LOOK FOR THESE INGREDIENTS IN YOUR SPORT DRINKS AND PROCEED WITH CAUTION
As part of the Live Longer Live Well program at Z Bike Shop we promote a healthy eating lifestyle with an emphasis on natural organic products. So lately I’ve noticed many of our customers are consuming large amounts of sport drinks with harmful ingredients. Since the list is quite long I’ve decided to write a series of articles highlighting each ingredient and why they are harmful.
I noticed that many products boast “low sugar” and I’m all about reducing sugar but we need to be aware of the cost in health dollars. So I want to start with three ingredients that commonly appear in sport drinks and shakes. They are artificial sweeteners known as sucralose, acesulfame potassium or acesulfame K and aspartame.
Sucralose also known as Splenda was discovered accidentally when an Indian grad student in London was doing research for insecticides by adding chlorine to sucrose. His advisor asked him to test these new compounds and he misunderstood and accidentally tasted it and realized it was sweet. It was then sold to Tate & Lyle to bring to market. It’s 600 times sweeter than sugar so it is often mixed with a bulking agent, usually maltodextrin or dextrose. Since these bulking agents contain calories it’s actually not a calorie free sweetener as advertised since maltodextrin has approximately 4 calories per gram. Still less than sugar’s 18 but the trade off isn’t worth it.
There have been no long term human toxicity studies published until after the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption. After FDA approval a human toxicity trial was conducted but lasted only three months, hardly the length of time most Splenda users plan to consume the product. And if you are consuming sport drinks on a daily basis you are getting more than the average consumer.
Some of the side effects from long term use include shrunken thymus, enlarged liver and kidneys and may also contribute to chronic immunological or neurological disorders.
Another additive to be looking for is acesulfame potassium also known as Sunett or SweetOne. It is often paired with aspartame or sucralose because of it’s bitter after taste. Critics say it has not be adequately tested and may be a carcinogenic causing lung tumors, breast tumors as well as other organ tumors. It has also been linked to leukemia and respiratory diseases. It is known to stimulate an insulin reaction rapidly reducing blood sugar which can lead to a hypoglycemic state.
And finally, aspartame also known as Nutrasweet. This sweetener was accidentally discovered by a researcher developing a drug for stomach ulcers. It was originally denied approval by the FDA and Searle the company that held the patent was facing bankruptcy. Then they hired Donald Rumsfeld who had just left the Ford administration and he used his political clout to get aspartame approved. Some of the side effects include headaches, panic attacks, mood swings, dizziness, seizures, brain tumors and autoimmune disorders.
So proceed with caution and start reading labels. The key with ingesting these products is to take them in moderation. My concern is over use.
Next article will tackle protein shakes. So be on the look out, Ive got some interesting facts to share.