In Moderation, Artificial Sweeteners Are Not Harmful, Doctor Says

BOSTON (CBS) - It's hard to avoid them. Those little blue, yellow and pink packets found next to sugar at almost every turn, but are you putting your health at risk if you use them? Dr. Mallika Marshall gives us the skinny on artificial sweeteners.

After breaking her leg in a car accident, Abby McGee started packing on the pounds. She had finally had enough when she couldn't buy cute clothes and couldn't do the things she enjoyed.

"I couldn't fit into a roller coaster seat and go on a roller coaster with my boyfriend," says Abby.

So Abby changed her diet and one of the first things to go was sugar.

"I used to use a lot of plain white sugar in my coffees and in my cooking," explains Abby.

And she switched to artificial sweeteners.

"I usually use Splenda when I'm cooking," Abby says. "And Equal for my coffees or Truvia."

But artificial sweeteners have come under fire with some people claiming they trigger headaches, promote weight gain, even cause cancer.

Abby rolls her eyes and says, "Everything that you read causes cancer."

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford is an obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital who says that in moderation, these sweeteners are not harmful.

"We go through all the evidence that's out there in the peer reviewed literature," says Dr. Stanford, "And we find that there is nothing that definitely states that it causes any negative effects on your health overall."

Even though these sweeteners are generally safe, do we really need them? Dr. Stanford says some people do. She says the human brain has craved sugar since the time we were hunter gatherers and that artificial sweeteners can help curb those cravings. Dr. Stanford, herself, uses artificial sweeteners in her green tea which she likes sweet, really sweet.

"If I were to have the quantity of sugar sweetened to the level I like, it would be a lot of additional sugar for me," explains Dr. Stanford.

Abby says these products have actually made her healthier by helping her shed more than 100 pounds and keep it off.

"I'm still using artificial sweeteners and I'm still active and doing great," says Abby, "So I can't complain."

One pitfall of using artificial sweeteners is that patients will often say to themselves that if they have a diet beverage, they can have a slice of apple pie or scoop of ice cream later in the day. That kind of reasoning can definitely lead to weight gain.