Diet Moderation Is the Key

The Epoch Times
ROBYN FLIPSE

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After reading this your column Losing the Taste for Sweets and the commentary about artificially sweetened beverages in JAMA, I can present a completely different perspective on the safety and efficacy on both caloric and non-caloric sweeteners based on my credentials as a registered dietitian with expertise in diet and eating behavior.

First, the volumes of peer-reviewed scientific research studies that support the safety of artificial sweeteners and their role in weight control are far greater than those that claim otherwise. One concise reference is The Facts About Low-Calorie Sweeteners from the International Food Information Council.

Another timely resource about sweeteners can be found in the October 20, 2009 issue of Time Magazine at  in which the writer concludes, "The general consensus in the scientific community is that saccharin, aspartame and sucralose are harmless when consumed in moderation." Even Dr. Ludwig concurs in the JAMA commentary that, "Artificial sweeteners have been used for a century and have received considerable scientific scrutiny, reoccurring questions about cancer risk have been largely dismissed."

The key, of course, is moderation, which Dr. Briffa admits he had difficulty with in his own diet, so chose to eliminate all sugar from his coffee. But his anecdotal example does not mean everyone else must do the same. Other options he could have attempted and suggested are to use less sugar in your coffee, drink fewer cups of coffee or switch to a sugar substitute.

In my role as a consultant to food and beverage companies, I am often called upon to address claims of risk or harm associated with foods and ingredients. In almost every instance, the problems being attributed to a particular food or beverage are really the result of over consumption in the context of an out-of-balance diet. When people eat the proper variety of foods in the right amounts to meet their nutritional needs and get enough physical activity to maintain a healthy body weight, there is no need to quibble over the inclusion and enjoyment of any food, whether it's milk chocolate, porterhouse steak or French fried potatoes, as long as those foods are eaten in moderation just like everything else in the diet.

Robyn Flipse
Bradley Beach, NJ, USA