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Why do we hate artificial sweeteners?

7/27/2015 10:55:00 AM
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There's a long history of health controversies surrounding artificial sweeteners, with critics accusing them of causing everything from cancer to diabetes to attention deficit disorder. Aaron Carroll reviews the evidence and shows, pretty clearly, that none of the claims are sound. Bottom line: there's no evidence that artificial sweeteners have adverse health effects, and no serious studies cast doubt on the zero-calorie proposition: consuming zero-calorie artificial sweeteners doesn't cause you to gain weight.

So why are so many people so against artificial sweeteners? I'd like to posit a hypothesis: people keep looking for reasons why artificial sweeteners are bad for you because they dislike the way artificial sweeteners taste. Personally, I think they taste awful. Bitter and harsh, and not really all that sweet. Artificial sweeteners taste a bit different to different people, depending largely on genetics. But we all generally do agree that sugar tastes good. Maybe all of this scare is just people looking for a way to justify their unhealthy preference for sugar over artificial sweeteners.
Anonymous 7/29/2015 09:15:00 AM
As noted here, “there’s no evidence that artificial sweeteners have adverse health effects, and no serious studies cast doubt on the zero-calorie proposition: consuming zero-calorie artificial sweeteners doesn't cause you to gain weight.” Precisely right, and this research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition debunks this myth: http://bit.ly/Ik4zjC. Low-calorie sweeteners are a helpful tool for those looking to cut calories, and full-calorie beverages come in an array of sizes and can be integrated into a healthy, active life.
-American Beverage Association
Robert 8/07/2015 08:45:00 AM
I don't think your hypothesis completely fits the facts, inasmuch as many of the people who are convinced of the dangers of artificial sweeteners _don't_ have a preference for sugar. Many of them insist that plain water is the only healthy beverage choice.

I have an alternative hypothesis. Over the past few decades health and fitness seem to have taken on a moral dimension. These days, being overweight is seen not just as unhealthy, but as a sign of moral degeneracy. In this framework, drinking sugary beverages becomes a form of sin, with obesity as the punishment. What, then, are we to make of low-calorie sweeteners? They allow people to indulge without suffering the punishment. A person who, consciously or unconsciously, subscribes to this moralistic view of diet is primed to believe that eating artificial sweeteners caries its own punishment. If that punishment happens to be even worse than the one for sugar, then so much the better. You get it once for the sin and a second time for trying to get away with it.

Shorter version: Never underestimate our desire to feel morally superior to people who look like they're having more fun than we are.
Anonymous 5/29/2016 10:44:00 AM
I'm with the author here, artificial sweeteners, or even the crop of 'natural' alternatives such as stevia and monk fruit, taste absolutely awful to me. I've tried most of the usual offerings, hoping to find one that doesn't leave a foul aftertaste that makes me want to gag. No luck, they're all horrible, same nasty aftertaste in the back of my throat. Clearly, I'm one of those where genetics takes over and says YUCK!. While I do not have any medical reason to avoid sugar, I have been trying to cut down on my sugar intake because it's a healthier choice. But clearly the alternatives to plain sugar are not the answer for me. Maybe one day.... but not yet. I want to enjoy my food and drink, not gag on a nasty aftertaste.