Most Faux Sugars Sweeten Foods Safely

After a recent column about sugar, much of the mail we received about sweets was not really about sugar, but about artificial sweeteners, which have become a huge business in the United States.

By some estimates, more than 140 million Americans regularly consume some sort of artificially sweetened product. Even our office is usually littered with empty diet soda cans.

In general, humans seem to naturally seek out sweet things and the average American consumes the equivalent of 20 teaspoons of sugar every day. That’s about 320 calories on top of the calories in food that come from fat, protein or other carbohydrates. Almost 60% of this sugar comes from corn sweeteners, which are widely used in sodas and other sweetened drinks. The rest comes from table sugar (about 40%) and other sweeteners such as honey and molasses.

Although the artificial sweeteners in use today have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and endorsed by the American Heart Assn. and the American Diabetes Assn., they continue to be the subject of a controversy that has been going on for almost a century.

Saccharin Starts a Controversy

Saccharin, which is 300 times sweeter than sugar, was discovered in 1879 and used in World Wars I and II to compensate for sugar shortages and rationing. The first attempt to ban it took place in 1911, but the ban was lifted when World War I began. In 1958, when the FDA was given authority to demand premarket approval for food additives, saccharin ended up on the GRAS (short for Generally Recognized as Safe) list and was grandfathered in.

But in the 1970s, the FDA began to review substances on the GRAS list, and some studies indicated that saccharin might cause bladder cancer. These animal studies were controversial and their applicability to humans was seriously questioned. At the time, saccharin was the only sugar substitute available.

While saccharin has remained on the market, it must now carry a warning label that says use of the product may be hazardous to health because it has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. However, the National Cancer Institute has stated that “epidemiological studies do not provide clear evidence of a link to human cancer,” and “typical intakes of saccharin at normal levels for adults show no evidence of a public health problem.” Saccharin is most popular as that little pink packet called Sweet’n Low. But since it does not break down at high temperatures (like aspartame does) and has a good shelf life, it is also widely used in baked goods.

Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), approved by the FDA in 1981, is one of the most widely studied substances that the FDA has ever approved, yet it continues to be the subject of incredible controversy. Thanks to the efficiency of spreading rumors via the Internet, aspartame has most recently been blamed for systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, vision problems, headaches, fatigue, Alzheimer’s, brain tumors and even Gulf War syndrome.

Certain Conditions Preclude Aspartame

It’s true that a very small group of people (about 1 in 16,000) suffering from a rare hereditary disease called phenylketonuria, as well as people with advanced liver disease and some pregnant women, can suffer ill effects from the phenylalanine in aspartame. However, the general public need not be alarmed if they are consuming aspartame in normal doses. According to the FDA, most aspartame users consume only 4% to 7% of the acceptable daily intake set by the agency.

Nonetheless, all products containing aspartame need to be labeled for phenylalanine so that anyone needing to avoid or restrict its use can do so. Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar and is used in beverages, breakfast cereals, desserts, chewing gum and as a tabletop sweetener.

Two other artificial sweeteners have been approved by the FDA. Acesulfame potassium (Sunett) has been approved for baked goods, frozen desserts, candies and beverages. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Like saccharin, it does not break down when cooked or baked. Sucralose (Splenda) is 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is currently used in baked goods, nonalcoholic beverages, chewing gum, frozen dairy desserts, fruit juices and gelatins. Earlier this year the FDA expanded its approval to allow sucralose as a general-purpose sweetener for all foods.

Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, lacitol, mannitol and malitol) are not technically artificial sweeteners, but they are lower in calories than sugar, do not promote tooth decay and do not raise blood glucose levels. They are used primarily to sweeten sugar-free candies, cookies and gum.

Other Sweeteners Show Potential

Stevia, which comes from a South American shrub, can give foods a sweet taste, but it cannot be sold yet as a sweetener because the FDA has not approved it as a food additive. According to the FDA, nobody has produced evidence of its safety. But as a result of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health Education Act, which requires no such proof of safety for food supplements, it can be sold as a supplement but cannot be promoted as a sweetener.

There are other artificial sweeteners in the FDA pipeline, including cyclamate, which was originally marketed in the 1960s and banned in the 1970s after evidence linked it to bladder cancer. However, subsequent studies have not replicated those results and the FDA is taking another look. Two other sweeteners under review are neotame and alitame.

The bottom line is that approved artificial sweeteners are safe (except for those individuals noted above). They can be a real blessing for people with diabetes and can help promote (but not guarantee) weight loss. If you fall into the trap of thinking that you can cancel out the calories in a hot fudge sundae by washing it down with a diet soda, you will almost certainly be disappointed. Sad but true.

Artificial sweeteners work best for weight control in the context of an otherwise reduced calorie diet and increased energy output in the form of exercise. Sorry, but it’s the same old boring message.

*

* To submit questions, send e-mail to daogar@uclink4.berkeley.edu, fax (510) 642-2857, or write Dale Ogar, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360. We regret that we cannot answer questions personally.

*

* Dr. Sheldon Margen is a professor of public health at UC Berkeley; Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter. They are the authors of “The Simply Healthy Lowfat Cookbook,” “The Wellness Lowfat Cookbook” and “The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition.”