Attacks Against Splenda Are Really Against The Low-Carb Lifestyle

Do you remember that blog post I wrote in mid-May about a man named Dr. Stuart Fischer who claimed that Splenda and other artificial sweeteners are bad for you because they make you crave sugary foods.

Here's the quote I used from him at the time: "[Sugar substitutes] remind dieters about the taste of the forbidden fruit [referring to sugar]," Fischer said. "Does Alcoholics Anonymous recommend alcohol-free beer? Of course not."

I challenged that premise in my blog post and noted that sugar-free desserts have been a godsend to me on my low-carb lifestyle because they have kept me away from the real evil in most foods known as sugar. I have no problem whatsoever with the sugar substitute Splenda because it has been found to be safe in over 100 studies since 1985, unlike other ones such as aspartame and saccharin.

But that hasn't stopped Dr. Fischer from embarking on his one-man crusade against Splenda, which is beginning to be used more prominently in major soft drinks as people who are livin' la vida low-carb have requested. Therefore, that has become Dr. Fischer's latest target.

Citing the recent study that concluded diet soda is responsible for people becoming obese (this is not a joke!), Dr. Fischer has offered his services as a guest speaker to discuss that in greater detail and to proclaim that artificial sweeteners have little benefit to your overall health.

Dubbed "America's Most Overqualified Diet Doctor" (uh, okay!), Dr. Fischer is looking for someone (ANYONE!) to take him up on his offer to talk about this subject anytime between today, July 8 through July 21. He is available for live or taped telephone interviews to discuss how low-sugar products are not as healthy for you as the media would have you believe and the dangers associated with Splenda and other artificial sweeteners.

While I can understand why Dr. Fischer feels his opinion needs to be heard because he is supposed to be an "expert" on the subject of dieting, I just cannot agree with his conclusion based on my own experience using artificial sweeteners over the past year and a half.

When I weighed 410 pounds last January, I was clearly addicted to sugar. It had a very strong hold on my life and would not let go until I deliberately chose to stop consuming it altogether. When you get rid of sugar out of your diet after being used to eating and drinking gobs and gobs of it on a daily basis, you need to have something to fill that void. This is where the artificial sweeteners came in for me. Sugar-free candies and diet soft drinks have played an integral part in my 180-pound weight loss success and weight maintenance. I can never go back to eating sugar or its evil twin, high fructose corn syrup, ever again. These are the products that are truly unhealthy for you.

As part of his campaign against Splenda, Dr. Fischer and his cohorts have created a web site dedicated to the so-called "truth about Splenda."

The only "truth" you need to know about Splenda is that it has helped this former obese man become a lot healthier than he has ever been in his entire life. I still enjoy my sweets and sodas, but now I consume them with much healthier sugar substitutes rather than sugar. It has made all the difference in the world for me and my health.

Do you want to know what is REALLY behind the attacks against Splenda? I contend that these attacks are simply designed as not-so-veiled attacks agaist the low-carb lifestyle. Dr. Atkins strongly encouraged people who are livin' la vida low-carb to use Splenda when they do his program because it is the best among the various sugar substitutes (although many of my low-carb friends have told me about Stevia and say they love it!). This is sad considering Dr. Fischer used to work side-by-side with Dr. Atkins in developing the quintessential low-carb lifestyle that so many have been successful at implementing into their own lives, myself included.

Since Dr. Fischer has made himself available to speak about the subject of artificial sweeteners and how bad they are for you, I would like to extend my services to the media and public as well.

If you are interested in having me appear for live or taped interviews regarding the vital role artificial sweeteners have played in my incredible 180-pound weight loss, then you may contact me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I would even be willing to appear simultaneously with Dr. Fischer on any program to challenge his contention that Splenda is unhealthy for you. I am not an expert on the subject. I'm just a living, breathing example of how the miracle of artificial sweeteners has helped change my life forever.

07/09/2005: As I expected, this debate over the safety and effectiveness of Splenda for people who are trying to break their sugar addiction has stirred up a lot of attention from those who are working behind-the-scenes to bring about this wonderful product's demise.

One such person is Dr. Betty Martini who is the founder of the Duluth, Georgia-based Mission Possible International. She has been very active in her crusade against artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame or Nutrasweet. It appears her attention has now shifted to Splenda.

Here's the response I received from Dr. Martini regarding my blog post:

You should have listened to Dr. Fischer. Read this report and its (sic) but one of many from other physicians who have checked the research.

All my best,
Dr. Betty Martini

Dr. Martini then lists web sites and articles regarding the danger of Splenda. I will not bore you with the lengthy details of the articles she sent because they are all readily available by doing a Google search. Let's just say people like Dr. Martini have their reasons for opposing Splenda just as those of us who support it have our reasons for doing so.

I wrote back to Dr. Martini regarding her concerns and basically told her that I appreciated her e-mail, but the evidence was just too inconclusive at this point to dismiss Splenda so readily. I told her it was a lot better for me than eating sugar, which, by the way, is the primary funding agent for the "Truth About Splenda" web site as my reader Lilly so graciously pointed out to me.

Check it out for yourself at the bottom of their web site, but here it is:

This website is part of an effort to educate consumers about the chemical artificial sweetener Splenda and is provided by The Sugar Association, which represents sugar beet and sugar cane farmers across America.

Well, well, well, now we're getting somewhere in the debate over Splenda. It looks like the sugar industry is starting to feel the sting of the success of low-carb that they are fighting back with an all-out smear campaign against its largest artificial sweetener competitor -- Splenda! This fight is not going away anytime soon and we will be here to provide you with the information to combat the lunacy that comes from those who oppose Splenda, and ultimately, oppose the low-carb lifestyle.