Many studies on animals have shown that saccharin can cause cancer of the urinary bladder. In other rodent studies, saccharin has caused cancer of the uterus, ovaries, skin, blood vessels, and other organs. Other studies have shown that saccharin increases the potency of other cancer-causing chemicals. And the best epidemiology study (done by the National Cancer Institute) found that the use of artificial sweeteners (saccharin and cyclamate) was associated with a higher incidence of bladder cancer.

Despite the evidence, in May 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services removed saccharin from its list of cancer-causing chemicals. Later that year, Congress passed a law removing the warning notice that has resulted in increased use in soft drinks and other foods and in a slightly greater incidence of cancer.  Check the nutrition panel if you want to avoid this ingredient!

In 2005, a study found that even low doses of aspartame increased the incidence of lymphomas and leukemias in female rats and also might have caused occasional brain tumors. However, in 2006, National Cancer Institute researchers studied a large number of adults 50 to 69 years of age. Over a five-year period, there was no evidence that aspartame posed any risk. The bottom line is that aspartame is probably safe, but it would make sense to consume only small amounts or no aspartame until we have more conclusive evidence.

Approved by the FDA in 1998, Sucralose is safer than saccharin, aspartame, and cyclamate.  Splenda Brand Sweetener has been subjected to one of the most extensive and thorough safety testing programs ever conducted on a new food additive.

*Average caffeine levels for popular beverages, foods, and drugs
   (rounded to the nearest 5 milligrams.)
**typical value

Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest

• Your friend has an obsession with weight and food (more than general comments about how many calories he or she eats in a day). It might seem like your friend talks about food and nothing else.
• Your friend knows exactly how many calories and fat grams are in everything that he or she eats - and is constantly pointing this out.
• Your friend feels the need to exercise all the time, even when sick or exhausted.
• Your friend avoids hanging out with you and other friends during meals. For example, he or she avoids the school cafeteria at lunch or the restaurant where you usually meet on weekends.
• Your friend starts to wear big or baggy clothes. Lots of people wear baggy clothes, but someone who wears baggy clothes to conceal a body he or she doesn't like isn't following a fashion trend.
• Your friend goes on dramatic or very restrictive diets, cuts food into tiny pieces, moves food around on the plate instead of eating it, and is very precise about how food is arranged on the plate.
• Your friend goes to the bathroom a lot, especially right after meals, or you've heard your friend vomiting after eating.
• Despite losing a lot of weight, your friend always talks about how fat he or she is.
• Your friend appears to be gaining a lot of weight even though you never see him or her eat.
• Your friend frequently takes laxatives, steroids, or diet pills.
• Your friend has a tendency to faint, bruises easily, is very pale, or starts complaining of being cold more than usual (cold intolerance can be a symptom of being underweight).

• Only three small published studies have found greater weight loss in people who were told to cut calories and eat dairy foods, and all were done by one researcher with a patent on the claim.
• The government’s expert nutrition advisory panel has called the evidence on dairy and weight loss “inconclusive.”
• Two new studies have found that dairy foods don’t help people lose weight. Until further studies are conducted, it is best to assume that adding dairy foods without cutting calories will not result in fewer pounds.