How is Society Impacted?
Sugar used to be considered a luxury. However, in today's day and age, sugar has become a necessity. We cook and bake with it, and buy foods and beverages loaded with it. Sugar is used in basically everything. While sugar is incredibly popular, artificial sweeteners have been growing in popularity in the marketplace as well.
Many people who are dieting and have glucose related illnesses, such as diabetes, turn to artificial sweeteners because they contain no calories. Any product that is marketed as 'sugar-free' or 'diet' contains some form of an artificial sweetener (Mayo). At restaurants now, they offer table packets of artificial sweeteners such as Splenda.
How Do Artificial Sweeteners Impact Pregnancy?
Pregnant women especially, need to know what they are consuming at all times, because whatever they eat could potentially harm the fetus. Where artificial sweeteners are concerned, there are no recent scientific studies as of yet that prove that if consumed, artificial sweeteners could greatly harm the fetus ("Using Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy"). Nevertheless, it is always recommended to consume limited amounts at a time. The Danish National Birth Cohort conducted a study from 1996-2002 and found that the daily consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks may cause pre-term delivery (Artificial Sweeteners").
Health Benefits and Concerns
While there is much controversy about artificial sweeteners, they do have some potential benefits. Artificial sweeteners are used by people with diabetes. They are a potential option for people with diabetes because the sweeteners do not have carbohydrates, so in turn, they do not raise the blood sugar levels. Sweeteners also help with avoiding cavities because they are not the cause of tooth decay (Mayo).
Weight control could be another potential health benefit, because it is believed by some that the 'no calorie' consumption helps with weight loss, however, recent studies show that the consumption of artificial sweeteners may be linked to weight gain instead of weight loss. When the body consumes sugar substitutes, it expects to see a lot of glucose followed by it. ("Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Weight Gain"). However, when this glucose doesn't come, it leaves the body craving for more sweets, and in turn, makes the consumer end up eating more food and sweets to satisfy the craving (Samadi). Research conducted by psychologists at Purdue University's Ingestive Behaviour Research Center has displayed possible weight gain in rats when they were fed zero calorie saccharin. The rats gained more weight, body fat, and their calorie intake increased. The study proved that this was because when the body tastes something sweet, this signals the body cells to store carbohydrates and fats, which causes the body to crave more sweets, in turn. ("Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Weight Gain"). A video on Fox News, talks about the possible health concerns and side affects of artificial sweeteners and Aspartame. This video explains that Aspartame and artificial sweeteners may cause headaches and have shown studies of artificial sweeteners being the cause of Leukaemia in animals. <http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/21/sweeter-side-benefits-and-risks-artificial-sweeteners/>.
Another main health concern associated with artificial sweeteners is the possibility of bladder cancer. There have been many early studies and experiments done on rats, which showed that rats that had been fed saccharin developed bladder cancer (Samadi). However, more recent studies have shown that the cause of bladder cancer in humans is not directly linked to artificial sweeteners.
Local and Global Society - Affect on Occupations
As the years go by, and more and more studies and research has been conducted on artificial sweeteners, this could potentially affect the occupations of many people. For instance, studies are already showing that artificial sweeteners are linked to weight gain, and the obesity rate is growing tremendously. These sweeteners could also, potentially, lead to cancer. In these cases, industries that produce artificial sweeteners will close down and many people will lose their jobs because of it. However, looking at the number of sales, it can be inferred that this scenario will not occur anytime int he near future.
Many people who are dieting and have glucose related illnesses, such as diabetes, turn to artificial sweeteners because they contain no calories. Any product that is marketed as 'sugar-free' or 'diet' contains some form of an artificial sweetener (Mayo). At restaurants now, they offer table packets of artificial sweeteners such as Splenda.
How Do Artificial Sweeteners Impact Pregnancy?
Pregnant women especially, need to know what they are consuming at all times, because whatever they eat could potentially harm the fetus. Where artificial sweeteners are concerned, there are no recent scientific studies as of yet that prove that if consumed, artificial sweeteners could greatly harm the fetus ("Using Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy"). Nevertheless, it is always recommended to consume limited amounts at a time. The Danish National Birth Cohort conducted a study from 1996-2002 and found that the daily consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks may cause pre-term delivery (Artificial Sweeteners").
Health Benefits and Concerns
While there is much controversy about artificial sweeteners, they do have some potential benefits. Artificial sweeteners are used by people with diabetes. They are a potential option for people with diabetes because the sweeteners do not have carbohydrates, so in turn, they do not raise the blood sugar levels. Sweeteners also help with avoiding cavities because they are not the cause of tooth decay (Mayo).
Weight control could be another potential health benefit, because it is believed by some that the 'no calorie' consumption helps with weight loss, however, recent studies show that the consumption of artificial sweeteners may be linked to weight gain instead of weight loss. When the body consumes sugar substitutes, it expects to see a lot of glucose followed by it. ("Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Weight Gain"). However, when this glucose doesn't come, it leaves the body craving for more sweets, and in turn, makes the consumer end up eating more food and sweets to satisfy the craving (Samadi). Research conducted by psychologists at Purdue University's Ingestive Behaviour Research Center has displayed possible weight gain in rats when they were fed zero calorie saccharin. The rats gained more weight, body fat, and their calorie intake increased. The study proved that this was because when the body tastes something sweet, this signals the body cells to store carbohydrates and fats, which causes the body to crave more sweets, in turn. ("Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Weight Gain"). A video on Fox News, talks about the possible health concerns and side affects of artificial sweeteners and Aspartame. This video explains that Aspartame and artificial sweeteners may cause headaches and have shown studies of artificial sweeteners being the cause of Leukaemia in animals. <http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/21/sweeter-side-benefits-and-risks-artificial-sweeteners/>.
Another main health concern associated with artificial sweeteners is the possibility of bladder cancer. There have been many early studies and experiments done on rats, which showed that rats that had been fed saccharin developed bladder cancer (Samadi). However, more recent studies have shown that the cause of bladder cancer in humans is not directly linked to artificial sweeteners.
Local and Global Society - Affect on Occupations
As the years go by, and more and more studies and research has been conducted on artificial sweeteners, this could potentially affect the occupations of many people. For instance, studies are already showing that artificial sweeteners are linked to weight gain, and the obesity rate is growing tremendously. These sweeteners could also, potentially, lead to cancer. In these cases, industries that produce artificial sweeteners will close down and many people will lose their jobs because of it. However, looking at the number of sales, it can be inferred that this scenario will not occur anytime int he near future.