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ZuluSweeteners
It’s a sweet deal for the food industry, but the bitter truth is that sweeteners may be making many Americans sick.
High fructose corn syrup (HCFS) and sugar (sucrose) are closely linked to our nation’s epidemic of food-related diseases, such as obesity; type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular, liver and kidney diseases; some types of cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Meanwhile, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet) and sucralose (Splenda) have health risks as well. Aspartame (used in Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Dr Pepper and many other popular products) is linked to cancer and other serious health problems, and may even make people gain more weight than eating sugar. There are reasons for concern about sucralose too, because it is made with toxic chlorine and may decompose into toxic compounds, may cause cancer in mice, and it decreases beneficial intestinal bacteria.
What’s troubling in all this is not just the physical toll of these sweeteners on our nation, but the way that the food industry and our government work together to perpetuate it. See information below about what the U.S. Right to Know investigation is uncovering.
Key Documents on Sweeteners
USRTK documents peel back curtain on the sugar lobby
The U.S. Right to Know investigation has uncovered numerous documents showing how the food industry lobbies behind the scenes to protect sugar sales. The following academic papers co-authored by USRTK Co-Director Gary Ruskin are based on these documents. See our academic page for more information about these papers.
- Globalization and Health: Are industry-funded charities promoting “advocacy-led studies” or “evidence-based science”? A case study of the International Life Sciences Institute, by Sarah Steele, Gary Ruskin, Lejla Sarcevic, Martin McKee and David Stuckler (6.2.19)
- Journal of Public Health Policy: “Always Read the Small Print”: a case study of commercial research funding, disclosure and agreements with Coca-Cola, by Sarah Steele, Gary Ruskin, Martin McKee and David Stuckler (5.8.19)
- Milbank Quarterly: Public Meets Private: Conversations Between Coca-Cola and the CDC, by Nason Maani Hessari, Gary Ruskin, Martin McKee and David Stuckler (1.29.19)
- Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health: Science organisations and Coca-Cola’s ‘war’ with the public health community: insights from an internal industry document, by Pepita Barlow, Paulo Serôdio, Gary Ruskin, Martin McKee, David Stuckler (3.14.2018)
- Journal of Public Health Policy: Complexity and conflicts of interest statements: a case-study of emails exchanged between Coca-Cola and the principal investigators of the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE), by David Stuckler, Martin McKee and Gary Ruskin (11.27.17)
Sugar/Sweeteners
The barbaric history of sugar in America, by Khalil Gibran Muhammad, New York Times, August 14, 2019
Baby food has too much sugar and is marketed wrongly, WHO says, by Corrine Gretler, Bloomberg, July 15, 2019
Is Sugar Toxic? Gary Taubes, New York Times, April 13, 2011.
This Is the No. 1 Driver of Diabetes and Obesity. Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, January 29, 2015.
It’s the Sugar, Folks. Mark Bittman, New York Times, February 27, 2013.
Avoiding Sugared Drinks Limits Weight Gain in Two Studies. Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, September 21, 2012.
Health Officials Urge F.D.A. to Limit Sweeteners in Sodas. Stephanie Strom, New York Times, February 13, 2013.
Corn Syrup More Toxic Than Table Sugar in Female Mice: Study. Reuters, January 5, 2015.
Food For Thought: Eat Your Way to Dementia. Bijal Trivedi, New Scientist, September 3, 2012.
Artificial Sweeteners – general
Sucralose may contribute to insulin resistance in consumers with obesity, Endocrine Today, November 6, 2016
For Weight Loss, Water Beats Diet Soda. Nicolas Bakalar, New York Times, October 20, 2016.
Women Who Regularly Consume Diet Soda May Have Reduced Fertility, Henry Bodkin, The Telegraph, Oct. 17, 2016.
Artificial Sweeteners May Disrupt Body’s Blood Sugar Controls. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, September 17, 2014.
Aspartame
The Safety of Aspartame. New York Times, February 21, 2006.
A Sweetener’s Effects: New Questions Raised. Marian Burros, New York Times, July 3, 1985.
Sweetener Worries Some Scientists. Jane E. Brody, New York Times, February 5, 1985.
Soda/Sugary Drinks
W.H.O. Urges Tax on Sugary Drinks to Fight Obesity, Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times, October 11, 2016.
Health Officials Urge F.D.A. to Limit Sweeteners in Sodas. Stephanie Strom, New York Times, February 13, 2013.
Sugary Drinks Linked to 180,000 Deaths Worldwide. Leslie Wade, CNN, March 19, 2013.
Sugary Drinks Tied to Obesity Among Preschoolers. Genevra Pittman, Reuters, August 5, 2013.
Diet Soda, the Silent Killer? Tom Philpott, Mother Jones, March 1, 2012.
Avoiding Sugared Drinks Limits Weight Gain in Two Studies. Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, September 21, 2012.
Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks Are Harming American’s Health. Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2005.
Sugar Industry
If Soda Companies Don’t Want to be Treated Like Tobacco Companies, They Need to Stop Acting Like Them, Patrick Mustain, Scientific American, October 19, 2016.
Big Sugar’s Sweet Little Lies. Gary Taubes and Cristin Kearns Couzens, Mother Jones, Nov/Dec 2012.