Artificial Sweeteners Kevin Thomas, RD POMH Food and Nutrition Services

Outline Popular artificial sweeteners defined (6!!!) Use of artificial sweeteners Health effects of artificial sweeteners Pros versus Cons Debate Sources of information

Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K) Brand Name/s: Sweet One® Sunett® Regulatory status: Approved as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods generally (except in meat and poultry) Multiplier of Sweetness Intensity Compared to Table Sugar (Sucrose): 200x Number of Tabletop Sweetener Packets Equivalent to ADI: 23 Discovered in 1967 by Hoechst scientists in Frankfurt, Germany, it has been used in food and beverages since 1983 and is approved in more than 100 countries around the world. In the past 30 to 40 years, almost 100 studies have been conducted on the safety of Acesulfame Potassium. (1) Acceptable daily intake or ADI is a measure of the amount of a specific substance (originally applied for a food additive, later also for a residue of a veterinary drug or pesticide) in food or drinking water that can be ingested (orally) on a daily basis over a lifetime without an appreciable health risk. the notifiers (“business”) did not include use in meat and poultry products as an intended condition of use in the GRAS notices that they submitted for FDA’s evaluation

Aspartame Brand Name/s: Nutrasweet® Equal® Sugar Twin® Regulatory status:Approved as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods generally) Multiplier of Sweetness Intensity Compared to Table Sugar (Sucrose): 200x Number of Tabletop Sweetener Packets Equivalent to ADI: 75 THE MOST STUDIED ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER Acceptable daily intake or ADI is a measure of the amount of a specific substance (originally applied for a food additive, later also for a residue of a veterinary drug or pesticide) in food or drinking water that can be ingested (orally) on a daily basis over a lifetime without an appreciable health risk.

Aspartame, cont. In 2015, Diet Pepsi changed from aspartame to Splenda/Ace-K blend due to consumer response. “Aspartame is the No. 1 reason consumers are dropping diet soda,” said Seth Kaufman, vice president of Pepsi. (3) John Sicher, publisher of industry tracker Beverage Digest, noted that attitudes about aspartame can be very negative. Using an online tool called Topsy that measures Twitter sentiment on a scale of 0 to 100, he noted “aspartame” got a 22 ranking, below a 38 ranking for “Congress.”

Saccharin Brand Name/s: Sweet and Low® Sweet Twin® Sweet'N Low® Necta Sweet® Sugar Twin® Regulatory status: Approved as a sweetener only in certain special dietary foods and as an additive used for certain technological purposes Multiplier of Sweetness Intensity Compared to Table Sugar (Sucrose): 200-700 x Number of Tabletop Sweetener Packets Equivalent to ADI: 45 1972, possible bladder cancer risk led to warning labels. Further studies conclude that toxicological effects of saccharin exposure in rats differ from that in humans. (2) Acceptable daily intake or ADI is a measure of the amount of a specific substance (originally applied for a food additive, later also for a residue of a veterinary drug or pesticide) in food or drinking water that can be ingested (orally) on a daily basis over a lifetime without an appreciable health risk.

Sucralose Brand Name/s: Splenda® Regulatory status: Approved as a sweetener in foods generally Multiplier of Sweetness Intensity Compared to Table Sugar (Sucrose): 600  x Number of Tabletop Sweetener Packets Equivalent to ADI: 23 More than 100 studies, representing over 20 years of research, have proven sucralose has an excellent safety profile. (4) Acceptable daily intake or ADI is a measure of the amount of a specific substance (originally applied for a food additive, later also for a residue of a veterinary drug or pesticide) in food or drinking water that can be ingested (orally) on a daily basis over a lifetime without an appreciable health risk.

Cancer Risk The ban on cyclamate (early 1970’s) and warning label of Saccharin led to consumer worry regarding cancer. Worry continues today. National Institutes of Health (NIH): studies of today’s FDA-approved sweeteners have not demonstrated clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans. Saccharin was delisted in 2000 from the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens, where it had been listed since 1981 as a substance reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen (a substance known to cause cancer). (5)

Why are Artificial Sweeteners Popular? Tooth decay Weight control Blood sugar control. People who consume sugary drinks regularly—1 to 2 cans a day or more—have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely have such drinks. Those who average one can of a sugary beverage per day had a20% higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack than men who rarely consumed sugary drinks

Debate Pros of A.S. Cons of A.S Data is not conclusive regarding causative disease Safe does not mean healthy Less calories than caloric sweeteners The risks of sugar are known. “I’ll take the risks that I know about” Better weight control What is A.S. cause increase in appetite for sweet foods Tooth decay reduction Lifestyle change (more brushing of teeth, more avoidance of sugars) Blood sugar control. “I can have my cake and eat it too!” Lifestyle change. Diabetes changes one’s metabolism; why not listen to what the body is saying?

Consumer Demand vs Image

FINAL POINTS Americans are consuming 22 and 30 teaspoons (88-120 GRAMS) of the sweet stuff each day. 70-90 POUNDS OF ADDED SUGAR PER AMERICAN! FACT: ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS DRAMATICALLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR IF ONE CONTINUES TO DESIRE SWEETENED FOODS http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/By-Any-Other-Name-Its-Still-Sweetener_UCM_437368_Article.jsp#.Vxj0H_krLcs

Cited Sources http://www.acesulfamek.org/ http://enhs.umn.edu/current/saccharin/fda.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/27/why-pepsis-decision-to-ditch-aspartame-isnt-good-for-soda-or-science/ http://sucralose.org/sucralose-myth-safety/ http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/artificial-sweeteners-fact-sheet#q2 http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm397725.htm#SummaryTable http://www.andeal.org/files/Docs/NNSResourceDraft3.pdf