Childhood Obesity: Treatment, Policy, Latest Issues

For those who have avoided artificial sweeteners due to  speculation that they increased risks of cancer and other health issues, check out this article from the March 2011 Tufts University Health & Nutrition Newsletter:

If you remember the great saccharin scare of the late 1970s, it may come as a sweet surprise to learn that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has removed the artificial sweetener from its list of hazardous substances.  The switch clears the last official blemish from saccharin’s reputation, with the FDA having given it an OK in 2000.  Following studies linking saccharin with cancer in rats, the EPA’s Carcinogen Assessment Group listed the sweetener as a possible human carcinogen in 1980.  Now, in response to a petition from an artificial-sweetener trade group, the agency has reversed that listing, saying there’s insufficient evidence that saccharin causes cancer in humans.  Although not as popular in the US in part because of lingering cancer fears, inexpensive saccharin remains the largest-volume artificial sweetener in the world, primarily used in Asia.

At Wellspring, we answer a lot of questions about artificial sweeteners from concerned parents. Our stance has always been to think of artificial sweetener from a triage perspective. For kids who have a serious weight issue, the number one health priority needs to be losing weight. For many kids, artificial sweeteners help them move in that direction.

As kids lose weight and begin routinely making healthier choices, many parents then choose to work on lessening the amount of artificial sweetener used by their children.

Hopefully this change in status by the EPA will help parents feel more comfortable with artificial sweetener as their kids transition into a healthier lifestyle.  As we frequently remind parents: excess weight poses immediate physical and mental health risks to their child, and that needs to take a high priority.