Sweet Nothings

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Sweet Nothings

Stevia: What's Old Is New
As millions of Americans try to cut down on carbohydrates, and especially sugar, sales of artificial sweeteners have been booming. But people worry about artificial sweeteners—possibly because they are called "artificial." Now known as sugar substitutes or noncaloric sweeteners, these products exist in a greater array than ever—including sucralose (Splenda) and neotame, along with the old familiar aspartame, saccharin, and the sugar alcohols (xylitol, for example). They are considered safe and, except for stevia, are marketed with FDA approval. The products containing them are usually clearly labeled, so you can avoid them if you wish.

Most sugar substitutes are calorie-free; those that do have calories (for example, the sugar alcohols) contain far less than sugar. They don't promote tooth decay. But they don't necessarily promote weight loss. As products with noncaloric sweeteners have proliferated in the marketplace, Americans have only grown fatter. That may not be the fault of the sweeteners, of course. If you drink a diet soda with your lunch instead of a regular soda, you may be cutting 150 calories. But if you decide the diet soda means you can go ahead with the order of fries you would otherwise have skipped, you won't be cutting calories. For some people, though, sugar substitutes may help.

Here are questions and answers about sugar substitutes:

What is sucralose?
Sold under the brand name Splenda, this is a sugar molecule altered so that it passes through the body undigested. Thus it has no calories. It can be used anywhere you'd use regular sugar (there's a new version of it designed for baking), and is now found in everything from salad dressings and orange juice to breakfast cereal and bread. It's 600 times sweeter than sugar, and tastes like sugar. It has become the No.1 sugar substitute, in part because some low-carb diets recommend it and because it is promoted as "natural." In fact, though it is made from sugar, it is a synthetic compound made through a complex chemical process. It is sometimes hard to tell from the label that a product contains sucralose, unless you read the ingredients list.

Why does aspartame carry a warning label? Is it true that it causes brain cancer?
Aspartame (brand names NutraSweet or Equal) is made from two amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and has almost no calories. It has been in wide use for 30 years. The warning label concerns only people born with a rare genetic condition called phenylketonuria (PKU), usually diagnosed at birth, who lack the ability to process one of the amino acids in aspartame. For everybody else it's safe, according to exhaustive research as well as reviews by the FDA, World Health Organization, and other authorities. Rumors have run rife on the Internet that aspartame causes headaches, dizziness, and almost every disease in the book, but there are no data to back up these claims. Ten years ago, the rumor was floated that aspartame causes brain tumors—another unsubstantiated claim. Some people find it has a chemical taste. It cannot be used in cooking.

Why is stevia sold as a dietary supplement, not a sweetener?
This herb-derived sugar substitute is widely used in South America and Japan, but the FDA has never been convinced of its safety. Until 1995 it could not be imported. But under the Dietary Supplement Act of 1994, stevia could be legally imported and sold as a "dietary supplement." It can't be labeled as a sweetener, or added to commercially processed and marketed food in the U.S., Canada, or the European Union. It is 200 to 300 times as sweet as sugar and has a licorice-like aftertaste. The many health claims made for it have never been substantiated.

Why are xylitol and sorbitol used in chewing gum and in products for people with diabetes?
They are not calorie-free.
These "-ol" sweeteners (sugar alcohols) have half the calories of sugar and are absorbed more slowly by the body—a plus for people with diabetes. They are used in chewing gum and sweets because they taste better than most of the noncaloric sweeteners, and they don't cause tooth decay. The downside: in large doses, they can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

Does saccharin cause bladder cancer?
Years ago some animal studies linked huge doses of saccharin with bladder cancer. However, further investigation exonerated it as a risk for humans. Thus warning labels about it were removed in 2000.

What is neotame? I hear it is about to hit the market.
It was approved by the FDA in 2002, and the first products containing it are expected on the market soon. Related to aspartame, it's at least 7,000 times sweeter than table sugar. It can be used in cooking and is broken down differently in the body, so that people with PKU can safely consume it. It's a flavor enhancer as well as a sweetener, and will probably appear in soft drinks, chewing gums, and baked goods.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter 2009