Myth and Fact of Low Calorie Sweeteners
Low calorie sweeteners (sometimes referred to as non-nutritive sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, or sugar substitutes) have a long history of use in a variety of products ranging from soft drinks to puddings, to candy, to table-top sweeteners in packets. There have been hundreds of studies on this product group, and the scientific evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that ALL the sweeteners in this group, which are approved for use by the FDA, are safe. They are also FDA-approved for children, and pregnant women (always check with your doctor when pregnant for specific advice). A lot of rumor and incorrect information on the internet and other sources continue to raise safety questions, but many years of usage in this country and world-wide validate the safety of these compounds. Do you agree with the scientific reports? What's been your experience?
The low calorie sweeteners we are talking about are saccharin (pink – think Sweet and Low); aspartame (blue – think Equal); and sucralose (yellow – think Splenda). Both saccharin and aspartame are also available in generic brands, and significantly cheaper. Saccharin is a chemical sweetener, and not found in the food supply. Aspartame is two amino acids (a teeny protein) linked – asparatate and phenylalanine; Sucralose is similar in structure to sucrose (white sugar), it has an added chloride ion to the original sugar molecule. (All of these are safe, as are another compound, acesulfame K (Ace-K, Sunette), which is less often seen in stores. In fact, because each of these has a different sweetness and “mouth feel”, many products now contain blends of 2 or 3 sweeteners as the “ideal” taste.
Because these are also known as "high intensity” sweeteners, and hundreds of times sweeter than sugar – ie., they have intense sweetening power, only a tiny amount is used in products, with negligible calories.
So, how long have these been around and FDA approved?
Saccharin (Sweet and Low) – 1958 (discovered in the late 1800s!): 300X sweeter than sugar
Aspartame (Equal) – 1981: 180X sweeter than sugar
Ace-K (Sunette, Sweet one - 1988: 200X sweeter than sugar
Sucralose (Splenda): 1998 – 600X sweeter than sugar
There are many myths surrounding these products. It's important to set the record straight, based on scientific facts, not opinions.
Here are the most common myths to correct:
MYTH: Low Calorie Sweeteners are not Safe:
All of these are FDA approved as a food ingredient. The “acceptable daily intake” set by the FDA is already 100 times LOWER than doses already shown to be safe in animals studied for a whole lifetime. Translation: there are not “hidden” problems of safety related to even high amounts of usage by children and adults.
MYTH: Low Calorie Sweeteners Cause Cancer:
They do not. Dozens of studies, and even those by the National Cancer Institute, show that this is not so. This holds even in “high product” users.
MYTH: Low Calorie Sweeteners Increase Risk of Other Diseases:
Not true. In contrast, use of sweeteners can actually help with caloric management, and management of carbohydrate intake for diabetics. There is no substantiation of things ranging from headache, to seizures, to digestive problems, etc. ONE BIG EXCEPTION: people with the extremely rare, hereditary disease, called phenylketonuria (PKU), must restrict intake of the amino acid phenylalanine from all sources (eat a special protein diet), and should not use aspartame (which is made of two amino acids – one being phenylalanine). The other sweeteners are fine for this group.
MYTH: Low-Calorie Sweeteners Make Dieters Eat More:
These sweeteners do not increase appetite or craving for sweet foods, based on scientific studies. Other studies show that appetite is not affected, and may help some people be more satisfied with their reduced-calorie eating plans, and remain more compliant.
Also, understanding another market, for those seeking sugar, but with fewer calories, Splenda has come out with two blends – one that is white sugar and one that is brown sugar. However, you can do this at home – it’s just mixing half and half regular sugar with splenda, thus cutting the calories per spoonful in half.
WHAT ABOUT STEVIA?
Stevia is NOT approved by the FDA for use as a sweetener, and that’s why you only find it in the dietary supplement aisle. It is a plant, whose leaves have a sweet taste; it is available as drops and powder as a dietary supplement. That means it is approved for use, and legal, but there is no guarantee of purity and consistency, since it is NOT approved by the FDA. It’s a matter of personal preference, and another option. However, "natural", in this case, doesn’t necessarily mean safer or better for you.
More on Sweetners from Madelyn:
Comments
I find it hard to believe that splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar and sweet n low is only 300 times sweeter than sugar. Why can you substitute splenda teaspoon for teaspoon for sugar? And I have no idea how sweet n low is less sweet than splenda when it takes such a small amount to sweeten coffee. I don't use sweet n low - I find it to be very bitter tasting. But splenda I can eat straight.
