The American Heart Association’s latest deadly recommendation

In yet another example of how clueless the “powers that be” in this country truly are, the American Heart Association (AHA) just released an official statement on low-calorie (a.k.a. artificial) sweeteners.

The AHA believes there isn’t enough evidence on the long-term negative effects of artificially sweetened beverages. Not only that, but they say these kinds of drinks may be a useful alternative replacement for adults who are trying to limit their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.

(Oddly enough, they’re still advising against children regularly consuming low-calorie sweetened beverages…)

To make matters worse, it looks like the American Diabetes Association (ADA) agrees with them!

Clearly, they haven’t read my newsletters. If they had, they’d know science has already proven that artificially sweetened beverages like diet soda — and all of its chemical-laden cousins — lead to obesity and diabetes, not to mention an increased risk of cancer, stroke, and dementia.

But I guess when you’re in bed with Big Pharma, Big Food, and Big Agribusiness, facts don’t really matter…

Misinterpreting the science

The AHA and ADA came to their misguided conclusion that artificially sweetened beverages are “better” than sugar-sweetened beverages after reviewing multiple studies showing that sugar-laden drinks can increase inflammation, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

A 2012 review from the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Science and Public Health went a step further by concluding that beverages sweetened with sugar substitutes could have modest benefits for weight loss and regulation.

What?!

To their credit, the AMA does point out that these low-calorie, no-sugar drinks can give people the perception that they can eat more calories from other foods. And guess what types of foods most of these people gravitate toward? Desserts!

And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Nutrition agrees. They agree that drinks made with sugar substitutes can foster a “sweet tooth.”

Bravo! It’s not like Americans are struggling with an obesity epidemic or anything…

And of course, our big business powers that be ignore all the science—and the potential consequences. Take, for example, a recent review study where the authors admit that there’s data suggesting long-term consumption of artificially sweetened drinks may increase the risk of Type II Diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So much for the AHA’s assertion that there’s “no evidence” against these poisons…

The future of sugar-free

Sadly, artificially sweetened drinks account for 19 percent of all beverages consumed by children, and 32 percent of all beverages consumed by adults.

The most common sugar substitutes are:

  • Acesulfame-K
  • Advantame
  • Aspertame
  • Neotame
  • Sucralose

In a truly audacious move, the AHA’s statement lumps two completely safe, natural sweeteners — stevia and lo han — in with these toxic chemicals. But good luck finding a “diet” beverage that uses either one of them as the sugar substitute! The vast majority of “low-calorie sweetened beverages” on the market contain dangerous artificial sweeteners. But I digress.

I wrote extensively about many of these good and bad alternative sweeteners in the October 2011 issue of my monthly Logical Health Alternatives newsletter (“The skinny on sweeteners”). If you’d like to learn more about what these chemicals actually are, what they do to your body, and what you should opt for instead, this article is for you.

(Newsletter subscribers have access to my entire archive. Simply visit www.DrPescatore.com and log in to the Subscribers section with your username and password. And if you’re not a subscriber, click here to learn more or sign up today.)

In the meantime, there’s a silver lining to this artificially sweetened cloud…

Despite the continued nonsense from the powers that be (who, let’s face it — are bought and paid for by the beverage industry), consumers are starting to have the last laugh. In the U.S., there has been a major decline in the sales of sugar-sweetened and low-sugar beverages over recent years.

Consumers are drinking less of these deadly drinks in favor of… WATER!

Bottoms up!

P.S. I’d like to invite you to a FREE webinar I’m hosting on Sunday, October 7th at 3pm EST. If you’re interested in simple, science-backed strategies to fortify your cellular defenses — and stop cancer dead in its tracks — my Cancer Survival Summit will provide you solutions for virtually every type of cancer. Simply reserve your FREE spot at www.cancersurvivalsummit.com.

Sources:

medscape.com/viewarticle/900742


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