In my opinion, unless one is diabetic or pre-diabetic, drinks/etc. made with sugar are less dangerous than artificial anyday.

As Maven stated, I've heard many ppl say the sugar-free gumdrops/candies cause them to have diarrhea. I don't know what it is--my bf says the sucrose?--but that does not sound healthy to me.

It seems like ultimately it's a matter of moderation, with anything. Obviously many of us have OCD/addiction issues that makes that harder. I can't drink hot chocolates or coffee much because they make me jittery.....but I can drink tea all day long and doesn't affect my energy or sleep.

IMO the artificial sweeteners are just propaganda. I heard one of the ingredients in Splenda is bleach, , but not sure. I used to drink tea w/it and Equal, etc., and always noticed an aftertaste, like I could taste the chemicals.

Food for thought..