I'd like to know the source of this article. It sounds as if it's someone with a stake in the sweetener industry! All I know is that I have twice suffered vertigo after a day of using Splenda in larger amounts than normal (six packets). There was nothing else different about my day on those two occasions than that I had had more than one or two doses of Splenda.
In the first incidence of vertigo, I thought it was just a fluke. The second time, I made the connection and stopped using Splenda. I don't think the studies, which often use animals as test subjects, know all there is to know about these substances. Personal experience with consumers in the market also has a role to play.
Dr. Fernstrom. Is there a person or program similar to yours in the Philadelphia area I can recomend/refer my patients to?
I have a problem with artificial sweetners because aren't these just chemical based sweetners? At least with organic sugar I do know what I am taking in my body.
When I consume Aspartame, I tend to be unable to solve problems, which includes software development, home repairs and even getting lost on the way home from work. Several days later, fortunately, things seem to go back to normal.
FDA approval means little and sometimes less, depending on the administration in power at the time. For example, Aspartame changes structure when heated (ask a chemist) and the resulting structure is not tested by the FDA at all.
See the following on aspartame:
http://www.mindbodyhealth.com/aspartame.htm
There are only 15 calories in a level spoon of sugar.
I am glad this is being discussed. I personally believe that there has to be something really wrong with this stuff. My husband is a good case - the other day he came home feeling really bizarre he said he was dizzy, hyper, nauseous, and very confused. He had had some of that Coke Zero stuff for the first time. Needless to say, he hasn't tried it since. All these kids w/ autism now & their moms drank diet drinks while pregnant, makes you wonder a bit.
Anyway, it is a shame to see Dr. Fernstrom just towing the line & feeding the status quo. It may be that what is in the sweeteners interacts badly with other artificial colorants/preservatives, etc. to cause serious problems & it isn't the sweeteners themselves. Don't know. But I think it is dangerous, it tastes NASTY and I for one am going to continue avoiding it no matter how many others laugh at me.
There must be something wrong with artificial sweeteners seeing as how the U.S. military stopped making them available to service people years ago--and it was done because of "possible" health risk. Also, at some time in the past research was done claiming that artificial sweeteners turned into phemaldehyde (sp?) when heated up to 140 degrees. I don't have verification but have heard this repeatedly from health nut friends for years. I only heard about stevia a couple of years ago--after the big battle with the FDA....basically the stevia growers and packagers refused to pay $$$$$$$$$$$ to the FDA so the product was pulled off the shelves then everybody went to court and the stevia folks won. As far as I know you can only buy it at health food stores. I sometimes mix just a wee-bit of sugar with certain fruit desserts to get that nice syrupy consistensy but it is good stuff. Y
The splenda sold at grocery stores and provided at restarants is 'fluffed up' with other ingredients, so that it will measure the same as sugar. Here is a web site with more information:
http://www.splenda.ca/en/faqs/about_ingredients_2.asp
Iwas a great user & promoter of artificial sweeteners to maintain weightbut i have stopped using because i read that aspartame is one of the causes of multiple sclerosis
I don't know if artificial sweeteners are bad for everyone, however, I know for a fact that I have direct adverse reaction to aspartame. I had optical migraines for years and could not pinpoint the cause until I started keeping a log of my daily activities and what I consumed. The ONLY common factor was aspartame. When I eliminated it from my diet - the migraines disappeared. Sometimes, I will accidentally ingest a "Light" or "Diet" product - and within 20 minutes, have an optical migraine (with auras). It was not a 'placebo' effect, because I didn't know I had ingested aspartame at the time. HOwever, when I went back and pulled the container from the trash, etc after the migraine, I read the ingredient list only to discover it was in there. I understand the FDA uses statistics to determine if something is "safe". Perhaps I am in some extreme minority, but I feel it is incredibly irresponsible to imply that artificial sweeteners are completely harmless to everyone, calling reported problems MYTHS.
I too suffer from migraines. I cannot have any type of artificial sweetener because it sets off my migraines. My neurologist told me that artificial sweeteners along with MSG are the most commonly ingested triggers for migraines. It really is amazing to see how many things have aspartame, sucralose and saccharin in them. I don't care what the "experts" say, I would rather have pure raw sugar. The less chemicals, additives and preservatives the better.
Just as with any highly tested, long-been-around Rx medication...everyone's body is different. Different reactions from things initially, in combination with other things ingested, variations in how it affects us at stages in our lives, etc. I DO think that 'DE-Mything' artificial sweeteners is dangerously ridiculous even though I have no apparent problem with any one of them. Key word being 'apparent'.
This article is worthless. The author and iVillage are ignorant and irresponsible for publishing it. They know little about how the FDA operates and its motivations, i.e. the FDA sells out often to the powerful producers of these artificial sweeteners.
Stevia is approved and used a sweetener in a just about every other industrialized country. It is by far the safest, healthiest product out of all the sweeteners.
Just because someone has initials after their name does NOT mean they have insight and truthful answers. Has she heard of Erin Brockovich and the case against PG&E. They cited over and over that everything was fine and dandy and unharmful for humans. Follow the greed and there is your answer for why they don't want people to know the truth
How much was this doctor paid by the FDA? The studies showing that these sweetners were safe were funded by the makers of these sweetners. The only one not funded by the makers showed numerous dangers in using them. Wake up people. The FDA seal is not a reliable marker for safty. They are practically owned by Monsanto.
The FDA must have shelled out a good chunk of cash to make this doctor fib so badly. I am a grad student currently conducting research on cancer and nutrition, and I can honestly say that this is a complete lie... all of it. A recent study in the UK proved the main ingredient in Splenda caused cancer in mice. Many artificial sweeteners are not used in European countries because they use a different system to weed out the harmful products. The European counterpart of the FDA does not approve a product until it is proven to be completely safe, that is way many products take longer to be introduced in there. In the US, we approve things that have shown to be not IMMEDIATELY harmful, but just because something is not instantaneously damaging to one's body does not mean it is safe. Look at the problems with medicines and cosmetics that were trusted ad thought to be safe (think Viox). Artificial sweeteners are not safe and I will never trust them.
Yes, Aspertame does cause brain tumors and allergic reactions!
Glad to know someone else experienced allergic reactions; anaphlactic shock is a horrible experience! I refuse to consume anything with artificial sweetners and won't let my kids have them either.
I have lupus and diabetes, and am allergic to all of the artificial sweeteners listed above. When I take any of them, my symptoms get worse.
However, stevia doesn't trigger allergic reactions in me at all, so I use that to sweeten things. Some brands of stevia have less of a proper mouth feel than others (some only seem to register on the back of my tongue), but some match pretty closely to sugar when used in just the right amount.
I tried out those raw from the packet a few years ago (blame my incessent curiosity), and it tasted nasty. It took around two to three glasses of water to wash out the taste.
I'd stick with a tried-and-true method, eat right and real foods and exercise thrice-weekly.
I was introduced to Stevia a few years ago and have not gone back to sugar since. Not only does Stevia have no calories, but it is also 100 times sweeter than sugar and doesn't effect your blood sugar levels! I'm not diabetic, but this is important for anyone! It is great in tea, but I wouldn't recommend it with coffee. Overall, it's a great product, whether or not the FDA approves it. It's a plant that has been used for hundreds of years, why do we need to be told by a group of pharmaceutical-focused people that it's okay?
"A Plus" for the public, and "F" for the doctor. I am also a medical doctor and I must admit that sharing/selling these myths as truths (for whatever reason) is why we have so much misinformation from health experts. Aspartame and it's evil cousins are bad news, as so eloquently stated above. Always study, do your homework and get a second opinion. These comments are priceless.
I have used sweetners for almost 50 years and have never been sick, so they must be safe.
I have used sweetners for 5 days and I got sick so they must be unsafe.
I never used sweetners and never got sick , using sweetners makes you sick
I always use sweetners and never get sick , using sweetners prevents illness.
And remember on average people have less two legs.
I'll use a sweetner made from nature that came from a plant, Stevia, any day over something that was made in a laboratory by chemists. Just because something has been approved by the FDA doesn't make it safe. Example: Vioxx!
anyone looking to avoid artificial sweetners in their sodas, should give flavored seltzers a try. They taste great, have no sodium, calories, or artificial sweetners. Be careful though, as there are many clear soda that are out there with aspartame and they are not the same as seltzer.
Sorry but I too get migraines after 20 minutes of injesting even a slight amount of diet coke. I also cannot chew most gum on the market without getting a migraine and all the gums like trident have aspertame.
I've tried it in my coffee, same thing.
I'm also curious as to why aspertame must be in vaccines for small children?
Aspartame makes my brain "foggy" & Splenda makes my joints hurt. I have used them at different times as a test on myself and always get the same results. After a few days "free" of these sweeteners my body & brain are back to normal. I did not use them together either.
