Sales Soar of Diet Candy

The average American’s sweet tooth is very much alive — even if he or she doesn’t eat foods containing real sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

That’s right. Sales of low-sugar and low-fat candies in the U.S. quadrupled between 2000 and 2004, reports a new study, "Market Trends: Diet Candy — The World of Low-Sugar, Low-Carb and Low-Calorie Confection."

Last year alone, consumers forked over an estimated $495 million in diet candy, compared with $118 million four years earlier, according to the report from Packaged Facts, a division of Rockville, Md.-based MarketResearch.com.

That’s one hot trend — but one that I do not welcome.

You might be wondering: "What do you mean, Connie, you talk a lot about the health hazards of eating too much sugar. Why aren’t you happy that more and more folks are turning to diet products? ? After all, many people obviously eat them to lose weight, as The Washington Post observed.

You see, while researching and writing my book SUGAR SHOCK!, members of my free online KickSugar group kept asking me about artificial sweeteners. "Are they safe? Do they trigger a rise in blood sugar levels? Will I lose weight while eating or drinking them?"

Wanting to help these sugar addicts, I had no choice. Even though my book delves into the dangers of sugars and refined carbs, I had to investigate diet products, too.

Look, if you’re doubting my motives, I don’t have any — other than to help you. In fact, if you visit my website at SugarShock.com, you’ll learn that my heart is in the right place.

Anyhow, what I found out about artificial sweeteners greatly surprised and troubled me. (Especially since I ate lots of sugarfree candies while quitting sugar in 1998. I continued to do it for a while, even though they often made me sick to my stomach. And, upon occasion, I’ve also consumed low-sugar cookies containing sugar alcohols — something that I’m embarrassed to admit.)

Briefly, I discovered, upon interviewing experts and reviewing many documents, that health concerns have been raised about every artificial sweetener out there. For instance, ailments have been attributed to Splenda (sucralose), aspartame, Acesulfame-K, sugar alcohols, and more.

But, despite what I and others have learned, evidently "diet candy will outlast any single nutritional or weight loss approach, given the versatility of low-sugar, low-carb, low-fat, and low-calorie product formulations," Don Montuori, Acquisitions Editor of Packaged Facts, said in a press release.

Look, if you don’t believe me that diet products aren’t as safe as they’re cracked up to be, I don’t blame you. After all, whenever an artificial sweetener hits the market, the companies release statements purporting that extensive studies have been conducted. Thus, I learned that we just haven’t been told the full story.

If you still doubt me, all I can suggest for now is for you to start scouting around the Internet for information. Visit thetruthaboutsplenda.com (ironically started by the sugar industry, which has taken a beating due to skyrocketing sucralose sales). Check out websites devoted to aspartame. And so on.

Then come back here and chat. Disagree with me if you like. Share your experiences with artificial sweeteners — good or bad.

Bear in mind: I have no agenda vis a vis artificial sweeteners and low-calorie sweeteners. (I even like some of these products.)

My goal is simply this: I want to dig up the truth about both sugars and artificial sweeteners. And if it means I”ll hear something I’d rather not, then so be it.