We are more connected than ever.  The Internet provides us with many facts, but bombards us too with pseudo facts and urban myths posing as good information.  Trying to figure out what you need to know and what you can ignore can be exhausting and confusing.  One common urban myth that circulates online is that low-calorie sweeteners are unsafe.

Contrary to what is sometimes seen on blogs, low-calorie sweeteners are completely safe.  They have been repeatedly deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and have not been shown to cause cancer or any other disease in people.

In fact, even the National Cancer Institute states that “there is no clear evidence that the artificial sweeteners available commercially in the United States are associated with cancer risk in humans.”

Remember that facts are based in science – but claims on the Internet often are not.  There’s little chance that bloggers and so-called health writers would be penalized for spreading myths and rumors.  So if you have questions on low-calorie sweeteners, check out this article on About.com.  In it, Hope Warshaw, certified diabetes educator and expert, answers questions on the safety and benefits of low- and no-calorie sweeteners.  And visit LetsClearItUp.org for more facts on low-calorie sweeteners and other topics.