People have been using artificial sugar substitutes for decades. Are chemical sweeteners safe? Here is a look at three most widely used sweeteners: saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame.
Saccharin
Discovered in 1897, by 1907 saccharin was used as a substitute for sugar for diabetics. Saccharin doesn’t have calories and metabolic by-products. It is still added to a wide variety of products, and is the sweetener found in Sweet’N Low.
Saccharin generated controversy during the 1970th when it was reported that high doses were associated with an increased risk for bladder cancer in rats. Subsequent research failed to demonstrate a risk of any cancer among human users. However, the FDA has set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for saccharin at 5 mg per kg of body weight per day: for a 150lb-adult – roughly the amount in 10 packages of Sweet’N Low (Reisser, 2006).
Sucralose
Sucralose is the only artificial sweetener derived directly from sucrose (table sugar). Sold as the sweetener Splenda, it has been approved for use in a wide variety of foods. Sucralose thus far has not earned any warnings labels from the FDA or other health-regulatory organizations, based on more than one hundred studies. However, there were no long-term studies in humans with large number of subjects to say that it is safe for anyone. Moreover, some scientists believe that Splenda contributes to a host of serious diseases (Mercola, 2006). So, be careful.
Aspartame
Aspartame was introduced in 1981. Today, it is the main ingredient in Equal and NutraSweet, and it is currently used in some 6000 products – everything from soft drinks to chewing gum. Products containing aspartame carry a warning for people with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (or PKU), which occurs in about one in ten thousand individuals.
According to FDA, there is no evidence to suggest that the consumption of foods containing aspartame poses a health hazard for a person without PKU. The FDA has set an ADI for aspartame at 50 mg per kg of body weight per day: for a 150lb-adult – roughly the amount in 100 packets of Equal, or about 15 twelve-ounce diet soft drinks (Reisser, 2006).
However, according to (Roberts, 1992), almost all of the independent research into aspartame found dangerous side effects, including headaches, mood swings, visual disturbances, memory loss, dizziness, depression, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, diarrhea and anxiety, among others.
The bottom line: Artificial sweeteners appear to be safe when used in moderation (Reisser, 2006). Nevertheless, no one can be completely certain of their long-term effects.
I believe it is better not to use any artificial sugar substitutes at all, but merely use natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, fruit syrup, agave nectar, or evaporated cane juice.
References:
Mercola, J. (2006). Sweet deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet, and the FDA may be hazardous to your health. Nelson Books.
Reisser, P.C. (2006). The complete guide to family health, nutrition, and fitness. Tyndale House Publishers.
Roberts, H.J. (1992). Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is it Safe? Charles Press Publishers.
Sucralose is a chloroccarbon and necessarily toxic. Remember DDT ?
Aspartame is anything but tame. Read some chemistry first. See its metabolites. I am a Ph D in chemistry and can tell without doubt that all of them are toxic.
What do you mean they are safe in moderation ? Define moderation ! Will you or anyone undertake personal gurantee for their safety ?
About FDA & companies that make these things, public health can be damned – its only the money that matters. The incidents of FDA maladies are hair raising. Stop advocating usage of synthetics.
Promoting natural products is the ONLY way. I wonder then how you missed Stevia ? Was it by intent like the FDA ban on Stevia now reversed ?
DR. S K LAHIRI,
Thank you for your comment! I appreciate your opinion. This post does not advocate the use of artificial sweeteners – it cites some viewpoints from the books by specialists (MDs and PhDs as well). In the post, I am warning readers to be careful, as there is a controversy in this field.
One of the most health-promoting properties of agave nectar is its favorable glycemic profile. Its sweetness comes primarily from a complex form of fructose called inulin. Fructose is the sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables.