We all love sugar and we all know that too much sugar is bad for health. It impacts our cardiovascular health and poses great dangers if consumed in high quantities. Fortunately, people have been becoming increasingly aware of their sugar consumption and have been trying to lower it. The food and beverage industry obviously does not love this. While Coca-Cola's recipe might be a well-kept secret, they haven't been able to hide their affinity for sugar. The truth is that the sweeter the product, the more our brain and bodies react pleasantly to it; thus, the more we consume the product. Sugar is great for capitalism. But, what if I told you there's something even better? Hooray! Sugar Substitutes.

Artificial and low-calorie sweeteners can be classified as sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes are sweeteners that contain few to no calories but have a higher intensity of sweetness per gram than sweeteners with calories. They can be used in smaller amounts than traditional sweeteners while producing the same levels of sweetness. Some common examples are Sucralose, Stevia, Aspartame, and Saccharin. These are all about 200-700 times sweeter than sugar. While little-to-no calorie sounds good on paper, it can have a detrimental impact on our general health and well-being.

Some of the adverse effects of sugar substitutes include:

• Promotes a preference for sweetness in diet
• The brain responds to sweetness by signals to eat more
• Alter's the food-reward psychology
• Promotes high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels
• The gut microbiota changes and leads to weight gain and increased blood glucose levels
• Reported occurrences of unpleasant after-taste
• Increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• Potential for brain tumors, bladder cancer, and other health hazards

Sugar substitutes can adversely affect our health. This is especially problematic for people who are actively trying to reduce sugar intake in their diet. Currently, their efforts are supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA enforces including added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label so that people can make informed choices, based on their individual needs and preferences. However, detailed information on nonnutritive or artificial sweeteners is not provided on nutrition labels. Food manufacturers are only are required by FDA to list sugar substitutes among the ingredients, not the quantities used. This does not allow individuals to make informed choices based on their individual needs and preferences. Thus, in order to advance the goals and interests of the FDA and the food & beverage industry consumers, join us to petition to include artificial sweetener (including any other sugar substitute) quantities in Nutrition Facts.