I’m sorry to pop your bubble, but most ALL gum found on mainstream market shelves has aspartame or another chemical sweetener in them.
So, hands off, especially for your kids.
No Labels
What gets me is the fact that food companies no longer have to label products on the packaging as sugar-free.
They still have the chemicals listed in the ingredients, but no where – no where – on the packaging does it say sugar free.
I have a little hint for you: product companies commonly label products with the artificial sweeteners in them as fat-free or low fat. When you see these labels, also check for the chemical sweeteners – no real sugar is how they achieve the low or no fat status.
If aspartame is in gum, the PKU warning for phenylketonuria is still mandated to be on the back label, but if the gum contains neotame, no labeling is required at all, and no warning is required for sucralose, ace-K, or saccharin.
If you want to get the scoop on the health dangers of sucralose and ace-K, read my book Splenda: Is It Safe Or Not, and for all the documentation on the perils of aspartame and saccharin, dog-ear my book Sweet Poison.
History of the Proof
Remember that researchers have known about the health dangers of all the chemical sweeteners from the beginning of their inceptions.
A good researcher can figure out toxic reactions pretty darn quickly.
Slick marketers can convince consumers that these artificial sweeteners are perfectly harmless very easily.
What a sad situation, especially for children who love to chew gum.
Your First Health Reaction
If you are chewing gum with one or more artificial sweeteners in it, your first reaction to the chemicals is typically a headache if its aspartame, and stomach cramping and diarrhea if it has sucralose in it.
And don’t be shocked to discover that most gums today have 2 to 3 different chemical sweeteners in them all together.
Ace-K has been proven in research studies to cause cancer, and remember that saccharin never caused cancer, so you’re better to make this choice. The bogus cancer warning was lifted from the pink packets in 2001, and I have all of these very interesting details on saccharin in both of my sweetener books.
if you want more proof that these diet sweeteners can be very harmful to your health, read Sweet Poison and Splenda: Is It Safe Or Not. It will provide you the data you need when people want to argue with you about it.
…. or when you tell your kid that they cannot have that gum.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. The FDA may not have evaluated some of the statements. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding supplements or making any changes to your dietary program.
Before taking vitamins, consult your doctor; pre-existing medical conditions or medications you are taking can affect how your body responds to multivitamins.
