At Your Service

Artificial Sweeteners

With the rise in obesity artificial sweeteners are looking like everybody's new best friend. Everybody is trying to cut out calories and carbs by trying to cut out the sugar. Manufacturers are scrambling to offer everything from chocolate to ketchup without sugar. This means we are eating more low calorie sweeteners than ever before.

Yet not all sugars are Equal, so to speak.

Different sweeteners are used in different products because some hold up better than others in different processes, for example some work better in baked goods because they withstand heat better, while others are better in yogurt because they can withstand the acidic environment. Some lose their sweetness in the syrup that is used to make fountain sodas but are fine for bottled or canned soda.

So here is a quick guide to the different sweeteners out there so that you can make the best choice of what is right for you:

Sucralose also known as Splenda is actually sugar that is chemically combined with chlorine. It works because our bodies can't burn the sucralose for energy. Sucralose has passed all safety tests in animal studies at this time, so there is no reason at this time to believe sucralose causes any harm.

Neotame is a synthetic derivative of a combination of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, the same two amino acids that make up aspartame, however, the bond between the amino acids is harder to break down than aspartame's making neotame more stable. Neotame works because our bodies cannot metabolize it and only tiny amounts are needed to sweeten foods. Unlike aspartame, neotame does not break down in the body as the amino acid phenylalanine, which can be toxic for people with phenylketonuria (PKU). Animal and human studies have proven to be safe and raise no safety concerns.

Sugar alcohols are not sugars and they won't make you tipsy, adding hydrogen atoms to sugars makes them. For example, when you add hydrogen to glucose you get sorbitol. They are considered low-calorie because they are not fully absorbed by the body. Problem is when you have too much sugar alcohol traveling through the intestinal tract unabsorbed you can have bloating, gas, and diarrhea. The FDA only requires a manufacturer to place a "laxative effect" warning label on products.

Tagatose or Naturlose is a copy so to speak of sugar that is made from the milk sugar lactose. Tagatose, unlike sugar, cannot be digested by enzymes in the intestines, so most passes through without being absorbed, and that is what makes it low-calorie. As far as safety, because it is not well absorbed, if consumed in large amounts it can cause gas, rumbling noises, bloating, and nausea. This is so new right now you're likely to find Tagatose in Diet Pepsi Slurpees at 7-Eleven only.

Aspartame, which is what most consumers, knows as Equal, NutraSweet, and NatraTaste.

Aspartame is a synthetic derivative of a combination of the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Aspartame works because only small amounts are needed to sweeten foods. The problem or safety issue is for people who have the rare disorder phenlyketonuria or PKU because they are unable to metabolize phenylalanine, there for these people should avoid aspartame completely. Some people have thought that aspartame caused headaches, but that is not yet clear, two different studies had different results, so it could be that some people are more sensitive than others to aspartame. So far studies have not shown any conclusive evidence that aspartame increases the risk of cancer, but more studies should be done since it is in so many foods. However the claims that are on the Internet about aspartame causing Alzheimer's disease or multiple sclerosis or any of the other charges have no foundation at all.

Acesulfame also known as Sweet One or Sunett is simply a synthetic chemical that works because our bodies cannot metabolize it. The safety of acesulfame is based on three animal studies that were done in the mid-1970s. The first study was inconclusive because different types of tumors were found in the mice given acesulfame and the mice not given the sweetener. In the second study the animals were so plagued with sickness the government threw it out. The third study found that female rats fed the acesulfame were more likely to develop breast tumors, most were benign, but some were malignant. However the manufacturer argued that acesulfame seemed to cause more tumors only because the control rats had to remain unusually tumor-free. Unfortunately the government bought the company's claim and the company was not required to do any further testing. So until more testing is done my advice would be to try and avoid this sweetener.

Stevia also known as Sweet Leaf or Honey Leaf is the industry's natural alternative to synthetic sweeteners. Stevia can not be used in foods but can be sold as a supplement but that should immediately raise a red flag for consumers since safety rules for supplements is much looser than it is for foods. Stevia is an extract from a shrub that grows in Brazil and Paraguay; it works because our bodies cannot metabolize it. In two studies in rats stevia was shown to cause infertility in male rats and fewer and smaller babies in female rats. These results and the lack of any more animal studies is what prompted the FDA, Health Canada, the European Union, and the World Health Organization to not allow stevia in food. Therefore stevia is one to try and avoid till more testing is done.

Saccharin or Sweet'N Low is a synthetic chemical that was discovered by accident. A researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 1879 noticed that a compound he has spilled on his hand tasted sweet. Our bodies cannot metabolize saccharine and only tiny amounts are needed to sweeten foods. In 1977 animal studies showed that it caused cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, and skin. Once again giving into industry and dieters the government required only a warning label when they were trying to get saccharine banned. Then in the late 1990's the Calorie Control Council was able to convince the FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that the concern about bladder cancer was only in rats since people do not develop bladder cancer in the same way that rats do. In 2000 despite the objections of scientists all over, NIH took saccharine off its list of carcinogens and Congress removed the requirement for the warning label. Saccharine is definitely a sweetener that is not proven to be safe and should be avoided.

Jennifer Mayfield is a nutrition specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Southeast Missouri.