Septic systems contribute artificial sweeteners to streams through groundwater

Artificial Sweeteners Reveal Septic System Effluent in Rural Groundwater.

It has been widely documented that municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents are a major source of artificial sweeteners to surface waters. However, in rural areas, the extent to which septic systems contribute these same compounds to groundwater aquifers is largely unknown. We examined the occurrence of four commonly used artificial sweeteners in an unconfined sand aquifer that serves as ...

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners: safe or unsafe?

Artificial sweeteners or intense sweeteners are sugar substitutes that are used as an alternative to table sugar. They are many times sweeter than natural sugar and as they contain no calories, they may be used to control weight and obesity. Extensive scientific research has demonstrated the safety of the six low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use in foods in the U.S. and Europe (ste...

Gut Sweet Taste Receptors and How Sweeteners Contribute to Obesity

The gastrointestinal tract represents a sensory organ that responds to a large array of signals originating in the lumen [1]. “Molecular sensing by specific gastrointestinal cells plays a crucial role in the control of multiple fundamental functions including digestion, regulation of caloric intake, pancreatic insulin secretion, and metabolism, as well as protection from ingested harmful drugs ...

The potential toxicity of artificial sweeteners.

Since their discovery, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been controversial. Artificial sweeteners provide the sweetness of sugar without the calories. As public health attention has turned to reversing the obesity epidemic in the United States, more individuals of all ages are choosing to use these products. These choices may be beneficial for those who cannot tolerate sugar in their die...