Dr. Weil On Sweeteners

A reader who goes by Water Melts Fat asks:

But Dana: what's with this bit from Weil?

"there has been increasing evidence that added sweeteners in foods may contribute to heart disease. Sweeteners appear to lower levels of HDL cholesterol (the higher your HDL, the better) and raise triglycerides (the lower the better)."

Sweeteners are LC salvation. Must we give them up too? Are all sweeteners born equal (not Equal)? My favorite is a blend of cyclamate and saccharin.I thought they were just the victim of witch hunts.

Excellent question, Water Melts Fat. But reading what Dr. Weil wrote, I see no worries. Notice that he says "sweeteners", not "artificial sweeteners." Used generically in this way, "sweeteners" generally applies to caloric sweeteners, aka sugars -- sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple syrup, fruit juice concentrate, etc, etc, etc. That sugar raises triglycerides is accepted, not even slightly controversial, even in conservative medical circles; that they worsen HDL is only slightly less well-accepted.

I'm confident that if Dr. Weil had meant artificial sweeteners he would have said so.

That said, and while I'm delighted Dr. Weil is coming around, he was on the wrong side of this issue for so long, I wouldn't panic even if he stated that artificial sweeteners were unhealthful. There's a very common attitude that artificial sweeteners are evil simply because they are artificial. I've said it before, I'll say it again: I don't believe that artificial sweeteners are 100% safe, but I am convinced that they're safer than what they replace, and especially so for those of us who are profoundly carbohydrate intolerant. If a little Splenda -- and a little is what I use, especially since I drink no soda or other sweetened beverages -- is what it takes to make our low carbohydrate diets palatable and diverse enough that we can gladly embrace them for life, then they're a boon, not a danger.

That said, there's always the new erythritol/stevia blends for those who are convinced "natural" translates to "safer." I've been using erythritol more, but usually combine it with sucralose -- I use the erythritol for textural effects, not because it's natural and therefore less suspect in my eyes.