Artificial Sweetners During Pregnancy, Are They Safe?

I've used the pink oneince it came out in the 60's. Never had a problem. That does't mean something couldn't be different with you honey. Try not to fret. Just stop useing them now. Get a britta filter and the water, ice cold from the faucet is delicious. You could sqeeze lemon wedge or orange etc. to change the flavors.

Just to let everyone know- regular soda is worse than diet soda because it is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup and not regular sugar which is directly linked to heart disease and diabetes! And there are no controversies about that link.

It is of course very hard to do research on how things we consume (diet, meds, etc) effect unborn babies. So almost all of what we know is based on retrospective studies that look back at babies born to mother's that were exposed to x, y, or z during pregnancy and see how many of those babies had complications/abnormalities compared to babies that were not exposed to that substance during pregnancy. Generally, the only artificial sweetener to avoid in pregnancy is sacchrine. All others are considered safe in moderation (generally 2-3 servings per day), Splenda is often considered the safest because it is made from sugar. Try to relax and enjoy the rest of the pregnancy, i am sure your baby is just fine! Here is link to a statement from the American Pregnancy Association regarding artificial sweeteners if you want to read more on your own.
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/artifici...

Hi, I know you got lots of responses, but here is my take!

God forgives those who don't know!!! I think I drank 2 bottles of wine one weekend, and then a case of beer the next weekend, and lots of drinks inbetween, included several diet pops a day for TEN weeks (then I found out I was pregnant)...yikes!!! I cried my eyes out feeling guilty, and all that stuff.... Once I found out, I stopped, and all is well!!!

BUT, my now 6-year old is very sassy, and all that...maybe it was because of that Aspartame??!!! hhmm, hahahhahahaha!!!

God Bless you and your family!

A.,

I know that you have alot of responses, but just wanted to let you know that I am currently pregnant with my 4th child. I have drank diet rite with ALL my pregnancies and my kids are all healthy. I think that your baby should be fine.

Hi there. I had written a paper in college about the effects of artificial sweeteners and basically they are all very bad. Personally I get migraine headaches from anything containing these, that is what made me write a whole paper on it. The FDA has never approved these sweeteners, they are linked to causing cancer, tumors and autism in children. I am pregnant too and have my one Pepsi a day, just the regular kind! Since there has been no official cause to autism this has been linked to cause it and personally I know several people who all drank diet soda a lot and ate things with the sweeteners in them that have children with autism or sensory disorders. I'm not saying it will happen to you, but the chances are greater. I hope you reconsider and just have the regular kinds in the future.
K. G

I'm diabetic and use sweeteners daily and did with my other two pregnancies too! My babies were born very healthy and happy. Although artificial sweeteners are TERRIBLE for you, from what I've read, you need a lot to do harm. There is a sweetener out there called Stevia (Trader Joe's sells it) and a new main-stream one called Truvia. Stevia is natually derived and is better than other artificial sweeteners. I have not read any "bad" effects of this but it is usually sold as a vitamin supplement because it has not been approved by the FDA until recently. Anyway, I would definitly curb your intake, but I believe that, in moderation, these will not harm your baby.

Well, seeing that you are full term your baby is most likely perfect :) Your doctor would have found an issue on an ultrasound if there was anything wrong.

Sweetners aren't reccomended but they really can't be avoided either. I use propel water packets everyday as well. They contain an artifical sweetener.

From what I have heard splenda (yellow packet) and the one in the blue packet are ok in moderation. I would take this as not to eat it by the spoonful or in every dish you serve. It is the sweetner in the pink packet (cant think of the name) that you want to avoid if at all possible. Or at least use very sparingly.

Check out stevia. It's a natural sweetner, plant based. And I wouldn't worry about what you've already done. We all faired well, and they didn't no half the stuff we do now. We do what we can to give our babies the best start and then trust God for the rest:)

Hi, first of all, let me say, what's done is done and actually for doing it for such a short period of time, I think that you and the baby will be fine. I have personally quit all of those artificial sweetners. I have had friends that have had bad things happen and they believe they are associated with those. I think that the best you can do, is what you have done - you have stopped, your baby will be fine.

