I recently got a question from a long-time reader about an article on artificial sweeteners. I did what I always do: I checked the source of the article—in this case, MedicineNet. The author is a registered dietician of some repute based on what I could find. In the article, she described the pros and cons of all artificial sweeteners including acesulfame potassium or Ace-K for short. While she gives a reference list at the end of 13 web pages, she made it very difficult to know where she's getting the information that she gives so I tried finding it on my own.

For example, she uses the statement, "Acesulfame K contains the carcinogen methylene chloride." So I did a medical database search of Ace-K and methylene chloride. No articles.

Then I did a search of methylene chloride alone, and found over 3,000 articles. Methylene chloride is a solvent used in paint thinners and other products; most of those articles were about chronic exposure to methylene chloride and its relationship to diseases such as cancer. That’s what you’d expect from long-term exposure to organic solvents, but here’s the thing: it had nothing to do with Ace-K.

At one time, methylene chloride was used as a solvent in the preparation of some foodstuffs, but I could find no evidence that’s still true.

So I checked the chemical structure of Ace-K and methylene chloride. There’s no chlorine or chloride in the structure Ace-K.

C’mon, People!

You can't make a statement like she did and then just let it go at that. A first-year grad student would know enough to check the chemical structure—someone with degrees and certifications doesn’t? They have to prove what they say. For more on Ace-K and artificial sweeteners in general, click the button.

Love them or hate them, use them or don’t. It’s your choice but base the decision on facts, not something made up in the minds of people who should know better!

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet