The sweet debate - is faking it ok?

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Up until a few months ago I was a Diet Coke or Coke Zero drinker.
I had always avoided 'real Coke' as I knew just how much sugar was in it (10 teaspoons in a single can, to be exact!) but I never really knew just how bad for me the low calorie alternative was.

Diet soft drinks like Coke Zero and Diet Coke contain a mix of potentially harmful sweeteners, including aspartame, which is in fact being investigated by the National Cancer Institute for a potential link to brain cancer. Not only that, but a recent study undertaken in the US found that people who drank diet soft drink every day were 48% more likely to suffer a stroke or other vascular illness over a nine-year span, compared with people who didn't drink any soft drink.
In fact, did you know that Coke Zero was even banned in Venezuela due to potential health risks?!

This stuff is addictive. I know people who drink can after can each and every day. Funny thing is that they think they're doing their body good by opting for the sugar-free stuff when they'd probably be better off choosing the full-sugar stuff!

These days artificial sweeteners are in everything. From cakes and biscuits, to chewing gum, to chocolate, to dairy, to beverages. If you're not familiar with the different sweeteners out there, both good and bad, here's a quick guide to go by:

Aspartame - also known as Equal or NutraSweet. As already mentioned this is the worst kind of sweetener out there. Simply put - avoid at all costs.

Sucralose - 600 times sweeter than sugar, you may be familiar with sucralose in the form of Splenda. The chemical process used to make sucralose includes the use of chlorine which may cause skin irritations and headaches. Sucralose is the 'new kid on the block' when it comes to artificial sweeteners. Canada was the first nation to approve its use in the early 90's. As it stands, there has been very little in the way of testing of this artificial sweetener. With its long term safety still being unknown, it's best to avoid this one as well. In fact, testing undertaken on animals showed that it resulted in many health issues including aborted pregnancies, extension of the pregnancy period, enlarged liver and kidneys, reduced growth rate... and the list goes on.
Enough said.

Stevia - a natural sweetener that is 250-450 times sweeter than sugar. Although it is naturally derived, it is still early days when it comes to known effects of this sweetener. Some studies have suggested it can lead to male reproductive problems, and can interfere with metabolism. A better than alternative than aspartame, perhaps, but we're still in slightly murky water with this one...

Xylitol - with roughly the same level of sweetness as sugar, this sweetener is made by fermenting xylose, which is a sugar found in the embryos of most edible plants. It is converted to glucose by our livers, so ultimately it looks like there are no ill effects on humans. This is my personal choice of sweetener, it's fairly good in coffee and when baking.

What's your thoughts on artificial sweeteners?