Posts Tagged ‘artificial sweeteners’

The Competing Interests Fueling Nutrition Controversy

October 16, 2019 — Some controversies in nutrition seem eternal. People never tire of arguing that no-calorie sweeteners are bad for us. Red meat is either nourishing or noxious, depending upon who’s taking up the argument. The list is endless. And the arguments never fade because feelings are strong, though the data backing them up is often weak. And […]

Familiarity Bias to Fuel the Soft Drink Panic Machine

September 5, 2019 — Every day we get practical lessons in the power of familiarity bias. Repeat something often enough and people believe it. This week, JAMA Internal Medicine is feeding the soft drink panic machine. “New study links all soda to an early death,” says the Washington Post. CNN gets right down to it: “Want to live longer? […]

Diet Soda: Beating a Correlation to Death

February 18, 2019 — How many times have we documented a correlation between diet sodas and cardiovascular disease? Who cares, say the editors of Stroke. Apparently, the click bait is irresistable. Thus, we have the upteenth correlation study, unsupported suggestions of causality, and a tidal wave of sensational headlines about diet soda, strokes, heart attacks, and death. We have […]

Cultivating a Sweet Tooth: Fact or Presumption?

April 9, 2018 — It’s a favorite rationale for avoiding anything sweet. Even if it has no calories it will drive you to want more sweet foods and drinks. Sweet stuff will give you a sweet tooth, says the Harvard School of Public Health on its website: The human brain responds to sweetness with signals to eat more. By […]

Really? Germs Love Diet Soda?

April 7, 2018 — We’ll say it again. You don’t need a scientific reason to hate artificial sweeteners. It’s OK. But even so, people keep coming up with speculation, dressing it up with science, and making unfounded claims about the bad effects of sweeteners. Today, Moises Velasquez-Manoff is telling us in the New York Times that germs love diet soda. […]

Urban Legends Fueling the Decline of Diet Coke

January 21, 2018 — Diet Coke has an image problem. It starts with the fact that consumers now hate its first name – Diet. Adding to its woes are a whole series of urban legends that the brand just can’t shake. In a desperate effort for a fresh start, now we have a whole new look for Diet Coke – bright, […]

ConscienHealth’s Greatest Hits of 2017

December 18, 2017 — This has been a year like no other. As 2017 winds down, we’re grateful that more and more of you have been reading the mix of science and consumer insights we report and interpret here every day. So far this year, more than 90,000 users have spent time reading what we offer on the ConscienHealth […]

It’s OK to Hate Sweeteners, Just Don’t Wrap It in Science

July 22, 2017 — Nutrition has more than its share of hot button issues. But low-calorie sweeteners stir especially strong feelings and sensational headlines. This week, the Washington Post warns us that “diet drinks are associated with weight gain.” Reader’s Digest tells us to avoid them “at all costs.” America’s president figured this out years ago. I have never […]

Try Not to Have a Stroke About Sweeteners

April 21, 2017 — “That stuff can’t be good for you.” Diet soda is a fizzy elixir that people love to hate. And so this week, we have yet another round of studies and pseudo-scientific PR pitching “links” as evidence of cause and effect. The scare theme this week is artificial sweeteners will give you a stroke. The Study […]

Sweeteners and Food Terrorism 

August 15, 2016 — The annual meeting of the AADE offered much to like, but a scientific session on sweeteners belongs at the top of the list. Claudia Shwide-Slavin and Alan Barclay gave a concise tour of science and fiction about this sweet stuff that worries the Puritans among us. They had us from the start with a smart list of […]