sweeteners Archives - Amazing Health Advances

New E-Cigarette Products Contain Highly Potent Sweeteners

The AHA! Team — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 05:23:42 +0000

Eric-Sven Jordt, Ph.D. via Duke Health – As of now, neither federal nor state regulations address the increasing presence of artificial sweeteners in tobacco products. e-cigarettes tested by Duke researchers A majority of popular disposable e-cigarettes tested by Duke researchers contain a potent, unregulated artificial sweetener that may enhance the appeal to young and first-time users. The additive neotame is up to 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar and is often used in e-cigarettes that also feature fruity, candy and cool mint flavors. Clinical studies have found that candy flavors and sweeteners increase the appeal, preference, and abuse potential of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. “The addition of a potent sweetener may increase the potential for addiction by facilitating initiation and chronic use,” said Eric-Sven Jordt, Ph.D., associate professor in the departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke and senior author of a study appearing June 2 in JAMA. “The presence of neotame also raises toxicity concerns,” Jordt said. “While approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food, it is not known whether it is safe to inhale neotame heated and vaporized by an e-cigarette.” Jordt and colleagues — including co-lead authors Hanno C. Erythropel, Ph.D., an analytical chemist at Yale School of Medicine and Sairam V. Jabba, Ph.D., senior research scientist in Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology – analyzed 55 disposable e-cigarettes marketed in 2024, including the popular brands Elfbar, Geekbar, Mr. Fog and Breeze, and products that contained no nicotine or a nicotine-mimicking substance called 6-methylnicotine. Of the 55 disposable e-cigarettes tested all contained neotame, with an average neotame content that was nearly five times higher than in a mentos mint candy. Disposable e-cigarettes containing the nicotine analog 6-methylnicotine had even higher neotame content. “Our study demonstrates that the artificial sweetener neotame is a ubiquitous ingredient in popular disposable e-cigarettes sold in the United States,” Jabba said. “Interestingly, less popular FDA-authorized ENDS products such as Vuse or those awaiting an authorization decision that were introduced before 2021 such as Juul do not contain this additive. The addition of neotame to disposable cigarettes may give these products a competitive edge. Youth and young adults strongly favor sweetened products, especially in combination with candy flavors.” As of now, neither federal nor state regulations address the increasing presence of artificial sweeteners in tobacco products. “FDA and state regulators need to rein in the spread of heavily sweetened, disposable e-cigarettes that have not been authorized for marketing by the FDA, but are nevertheless available in local stores and from online vendors,” Jordt said. “Otherwise, gains made in the reduction of e-cigarette use by youth may be reversed.” In addition to Jabba, Jordt and Erythropel, study authors include Remi A. Mellinghoff, Victor Garcia-Gallet, Peter Silinski, and Julie B. Zimmerman. Funding for the study was provided by the Yale Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health (U54DA036151, R01DA060884), and the Center for Tobacco Products of the FDA. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the FDA. To read the original article click here.

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Heart Attack Risk Goes UP With the Consumption of Artificial Sweeteners, New Study

AHA Publisher — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 07:00:11 +0000

