Sugar Substitutes: Cyclamate and Saccharin |
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Cutting the Sugar out of FoodWe start with sugar substitutes. These are replacements for sugar that taste very similar to table sugar (sucrose) but that are, in fact, much, much sweeter. Many of these sweeteners supply no calories. Others supply only a minimal number of calories, thus creating foods with substantially reduced total calories. Types of Sugar SubstitutesSugar substitutes, also referred to as artificial sweeteners, are likely to be found in diet soft drinks, puddings, baked goods, yogurt, and chewing gum. They can also be used as a tabletop sweetener. Because of the way these types of products decrease excess sugar and the total calories people consume, the demand for sugar substitutes has skyrocketed in recent years. But, instead of consuming less sweetener overall, people are now using more than three times the amount of artificial sweeteners they used only a decade ago. |
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Do You Remember Cyclamate?You may remember back in the 1950s when cyclamates were a commonly used sugar substitute in this country. Heat stable and at least thirty times as sweet as sugar, this sweetener became very popular and was included in foods like baked goods, cereal, canned goods, beverages, toothpaste, and even mouthwash. But years later, in the late 1960s, cyclamate was shown to have caused bladder tumors in laboratory rats that were fed large doses of the sweetener. Following these results, the FDA banned. cyclamate from use in our country. More studies have been conducted since this time and have shown no evidence that this sweetener is carcinogenic, but it has yet to be reapproved for use. Cyclamate remains approved outside the United States. It continues to be used in Canada and more than fifty other countries, including Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Sugar substitutes that replace sugar in foods and as tabletop sweeteners can be up to 2,000 times as sweet as sugar itself. SaccharinSaccharin, frequently known as Sweet & Low or the "pink sugar," then became the sugar sweetener of choice. Being 300 times as sweet as sugar, this popular sugar substitute has been used for years in many baked products, beverages, soft drinks, and as a tabletop sweetener. Controversies soon began arising about the safety of saccharin as well because it had been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals but not in humans. But no substantiated data indicated the need to remove this sweetener from the market. Instead, products were required to be labeled (since 1977) indicating that the food product contained saccharin, a substance that had been shown to develop bladder cancer in laboratory animals. Only recently has this labeling requirement been eliminated. AspartameIn 1981, after more than a decade of extensive safety testing, the Food and Drug Administration approved another sugar substitute. Known as aspartame, this sweetener is marketed under the names NutraSweet and Equal. It is comprised of two amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine). Aspartame tastes very similar to sugar itself, offers 200 times its sweetness, and has no caloric value. Many products contain aspartame, like baked goods, canned foods, puddings, gelatins, frozen desserts, beverage mixes, hot cocoa, diet soft drinks, and chewing gum. It is not heat stable, so products using aspartame must be ones that do not require much cooking or baking. NutraSweet (Equal) is also available as a tabletop sweetener, packaged in blue and available for adding to beverages like coffee and tea and to be sprinkled over the top of cereal and yogurt. Controversies regarding the use of this sugar substitute arose, and safety testing continued, but no research has yet indicated that this sweetener is unsafe, especially when used in moderate portions. Guidelines set by the FDA for aspartame use far exceed the amounts commonly consumed by most people. An average-sized adult would have to consume more than fifteen (12-ounce) cans of diet soft drink made with aspartame in order to reach the limits set by the FDA. Other concerns surrounding the use of aspartame in the diet include those affecting a group of people who may lack the enzyme needed to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. This condition, called PKUphenylketonuria, is genetic and rare, but it can be dangerous if this amino acid is consumed. (Babies are screened for this genetic abnormality at birth.) Because of this, labels are placed on all foods indicating that these products contain phenylalanine. Acesulfame KIn the late 1980s, another sugar substitute was introduced for use in dry and prepared foods, desserts, candies, soft drinks, chewing gum, and as a tabletop sweetener. This substitute, known as Acesulfame K (marketed as Sunette and Sweet One), is also 200 times sweeter than sugar, but because of an occasional aftertaste, it is often combined with other- sweeteners. Acesulfame K provides no calories, is not metabolized by the body, and is excreted in the urine. This substitute also has been extensively studied for safety but has as of yet shown no toxic effects. PKU-phenylketonuria is a rare genetic disease that does not allow certain people to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine properly. People with this condition should avoid products containing NutraSweet (aspartame). Other Types of Artificial SweetenersBesides the possible reintroduction of cyclamate, other sweeteners are currently being considered for use in our country. These include sucralose and alitame. Sucralose is actually a low-calorie sweetener made from sugar. It is about 600 times as sweet as sugar and contributes no calories. Highly stable during food processing, this sweetener makes a good choice for use in baked goods. Currently, sucralose can be found in over twenty-five countries outside the United States. Alitame, a sweetener made from amino acids, offers a taste 2,000 times sweeter than sugar. This product can be useful in cooking, baking, in beverages, as a tabletop sweetener, and in frozen desserts. |
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