Continued from Are Artificial Sweeteners Dangerous for Kids?

What is the bottom line? Ultimately, this is an area where the general rule of thumb should be: everything in moderation. An occasional diet food is fine, but stocking the pantry with them may not be.

There is a tremendous amount of conflicting data about sugar substitutes. Generally, there is no evidence that any of these artificial sweeteners causes specific medical problems.
- There is no hard-and-fast data showing a link between saccharin and disease, though there have been studies in lab animals suggesting an increased risk for bladder cancer.
- There is no clear data showing a link between aspartame and disease, though there are claims that it is associated with an increased likelihood of certain types of cancer.
- There is no clear data that sucralose causes illness, though it has only been FDA-approved for 10 years, so long-term data is not available.
However, today's children will have a lifetime of exposure to these sweeteners, and we have no idea what the long-term implications are.

Another major problem is that even with calorie-free sugar alternatives, Americans continue to gain weight at a rapid clip.
- Portions in this country are enormous, and exercise at an all-time low.
- Many think that "diet" or "sugar free" on the label allows you to eat as much as you want and not gain weight--this is far from the truth.

We should go back to the philosophy that sweets should be consumed less frequently. Perhaps one home-baked cookie made with real sugar is going to turn out to be a whole lot healthier than the artificially sweetened treats claiming to offer less fat, less sugar and more taste.

Read more from Dr. Cara.

Dr. Cara Natterson, author of Your Toddler: Head To Toe, is a pediatrician and mother of 2. To buy a copy, click here. She is currently working on the forthcoming book entitled Dangerous or Safe?