News Staff via NaturalHealth365 – It’s no secret that too much sugar is bad for your health. But what about artificial sweeteners? In case you didn’t notice, the mainstream media barely says a word about this toxic creation. Unfortunately, too many people still consume artificial sweeteners … thinking they’re “better” than real sugar. The fact is there are many respected researchers and medical doctors like, Dr. Russell Blaylock warning the public about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. For example, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests artificial sweetener consumption may be linked to heart attacks! WARNING: Study Links Artificial Sweeteners to Increased Cardiovascular Disease Risk Artificial sweeteners are suspected of contributing to a whole slew of health problems. However, researchers have struggled to come to a consensus on just how harmful they might be. The new BMJ study reveals a shocking link between sweeteners and heart attack risk. The study looked at information on over 100,000 participants in France. At the beginning of the study, the average participant’s age was 42, and the majority were female. The study followed people for an average of 9 years. First of all, participants filled out personal information such as their physical activity level, diet, smoking status, and jobs. The web-based study then tracked artificial sweetener dietary consumption, which included numerous popular brand-name sweeteners. The study concluded that higher intakes of artificial sweeteners were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium were especially linked to the increased risk of heart disease. This is especially concerning, considering that artificial sweeteners are widespread in many processed foods. But Wait, That’s Not All! Obesity Is a Real Danger Besides the ominous heart disease concerns, artificial sweeteners have been singled out as increasing the risk of other diseases as well. Yet, many people still use them for health reasons. Those with diabetes mellitus, dental issues, or reactive hypoglycemia tend to think these sweeteners will help them to avoid blood sugar spikes. Many other people also use them to substitute sugar and avoid calories when trying to lose weight. However, animal studies have suggested worrisome links that sugar substitutes promote carcinogenicity, obesity, and weight gain. Given their widespread use, artificial sweeteners may soon be re-evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization. How to Improve Heart Health Through Diet Considering the recent BMJ study, the smartest choice would be to avoid artificial sweeteners. Even though there is disagreement among the scientific community on just how detrimental artificial sweeteners might be, why take the risk with your health? Eliminating or minimizing processed foods from your diet goes a long way toward improving your overall health. Besides cutting out unhealthy foods, there are several simple things you can do to keep your heart and body healthy. Consuming a diet rich in organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts is beneficial for your cardiovascular system. Additionally, healthy fats like avocado and coconut are great for your heart. Ultimately, a natural, organic diet is a wonderful way to promote heart health. Additionally, lifestyle changes like consistent exercise, adequate sleep, avoiding alcohol consumption and developing a more positive mindset will contribute to a strong, healthy heart. Sources for this article include: TheGatewayPundit.com BMJ.com NIH.gov Healthline.com To read the original article click here.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages the Brain Like Cocaine

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 08:00:25 +0000

Jonathan Landsman via NaturalHealth365 – The latest research shows that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not only addictive but can cause behavioral reactions similar to those produced by drugs such as cocaine. The results of these studies were presented by addiction expert Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. These results clearly suggest that the current (global) obesity epidemic, violent crimes, and disease largely stem from poor quality food laced with HFCS, MSG, plus many other additive ingredients. Yet, the lame-stream media continues to focus on promoting greater governmental control over our lives to “save us.” How Does HFCS Alter (Damage) Brain Function? Did you know that drug addicts and high fructose corn syrup users – use the same (overused) brain circuits? There is significant activity in all areas of the brain, especially in the hippocampus, when consuming potent sweeteners. When addicted to powerful substances – you can literally burn out the brain from over-simulation. So, when you consider that a healthy brain is essential for learning, memory, and emotional wellbeing – it’s no wonder we have so many health problems from these unnatural sweeteners. Dr. Leri stated, “We have evidence in laboratory animals of a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods and cocaine.” Dr. Leri investigated the behavioral, chemical, and neurobiological changes induced by the consumption of “addictive foods” in the body and brains of lab animals. Though we don’t always equate human studies with animal ones, there is one thing we surely have in common – humans (and animals) are being used experimentally. HFCS, aspartame, and GMOs do not have adequate safety testing – yet soulless politicians have approved them, and the health consequences are devastating. We Are What We Eat – Literally Our diet can modulate numerous pathways that can cause all types of inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. And, let’s not forget, food significantly influences our moods and behavior. If you’re feeling a little depressed – clean up your diet! Food can switch critical genes off and on, modulate cell-signaling molecules and target different organs. When we consume unnatural (toxic) substances – we make it easy for the “wrong” message to get into our cells. What do you think – could all of this toxic food be causing the rise in autoimmune disorders? In a small human study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), scientists used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to track blood flow in the brain of young normal-weight individuals. The scans showed that drinking plain glucose “turns off the areas of the brain that are critical for reward and desire for food,” according to Dr. Robert Sherwin, Chief of Endocrinology at Yale University School of Medicine. According to Dr. Sherwin, it also showed that with fructose, “we don’t see those changes” and “as a result the desire to eat continues – it isn’t turned off.” The researchers saw these changes in the hypothalamus, insula, and striatum, which are regions in the brain that regulate appetite, motivation, and reward processing, in addition to increasing connections in certain brain pathways linked to satiety. Clearly, multinational food producers are profiting from metabolic “dis-ease.” More and more people (literally) don’t know how to stop eating. Millions of people (aimlessly) purchase billions of dollars in processed foods, and it’s slowly killing off humanity. Is HFCS Worse Than Sugar? Researchers found that fructose was more potent than glucose in bringing about changes within the central nervous system. We all know that excessive sugar intake can produce opiate-like effects similar to psycho-stimulants. Well, HFCS is no different – causing all kinds of food cravings, binging, and withdrawal issues. High fructose corn syrup may take longer to produce a cocaine-like reaction – but it’s real and quite harmful. In addition, HFCS will cause you to experience less focus and mental clarity, more drowsiness, and a higher level of anxiety. If you’re having difficulty concentrating or being productive – remove processed sugar (and artificial sweeteners) from your diet. We all want the same thing for ourselves and future generations – freedom, great health, and happiness. If we really want to improve our society by eliminating senseless violence and avoiding disease, we must improve humanity’s diet. Our future depends on it. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov ScienceDaily.com NIH.gov To read the original article click here.

