I have always thought of sugar substitute as more dangerous than sugar itself, a danger with respect to weight, metabolism and diabetes that is.

One sugar substitute that has always been in the limelight is aspartame - a low-calorie sweetener used to sweeten a wide variety of low- and reduced-calorie foods and beverages, including low-calorie tabletop sweeteners.

Aspartame - commercially popular as NutraSweet® - is composed of two amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine) as the methyl ester (L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) and also popular because of its implication to cancer.

Can aspartame really cause cancer?

Clinical oncology dietitian Dena McDowell, MS, RD answers that very question in a scrutinizing review of aspartame at the Diet Channel.

Bottom line is that:

Although research is ongoing, products containing aspartame are generally considered to be safe. As long as consumption of aspartame is within the ADI, no chronic health issues should be seen as a result of ingestion.

Read all about it at The Diet Channel.

Like in anything else, moderation is the key. Whether it be sugar per se or any sugar substitute, if you overdo the intake it will do more harm than good.

That been said, I really do not care anymore whether it is sugar or a sugar substitute in my food as long as I eat moderately, I'll be safe even if I have diabetes or not.

What do you think?