The Facts about Artificial and Natural Sweeteners

Life was a lot simpler when there were two kinds of sweeteners, the white one and the brown one. Today, there are natural sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, semi-natural sweeteners, sugar alternatives, and so on. Everyone wants to cut down on sugar since an overdose of sugar can lead to too much calories and that inevitably can cause weight gain. But who knew that sweetening your coffee could be this complicated!

You may have seen them before. Those yellow and pink packets beckon to you every morning. Yellow and pink are good white and brown are bad. But what are artificial sweeteners and are they really better for our health?

Artificial sweeteners are composed of chemicals or natural compounds. Some people favor them because they add sweetness without the calories that come from sugar. And those with diabetes like them because they don’t raise blood sugar levels like sugar does. In addition, the FDA has approved four artificial sweeteners: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and sucralose. Yet, there are still debates as to which sweetener is really good for you.

Saccharin
Saccharin (Sweet'N Low) has been used since 1879. It is one of the more controversial sweeteners since it was found in 1977 to cause cancer in rats. However, the ban on saccharin was taken off in part because rats were being fed 800 diet sodas a day. In addition, a later study found that for the general population there was no greater risk of bladder cancer than non-Saccharin users.

Aspartame
Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal) is considered by the FDA to be one of the most thorougly studied artificial sweeteners. In fact, in more than 100 toxicological and clinical studies, aspartame was found to be safe for the general population. People with phenylketonuria and those with high levels of phenylalanine such as pregnant women, however, need to be careful with their aspartame intake because it does have the potential to cause brain damage.

Acesulfame-K
Acesulfame-K (Sunette or Sweet One) doesn’t raise blood sugar levels and is considered safe by the FDA. However, some groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest believe that more thorough research needs to be done to assess its link to cancer.

Sucralose
Sucralose (Splenda) is great for baking and a good fit for diabetics, contains no calories and in more than 110 studies was found to have no toxic or carcinogenic effects and have no reproductive or neurologic risk. At the same time, there are critics who believe that sucralose has been linked to organ damage.

Other Sweeteners
Stevia which is derived from a South American herb is not approved by the FDA. And agave nectar, also sold in health food stores contains high calories and fructose syrup so its benefits are still being debated. And other natural sweeteners such as honey, molasses, evaporated cane juice, rice syrup, barley malt, and fructose, also contain high calories which defeat the purpose of using an alternative to sugar.

There are a variety of sweeteners out there with different health claims. The bottom line is that you need to be conscious of what you are eating and how much sugar you’re consuming. The fact is that regardless of what type of sweetener you use, moderation is key!

Criss White is a professional author on baby, wedding, and parenting topics. For more information or for chocolate wedding favors, visit Bridal and Wedding Favors.