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Your Gut Senses the Difference Between Real Sugar and Artificial Sweetener

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 08:00:19 +0000

Duke University via Newswise – DURHAM, N.C. – Your taste buds may or may not be able to tell real sugar from a sugar substitute like Splenda, but there are cells in your intestines that can and do distinguish between the two sweet solutions. And they can communicate the difference to your brain in milliseconds. Not long after the sweet taste receptor was identified in the mouths of mice 20 years ago, scientists attempted to knock those taste buds out. But they were surprised to find that mice could still somehow discern and prefer natural sugar to artificial sweetener, even without a sense of taste. The answer to this riddle lies much further down in the digestive tract, at the upper end of the gut just after the stomach, according to research led by Diego Bohórquez, an associate professor of medicine and neurobiology in the Duke University School of Medicine. In a paper appearing Jan. 13 in Nature Neuroscience, “we’ve identified the cells that make us eat sugar, and they are in the gut,” Bohórquez said. Infusing sugar directly into the lower intestine or colon does not have the same effect. The sensing cells are in the upper reaches of the gut, he said. Having discovered a gut cell called the neuropod cell, Bohórquez with his research team has been pursuing this cell’s critical role as a connection between what’s inside the gut and its influence in the brain. The gut, he argues, talks directly to the brain, changing our eating behavior. And in the long run, these findings may lead to entirely new ways of treating diseases. Originally termed enteroendrocrine cells because of their ability to secrete hormones, specialized neuropod cells can communicate with neurons via rapid synaptic connections and are distributed throughout the lining of the upper gut. In addition to producing relatively slow-acting hormone signals, the Bohórquez research team has shown that these cells also produce fast-acting neurotransmitter signals that reach the vagus nerve and then the brain within milliseconds. Bohórquez said his group’s latest findings further show that neuropods are sensory cells of the nervous system just like taste buds in the tongue or the retinal cone cells in the eye that help us see colors. “These cells work just like the retinal cone cells that that are able to sense the wavelength of light,” Bohórquez said. “They sense traces of sugar versus sweetener and then they release different neurotransmitters that go into different cells in the vagus nerve, and ultimately, the animal knows ‘this is sugar’ or ‘this is sweetener.’” Using lab-grown organoids from mouse and human cells to represent the small intestine and duodenum (upper gut), the researchers showed in a small experiment that real sugar stimulated individual neuropod cells to release glutamate as a neurotransmitter. Artificial sugar triggered the release of a different neurotransmitter, ATP. Using a technique called optogenetics, the scientists were then able to turn the neuropod cells on and off in the gut of a living mouse to show whether the animal’s preference for real sugar was being driven by signals from the gut. The key enabling technology for the optogenetic work was a new flexible waveguide fiber developed by MIT scientists. This flexible fiber delivers light throughout the gut in a living animal to trigger a genetic response that silenced the neuropod cells. With their neuropod cells switched off, the animal no longer showed a clear preference for real sugar. “We trust our gut with the food we eat,” Bohórquez said. “Sugar has both taste and nutritive value and the gut is able to identify both.” “Many people struggle with sugar cravings, and now we have a better understanding of how the gut senses sugars (and why artificial sweeteners don’t curb those cravings),” said co-first author Kelly Buchanan, a former Duke University School of Medicine student who is now an Internal Medicine resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We hope to target this circuit to treat diseases we see every day in the clinic.” In future work, Bohórquez said he will be showing how these cells also recognize other macronutrients. “We always talk about ‘a gut sense,’ and say things like ‘trust your gut,’ well, there’s something to this,” Bohórquez said. “We can change a mouse’s behavior from the gut,” Bohórquez said, which gives him great hope for new therapies targeting the gut. To read the original article click here.

