Artificial ingredients are all around us. We have been used to some for years, we know them, we know about their harmful effects and we try to avoid them. But there are also those that are not talked about very much and somehow slip unnoticed into our food and drinks.
The most famous artificial sweetener – aspartame, has been proven harmful to he alth. It is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar and people have recently started to learn to avoid it.
But there are other artificial sweeteners that aren't talked about as much. Such a harmful and carcinogenic sweetener is acesulfame potassium, acesulfame potassium or for short acesulfame K.
It has been used in the food industry for more than 30 years. The last in-depth research is from 1987, when the American Nutrition Association approved its use Equivalent bodies from the European Union also did not prohibit its addition in various foods and drinks.
Thus acesulfame K began to enter production en masse. Unfortunately, official attempts on the action of acesulfam K on the body directly on humans have not been made. Observations were only on animals. The results give reason to scientists to declare this harmful chemical acceptable in industry.
Carcinogenic effect
However, it has proven its carcinogenic effects on the body over the years. Certain types of cancer have been associated with the consumption of higher amounts of acesulfame K, such as thymus cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, including some rarer cancers, as well as leukemia.
Metabolic and hormonal problems
Acesulfame potassium causes disturbances in the secretion of insulin, which is a prerequisite for the occurrence of diabetes. Its consumption may cause an accelerated secretion of insulin into the blood, which carries the risk of hypoglycemic shock or a sharp drop in blood sugar levels.
Acesulfame potassium interferes with the body's hormonal balance, which poses a serious risk of triggering autoimmune diseases and hormonal imbalance, leading to a host of problems.
Laboratory experiments with acetoacetamide, a breakdown product of acesulfame, showed that it caused the development of benign thyroid tumors in rats.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Research shows that acesulfame K can affect the development of the fetus during pregnancy as well as in the breastfeeding period. It directly attacks the functioning of the pancreas, predisposing the baby to metabolic problems in the future, including diabetes.
The harmful chemical passes through the amniotic fluid of the pregnant woman and enters the baby's bloodstream without any problems. The dangerous chemical can also be transferred through breast milk and cause damage to the he alth of the fragile baby.
Although it is allowed for consumption in many countries, including Bulgaria, this toxic chemical should be avoided, especially by small children and pregnant women!
