Yesterday, I noticed a rise in my blood sugar, first thing in the morning, and, since I'd been experiencing lower blood sugar for several days, I was confounded as to how this could happen, especially since I'd just been sleeping for some seven to eight hours and was, therefore, in a "fasting" state, as I hadn't eaten anything yet. Also, I had previously tested the evening before, following dinner, and my blood sugar was lower then than it was after just getting up.
Pondering this mystery, the only possible variable I could account for was that I'd brushed my teeth before testing my blood sugar yesterday. So, this morning, rather than brushing my teeth first, I immediately tested my blood sugar and found it to be normal (102). I then had a close look at the ingredients contained in my toothpaste. Nothing there that resembled any kind of sweetener, so I then checked the label on my mouthwash. That was when I discovered that my mouthwash (Equate Tartar Protection Antiseptic Mouth Rinse) contains a sweetener called Sucralose. Aha!
As was the case a couple of weeks ago, when I discovered the Ricola throat lozenges I'd been using also contained an artificial sweetener (Isomalt) that is made from sugar and which also drives my blood sugar up, despite manufacturer's claims that it does not, I had now found evidence that my mouthwash has also been adding to my diabetes.
In the case of Sucralose, however, the effects don't stop there, as I found out by doing a simple Google search: http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/
Despite Ricola's and Palatint's (the manufacturer of Isomalt) claims that Isomalt, which is made from an alcohol sugar, does not raise blood sugar in diabetics, I have found otherwise, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Just ceasing the use of Ricola has allowed me to make further progress in lowering my blood sugar. Before I stopped using it, I was frustrated that I was not getting my blood sugar down as easily as expected.
So, the bottom line is this: artificial sweeteners, especially those made from any form of sugar, do increase blood sugar in diabetics, despite claims to the contrary, and they also have a number of toxic effects upon the human body, in addition. Thus, they should never be used by anyone, especially diabetics and people trying to lose weight, whether they are on the Paleo Diet or some other diet.
ADDENDUM (1-3-08):
I've been asked where my data for my opinion on Sucralose came from. Anyone who bothered to read the full article would have noticed the URL I provided above, which is where my information on this substance comes from. Note that the source says that there have been no long-term human studies done on the effects of Sucralose, as yet. This doesn't, however, mean that the data is faulty or that my comments are untrue. There have been reported cases of adverse effects from this substance and my own anecdotal experience, detailed above, suggests the manufacturer's claim that Sucralose is harmless to diabetics is not to be believed. I place my trust in statements that I know to be true, not in those I know to be false. By the way, since the issue was raised, one needn't be a doctor to reiterate data provided by other sources any more than a writer needs to be a lawyer to write about the obvious effects of a particular law. Furthermore, good luck in getting the truth about products like these from doctors, who have a vested interest in keeping us sick.