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Commonly Used Sweeteners May Promote Antibiotic Resistance

AHA Publisher — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 08:00:02 +0000

Sally Robertson, B.Sc. via News-Medical Net – Researchers in Australia have conducted a study showing that commonly used nonnutritive sweeteners can promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant genes in the intestine. The study found that the sweeteners saccharine, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium all promoted horizontal transfer of the genes between bacteria in both environmental and clinical settings. The sweeteners accelerated the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via a process called conjugation. The genes are transferred from donor to recipient bacteria, which may then go on to develop multidrug resistance, says Zhigang Yu and colleagues from The University of Queensland in St. Lucia, Brisbane. Writing in The ISME Journal, the team says the findings provide insight into the spread of antimicrobial resistance and point to the potential risk associated with the presence of these sweeteners in food and drink. Antimicrobial Resistance Poses One of the Greatest Global Threats Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most significant global threats to public health and biosecurity in the coming decades. Currently, 700,000 people worldwide die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria every year. It is estimated that 10 million people will die from such infections by 2050 if action is not taken immediately. The emergence of ARGs that give rise to resistant bacteria is generally attributed to the misuse or overuse of antibiotics. The spread of ARGs among different bacterial species is mainly driven by a process called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Conjugation is an HGT mechanism that transfers ARGs carried on mobile genetic elements such as plasmids from one bacterial cell to another. The ARGs are transferred via a pilus or pore channel connecting the host and recipient bacteria. Where Do Sweeteners Come In? Although nonnutritive sweeteners have been developed and promoted as safe food additives that allow individuals to avoid the adverse effects of consuming sugar, some commonly used sweeteners have recently been associated with health risks. For example, in vitro studies have shown that the sweeteners saccharin (SAC), sucralose (SUC), and aspartame (ASP) can induce the formation of urinary bladder tumors. These sweeteners are also associated with glucose intolerance, which is thought to arise through alterations in the gut microbiota. Studies have also provided evidence that SAC, SUC, and ASP, as well as acesulfame potassium (ACE-K), cause DNA damage in bacteria. The researchers say this is likely to activate the DNA damage response system (SOS response). Furthermore, evidence suggests that conjugative ARG transfer may be related to the SOS response. Studies have also recently demonstrated that the use of SAC, SUC, and ASP is associated with shifts in the gut microbiota that resemble those caused by antibiotics. “As antibiotics can promote the spread of ARGs, we hypothesize that these nonnutritive sweeteners could have a similar effect,” writes Yu and the team. What Did the Researchers Do? The team used three model conjugation systems to investigate whether SAC, SUC, ASP, and ACE-K promote plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer in both environmental and clinical settings. The conjugation process was also visualized at the single-cell level using microfluidics and confocal microscopy. The researchers carried out whole-genome RNA sequencing analysis and measured changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, the SOS response, and cell membrane permeability. What Did They Find? All four sweeteners were found to promote plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer between the same bacteria and different phylogenetic strains. Bacteria exposed to these compounds exhibited increases in ROS production, the SOS response, and conjugative ARG gene transfer at environmentally and clinically relevant concentrations. Cell membrane permeability, especially that of the donor, also played an important role in the frequency of conjugative transfer. When the cell permeability of the donor (but not the recipient bacteria) was increased, a significant increase in conjugative transfer was observed. When the cell permeability of the recipient (but not the donor) was increased, no significant change in conjugative transfer was observed. “It has been reported that in the transfer of ARGs, donors with high expression of the conjugation machinery were shown to be associated with low-receptivity recipients,” says Yu and colleagues. “Thus, the increased permeability of the donor may cause increased ARG transfer to the recipient and result in increased conjugative transfer frequency.” What Are the Implications of the Study? The researchers say studies have previously shown that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can serve as hotspots for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ARGs due to HGT among indigenous bacterial species. Since the concentrations of nonnutritive sweeteners used in this study were environmentally relevant, it is reasonable to assume that upon exposure to these compounds, the transfer frequency of ARGs would be promoted in WWTPs, says the team. “It is possible that these sweeteners could cause a cascading spread of ARGs in the WWTPs, thus facilitating increased development of antibiotic resistance in downstream environmental bacteria,” writes Yu and colleagues. “Considering the substantial application of these sweeteners in the food industry (over 117,000 metric tons globally consumed per year), our findings are a wake-up call to start evaluating the potential antibiotic-like roles induced by nonnutritive sweeteners,” concludes the team. To read the original article click here.

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