Slowly but surely the world is catching on that using chemical concoctions to sweeten food and beverages without adding calories will sooner or later come back to bite you in the derriere.

And all I can say is it’s about time.

For example, studies have long linked aspartame (aka NutraSweet® and Equal®) to cancer, brain damage and premature delivery in pregnant women, worsening insulin sensitivity, blurred vision, retinal damage and blindness, behavioral disturbances, nerve pain, muscle weakness and memory lapses, to name a few. 

Sucralose (Splenda®) was shown in research involving mice to cause leukemia and other blood cancers. 

But that’s not all…because Judgment Day has arrived for ALL artificial sweeteners!

The big bomb

According to a new paper published in Molecules by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, artificial sweeteners were shown to be downright deadly to your gut microbiome!

The study measured relative toxicity of these six popular artificial sweeteners:

• Aspartame
• Sucralose
• Saccharin
• Neotame
• Advantame
• Acesulfame potassium-k (Ace-K)

Bacteria found in the intestinal tract became TOXIC when exposed to concentrations of only one mg./ml. of the artificial sweeteners!

Giant implications

Poisoning your gut microbiome with chemical sweeteners can have massive implications on your health!

Here are just a few examples of how your gut protects you, and what can happen if it can’t do its job:

Digestive assistance

Your gut microbiome breaks down starches and fiber that you eat, thereby reducing gas and bloating and encouraging regular bowel movements.

Better digestion and BMs can lead to improved blood sugar control (listen up, you diabetics), weight loss and protection against diverticulosis and diverticulitis.

Also, your body eliminates worn-out hormones and heavy metals through the GI tract.  But if you’re prone to irregular BMs or constipation, these substances may instead be reabsorbed into circulation, increasing your risk of hormone-dependent cancers (like breast cancer) and toxicity to your brain from metals like mercury or aluminum.

Immune protection

Between 70-80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut.

In addition to fighting off infections and viruses, your immune system also protects you against diseases like cancer.  Right now, chances are excellent that you may have some pre-cancerous cells developing, but your immune system hunts those cells down and destroys them!

Plus having a proper-functioning immune system means you are less likely to suffer from allergies, food and environmental sensitivities, asthma and autoimmune conditions.

Good nutrition

Having a healthy microbiome helps to enhance your absorption of nutrients from your foods and supplements.

When you have nutrient deficiencies, you are rolling out the red carpet for disease and early death—it’s a given.  Most diseases have their roots in one or more nutrient deficiencies, including heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

Fighting ulcers

Studies have shown that the beneficial bacteria strains L. acidophilus, L. salivarius and L. casei can slow and even help kill H. pylori (the bacteria that causes most ulcers).

Blood cholesterol control

Having regular bowel movements can help your body to better eliminate excess cholesterol through the intestinal tract, instead of risking re-absorption into your bloodstream and creating elevated cholesterol levels.

Inflammation control

Your gut is the “gatekeeper” for your inflammatory responses.  While some inflammatory responses are helpful (such as when you get stung by a bee or sprain your ankle), many of us are in harmful inflammation OVERDRIVE.

The healthier your microbiome is, the more inflammation is kept under control.  Inflammation is an underlying factor behind most diseases, especially heart disease and cancer, as well as allergic responses. 

Mental health

Research has shown that problems in your gut can directly impact your mental health, eventually making you depressed and anxious.

But the flip side is also true—better, healthier bacteria can help encourage better mental health!

Plus 90 percent of your body’s serotonin is manufactured in your gut, so if it’s unable to do its job, depression can result…and all the antidepressants in the world can’t change that!

What to do now?

If you want a low-cal sweetener, opt for stevia—it’s not a lab creation and has a much safer track record. 

Also, moderate amounts of organic raw honey, organic cane sugar or organic real maple syrup are far safer than artificial sweeteners and don’t add that much to your daily calorie intake, if you’re concerned about weight loss.

Drink water instead of soda or sports drinks.  You will feel the difference almost immediately, and will quickly realize just how lousy those deadly drinks were making you feel.    

Here are some other very helpful tips:

If man made it, don’t eat it!

Processed foods are loaded with harmful ingredients, including artificial sweeteners. 

So the less that you rely on processed foods in general, the better your chances of avoiding these poisons and the better for your health overall! 

Instead, concentrate on real foods from Nature and you won't have to worry about potential poisons causing disease.

Let this be your new motto:  If man made it, don’t eat it.

When you eat mainly real foods you actually “retrain” your taste buds to appreciate the flavors and sweetness that occur naturally in those foods…and you lose your taste for the highly processed, artificially flavored, sickly sweet or salty stuff.

Plus your body will benefit from the nutrients it gets from real foods, and since real foods are inherently lower in calories than processed foods, your waistline will likely shrink too! 

Help your gut recover too!

Since artificial sweeteners are toxic to your microbiome, it’s essential to do all you can to help your friendly bacteria recover and restore a healthy flora balance. 

In addition to having a diet of real foods, supplementing with a top-quality probiotic formula like Super Shield can help your gut flora bounce back to a more health-supporting level and stay there.

Super Shield provides a full-spectrum blend of 13 potent, well-studied probiotic strains that are ready to line your intestinal tract, fight off dangerous pathogens, ease gas and bloating and help support a better-feeling YOU!

As an added plus, Super Shield contains the strains L. acidophilus, L. salivarius and L. casei, which help fight ulcers like I mentioned above!

Read ALL labels carefully

Artificial sweeteners are hiding in numerous products, including most diet, reduced calorie or sugar-free products, chewing gum, hot chocolate mix, ketchup, dressings, sauces, baby food (!), yogurt, cereals and even vitamins and nutritional supplements!

Do your body a favor and say goodbye to toxic artificial sweeteners for good!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia