What is Artificial sweetener?
[[File:Equal Saccharin Sweetner.jpg|thumb|Artificial sweeteners often come in packets like this one. They contains [[Saccharin]].]] An '''artificial sweetener''' or '''sugar substitute''' is a [[chemical]]. It is added to some [[food]]s to make them taste [[Sweet (taste)|sweet]]. It is made to taste like [[sugar]] or [[corn]] [[syrup]]. Usually it has a much lower [[energy|energy value]] than sugar. It can be found in many products which say ''Light'' or ''Diet'' in their name. Consumers use artificial sweeteners for one of the following reasons: *[[Diabetes mellitus]] - People with diabetes have problems regulating their sugar levels in the blood. Artificial sweeteners are better for them than sugar. *[[Reactive hypoglycemia]] - This is a condition similar to diabetes. People who suffer from it therefore often use artificial sweeteners. *Some people think that artificial sweeteners can help them ''lose weight''. A study at the university showed, however, that those people using artificially sweetened drink are more likely to become [[obesity|obese]] than those who do not.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight|title=''Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink'', By Daniel J. DeNoon, Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis MD, ''WebMD Medical News''|access-date= 2007-06-25}}</ref> *[[Dentition|Dental hygiene]] – sugar substitutes are tooth-friendly, as they are not [[fermentation|fermented]] by the microflora of the dental plaque. ==Problems== Studies done with animals have shown that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain. A sweet taste causes [[insulin]] to be produced. This will store some of the sugar in the blood in tissues, including fat. With artificial sweeteners, the amount of sugar in the blood does not increase. This means that there will be too little sugar in the blood. This is known as [[hypoglycemia]]. On the next [[meal]], more food will be eaten to get the [[blood sugar]] le