The number of sweeteners lining supermarket shelves is mind-
boggling. There are artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners
and sweeteners with names too difficult to pronounce. There is
not a whole lot of consensus on which one is better for you, or
even the least harmful. Too much sugar will make you fat, the
experts say. On the other hand, too much zero-calorie artificial
sweetener can also make you fat, others argue. Being overweight
can lead to heart disease, diabetes and other serious health
problems. Even if sugar substitutes don't make you fat, at one
time or another they have been linked to cancer and headaches.
But, the National Cancer Institute says there is no clear
evidence that artificial sweeteners available in the United
States are associated with cancer risk in humans. Jo Ann
Hattner, a registered dietitian and teacher at Stanford School
of Medicine, says there are a lot of pros to using artificial
sweeteners, especially for those with diabetes or prone to
obesity. She says as long as they're u