Caffeine free pop is just bad anyway, pregnant or not. It would, honestly, be better to driink a small anount of regular pop than that stuff. Anything with spendid, nutrasweet or any of those is not really recommended for anyone. Just because it passes the FDA, these days means nothing. Splenda is a chloriinated product, Aspartame is bad too, as you are aware. I would just enjoy the rest of the pregnancy and get ready for a happy, healthy baby.

Future - there is good stuff out there to drink without that stuff. Whole Foods has great pop alternatives without the stuff in them. Also watch any sweets you eat as well, some have those in them too.

Enjoy the baby!! All is good.

I had GD as well 2 years ago and I was told by my dietitian to use splenda instead of regular sugar. My daughter is just fine. I am having #2 in a 6 weeks and have been using equal, she is still doing fine as well. Good Luck!

i wouldnt but I know a ton of people who drank gallons of artificial sweetener while pregnant. Their kids are fine...its great that you stopped and I wouldnt worry about things you cant control now. Whats most important is a happy non stressed mommy!

I was a Kool-Aid junkie during my pregnancy. I would not worry about it. As for the Diet soda, I always heard that it was not good for you, but who knows anymore. You have had all your check-ups and I assume everything is fine. You are probably just worrying because it is getting so close. Good Luck.

Hi A. T,
Don't worry about it. I asked my doctors the same question when I first found out I was pregnant. I have a "regular" OB/GYN doctor and I also see a naturopathic doctor. Here's what they said:
OB- Artificial sweetners are fine in moderation, especially Splenda brand or other sucralose sweetners.

Naturopathic Doc - Do not use any artifical sweetners as they are all not good for humans.

So, you have to make your own call. If you're concerned you can switch to using Stevia as a sweetner instead of sugar. Its plant based and okay according to most naturopathic doctors. A new brand of it just came out called Truvia that you can probably find in most grocery stores.
I myself have been only using products with Splenda brand or sucralose, however now that the stevia brand Truvia came out I'm thinking of only using that. Really the only thing I eat with Splenda now is flavored water so I'm not too worried about over consumption.

I hope this helps. Try not to worry about it too much. That isn't good for you either! :)

~T.

Hi A..
I am 8 months pregnant, and I too freaked out when i discoverred that my yogurt contained aspertain. I am sure you are fine. Here's how I look at it. If you are eating healthy and exercising, one or 2 diet cokes will be fine. One of my best girlfriends was in the peace corp in tanzania for 3 years and she constantly reminds me that many of the people she saw didnt even eat when they were pregnant and gave birth to healthy babies.

You will be a great mom and your baby will be perfect! Congrats.

I think that you are going to be fine. It doesn't sound like the quantity of your consumption was anything out of control, and from everything I've heard, you have to consume a pretty large amount of an artificial sweetener over an extended period of time before having negative effects. There may be people that want to refute that, but where is the proof? Wouldn't it be a clear no-no by now if they were really harmful? I have read that saccharin is the one to avoid - that's the sweet & low sugar substitute. Sweet & Low, however, claims that it's even safe in moderation during pregnancy. Personally I can't stand the taste of that stuff, I think it tastes like chemicals, so it doesn't matter too much to me.

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and for a good portion of my second trimester, have been craving Diet Coke. Otherwise I'm eating a very healthy and widely balanced diet, my beverage of choice the other 99% of the time is water. I too was concerned about having Diet Coke being pregnant so I called my dr whose opinion I trust completely, and he told me that 1 Diet Coke a day was perfectly fine, and that I should enjoy it guilt free. I go certain weeks where I have only 1 total, and other weeks where I might have 3 or 4 per week. I know you said you were having 2 a day for awhile, and I'm sure that was fine too.

I agree that everyone has a right to their opinions, but some people are so ridiculous about pregnancy. Any rational, smart person knows the difference between being healthy with the occasional splurge and intentionally neglecting a healthy lifestyle. It's basically 10 months of being pregnant if you go full-term, and we're supposed to drink only milk and water the entire pregnancy and occasionally drop a lemon wedge into it for fun? Good lord, just put us into a box and let us out when the baby is ready.

