concentrate and confusion, panic attacks and other psychological disorders.

After four articles of exposing to the reader the serious "adverse" effects of the chemical sugar substitute, aspartame, today I chose to present to you some of the different types of artificial and natural sweeteners found in the market. Here they are.

Saccharin is probably the oldest of artificial sweeteners; it belongs to the sulfide family. Thirty years ago, a controversy became public due to the carcinogenic and allergenic effects of the artificial sweetener. The "resourceful" drug industry came up with another sugar substitute, aspartame. Eventually, it was overshadowed by its prevailing APM counterpart in the early 1980s. Saccharin is found under the brand name Sweet-N-Low. It causes allergic reactions in those who are allergic to the sulfide compound.

Aspartame (APM) was the subject of my last articles. Since the 1980s, APM has become the most universally used artificial sweetener. Though refuted by many independent scientists including multiple-cancer-award-winner Morando Soffritti, influential politicians managed to influence the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into approving aspartame after 16 years of hesitancy due to its health "damaging" side effects  (Say NO to Aspartame: The "Hidden" Danger Part 3, April 27th, 2011, Arabnews). Finally, the industry and its supporting politicians won approval in the early eighties.

Since then, aspartame is included and sometimes concealed in most baked, packaged, and processed comestibles under numbered Es (E951 and others). It is found in most prepared baked goods, snacks, soda drinks, diet colas, and even in pharmaceutical vitamins and drugs; most of the time without public knowledge. Because I discussed it lengthily in my previous articles, I will not get into details, but I should mention again that, in studies, it was found to be a neurotoxin and a carcinogen, plus it is damaging to the central nervous system. APM is the "harmful" sweetener in Nutrasweet, Equal, Hermesetas and others. You can do your own research Online.

Sucralose is one the newer artificial sweeteners under the brand name of Splenda and also one of the popular ones. It is acclaimed because its supporter state that the sweet extract is isolated from natural sugar, supposedly less synthetic. It is not much tested as it is still a recent product, but because it contains chlorine, it cannot be that "harmless." Chlorine in high quantities is known to be a carcinogen.

High-fructose corn syrup or powder is a very popular sweetener and very much added in most American processed foods. It is included in soda drinks, snack bars, and bakery goods. Corn syrup consists of 55% fructose and 45% glucose whereas as sugar has 50-50. According to studies, the syrup is associated with more obesity than simple sugar; plus it raises risk of cardiovascular disorders and other metabolic syndromes. In small amounts, it leaves the consumer feeling unsatisfied, leading to excessive consumption in order for it to produce satiation.

High-fructose corn syrup or powder, as an isolate, acts differently in the body than fructose eaten from the whole fruit. Moreover because most people are under the impression that the sweetener is a "safe" fructose, they use it without limits. The syrup bypasses the digestive tract and insulin effect and goes directly to the liver to convert into fat. With corn syrup overload on the liver, the chances of liver damage are elevated.

In studies, scarring of the liver was noted with high intake of the fructose sweetener, similar effects to that of alcohol overconsumption. The disease is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The scarring becomes more pronounced with higher fructose intake, leading to liver cancer or at best a need for liver transplant. In other studies, high-fructose corn syrup was found to contain reactive carbonyls, compounds, which are damaging to cells. Because it is "chemically unbounded," the syrup invades the body more easily than simple sugar.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sweetener also used as a sugar substitute. The sugar alcohol is extracted from fruit and vegetable fibers. It is added as a sweetener in chewing gum and other snacks as well as over the counter drugs. Xylitol manufacturer and dentists are advertising the sugar substitute for its protective effects against dental cavities.

However in excess or even regular intake, the sweetener causes laxative effects, diarrhea, bloating and temporary gastrointestinal side effects. In studies, dogs were seen to have the same digestive symptoms with xylitol intake as well as having increased liver enzyme activity within 24 hours of its ingestion. The latter condition can lead to liver failure with persistent xylitol consumption. Occasionally and in small amounts, the sweetener does not seem to pose much danger to the health of adults.

Since the subject of artificial and natural sweeteners is long, I find it more appropriate to stop here. Next week, I shall complete the long list of sugar and its variety of sugar substitutes in order to show you the many choices and the difference between them. I shall expose their known and possible side effects as I have already done in the present article.

Whichever you decide to pick after doing a thorough investigation, you should not use ANY SWEETENER, whether natural or artificial, in excess. Overconsumption of sugar is detrimental to your health and so is obesity. Moderation is required in all your lifestyle habits.

N.B.: Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural.