II. Uses
- Sweeteners suitable for non-heated use: All
- Sweeteners suitable for cooking and baking
- Excellent: Sucralose (Splenda)
- Good (blended with sugar): Acesulfame-K or Saccharin
- Sweeteners to avoid heating: Aspartame and Neotame
III. Precautions
- Non-nutritive Sweeteners are beneficial in limited amounts to reduce sugar use (esp. in Diabetes Mellitus)
- Modern Non-nutritive Sweeteners (e.g. Sucralose, Aspartame) appear safe based on longterm data
- Longterm effects of Artificial Sweeteners in children are unknown
- However, Artificial Sweeteners may cause a paradoxical increased craving for food and additional calories
- Artificial Sweeteners fail to result in same sense of reward from sweets
- Artificial Sweeteners have been associated with increased weight gain and Diabetes Mellitus risk
-
Palate can be trained to appreciate lower levels of sweatness
- Attempt to use lower amounts of Artificial Sweetener
IV. Contraindications
- Aspartame is contraindicated in Phenylketonuria
V. Preparations
- Acesulfame-K (Sweet One, Sunett)
- Approved by FDA in 1988
- Sweetness relative to sugar: 200 times sweeter
- Safety supported by >90 studies
- Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet)
- Approved by FDA in 1981
- Sweetness relative to sugar: 180 times sweeter
- Not heat stable
- Contraindicated in Phenylketonuria
- Safety supported by >100 studies
- No association with SLE, MS, Seizures, brain cancer
- Low level of formaldehyde and Methanol form on intake
- Also occurs with tomato and citrus intake
- Not considered a health hazard
- Saccharin (Sugar Twin, Sweet'N Low, Sweet-10)
- Discovered in 1879
- Cheap with long shelf life and heat stability
- Sweetness relative to sugar: 300 times sweeter
- Bladder Cancer occurred in rats at very high doses
- Less than 6 servings per day thought to be safe
- Safe use supported by FDA, NCI, AMA, ACS, ADA
- Sucralose (Splenda)
- Approved by FDA in 1998
- Safety supported by >110 studies
- Sweetness relative to sugar: 600 times sweeter
- Excellent shelf life without heat degradation
- Not digested, so does not add calories to food
VI. FDA Consumer Article on Sugar Substitute Safety
VII. Resources: Other
- David Emery's Urban Legends and Folklore