Hi. Please don't regret -- there is absolutely no reason to! If you wish to change your consumption behavior, go ahead with whatever you are comfortable with (and what your Doctor supports!) I'll bet your Doctor will tell you that you have nothing to worry about!

I want to correct a statement that Kirsten G made. She said that the FDA has never approved the use of any artificial sweeteners, and that is wrong. Here's a link to the FDA website with the FDA's statement about all the artificial sweeteners (including saccharine and the Aspartame controversy).

http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1999/699_sugar.html

PS...Diet Coke and 7-Up made caffeine-free versions with Splenda, instead of Aspartame. You can look for it at the major grocery stores. :)

Don't beat yourself up worrying about it. Most likely your consumption of these products did not harm to the baby, and important thing is that you've given them up. People who have conditions brought on by consumption of these products, usually do so after an extended period of use.

As a wellness consultant, I advise people to avoid all artificial sweeteners. Saccharine is not the only harmful artificial sweetener. Aspartame can build up in one's system over time to toxic levels, causing a host of symptoms.

The sugar industry had a lawsuit, since settled, with Johnson & Johnson over their claim that Splenda was made from sugar. The truth is, it's far from natural--it's a chlorinated artificial sweetener, and long-term effects are not known, yet multiple studies have shown it suppresses beneficial bacteria (found in the gut), which in turn lowers the immune system. It also negatively impacts the bioavailablity of drugs & nutrients.

There are other great natural sweeteners available, any many are becoming mainstream and showing up in regular grocery stores (before you had to go to the health food store). Stevia, agave nectar, and brown rice syrup are great alternatives. Celestial Seasonings has flavored tea on-the-go sticks that use stevia and taste great. You may like those in place of the Kool-Aid.

When I was pregnant, I worried about them as well. When I did my research, here's what I found:

Aspartame can be consumed in moderation. It has a risk factor category of B/C.

Sucralose/Splenda: are fine, but keep in mind that these products are relatively new.

Saccharine: has a risk category of C and should be avoided in general. It has a carcinogenic effect, so try to limit it even when you're not pregnant.

I used the book "Pregnancy Dos and Don'ts" by Elisabeth Aron, M.D. when faced with most of these "iffy" decisions and that's where I pulled this info from for you. I liked the way she layed out the information. Everything was in alphabetical order by topic. For "risky" items, she gave an overview, the concerns, and a "bottom line" which I found very helpful when justifying my own decisions.

I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point. All in all, none of the sweeteners you used have a "Warning - Stay Away at all times" label, so you're fine. You did what you had to do to keep hydrated and get through the pregnancy, and that's what counts. Keep up the good work and good luck! You're in the home stretch!

Well for what it's worth, I had GD and could only use Splenda in place of my sugar (according to my dietician and my OB/Gyn)and my daughter is a very healthy, happy, advanced for her age - 2 year old. I know there hasn't been enough time to do a really good study on it, but since you are this far along I wouldn't worry. You will have so many other worries as a new mommy (am I feeding him/her enough, is she/he happy, am I giving him/her all the things she/he needs...etc) so I'd try to put this one worry out of your mind since you cannot change the past.

Best of luck with your new little one. Children are a joy! It will be the hardest job you'll ever love.

i was worried about this too cause i was drinking packets in my water everyday as well...i asked my dr and she said that there is nothing that proves that this is harmful to the baby, she also said that caffine is to be reduced as much as possible and you can have about 4 cans a day of regular pop and still be ok , so i wouldnt worry about it .

Hi, With my first pregnancy I was vigilant about not consuming any caffiene or artificial sweeteners and I had a healthy baby. With my second baby I had a few diet cokes a day through the entire pregnancy and I also had a healthy baby. I can't say that it can't have any impact on anyone, but in my situation I was lucky to have two healthy children regardless of the artifical sweeteners I ate. You are in the home stretch, dont worry. Good luck to you! Take care, S. S.

Six of one, half a dozen of another on opinions on this. I drank caffeine free diet pepsi with both pregnancies (with the consent of my endocrinologists) and had the crystal light packets, too. Thus far, with both of my children, there are no glaring issues due to these things.