Humans are born with a desire to consume foods that taste sweet. Scientists believe newborns readily accept life-sustaining breast milk because of its slightly sweet taste. Hence, it may be difficult to find someone who doesn’t possess a sweet tooth.
With the rising rates of weight related health problems and the overall number of individuals being diagnosed daily as obese or a type 2 diabetes sufferer—many at an early age in life—it becomes more important for weight conscious consumers to know there are safe and available options to help control calorie and carbohydrate intake without compromising on taste and enjoyment.
The following questions and answers about the effective use of low-calorie sweeteners (sometimes referred to as non-nutritive sweeteners, artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes) in the diet can help anyone develop a meal plan that fits individual taste and selection needs. This document covers the five low-calorie sweeteners approved in the United States: acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), aspartame, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose.
What are low-calorie sweeteners and how are they used?
Low-calorie sweeteners are ingredients added to food to provide sweetness without adding a significant amount of calories. They are used in many popular foods and drinks, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, puddings, yogurt and candies as substitutes for sugar or other caloric sweeteners. According to the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, July 2004, “they are so sweet—160 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar—that you only need a tiny bit to achieve [a sweet] taste. You consume a fraction of a calorie to get the sweetness of many more calories worth of sugar.” In short, they help consumers keep calories in control without sacrificing taste.
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) “Position of the American Dietetic Association: Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners,” low-calorie sweeteners can assist in weight management and control of blood glucose—an essential element to the health of people with diabetes. They add only negligible amounts of energy and elicit no glycemic response.
What about appetite? Do low-calorie sweeteners have an effect on appetite?
Several studies over the years have examined the effects of low-calorie sweeteners on hunger and food intake. For example, research on the effect of replacing sugar with aspartame in foods or beverages has not been shown to increase food intake or hunger in children, nor does it indicate an increase in food intake in normal weight or overweight adults. (Blackburn GL World Rev Nutr Diet 1999;85:77-87). Foods and beverages with aspartame have been studied to actually help people control body weight (Blackburn GL AJCN 1997). Additionally, a more recent study in overweight individuals showed improved body weight and other health related measures when they consumed a diet that included foods sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners instead of a diet that included the same kind of foods sweetened with sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) (Raben A, Vasilaras TH, Moller AC, Astrup A Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:721-9) To date, these studies represent extensive bodies of research on the effects of low-calorie sweeteners, weight control and appetite in humans.
All low-calorie sweeteners—acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose—have undergone extensive safety evaluation and approval as food ingredients by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA also has a long-standing reputation in assuring the safety of these and other food ingredients available today. Before receiving FDA approval, these ingredients were first tested in experimental models at consumption levels far in excess of that used in products intended for human use. This rigorous testing regime determines the safety of these low-calorie sweeteners prior to their introduction into the market.
Important information to use in evaluating scientific reports can be found in the “IFIC Review: How to Understand and Interpret Food and Health-Related Scientific Studies.” Nutritional science is a constantly evolving field and new research raises and answers new questions on an ongoing basis. In communicating new studies, bear in mind some basic questions in evaluating new research:
- What are the inherent limitations of this type of study?
- Does the research design fit the stated purpose of the study?
- Has the author omitted from the Background section important points that could have a meaningful effect on the study design or interpretation of the results?
Consideration of these and other questions can be extremely useful for science experts, key food and nutrition opinion leaders, journalists and health professionals in communicating appropriate science related information to consumers.
Here’s what you need to know . . .
Low-calorie sweeteners provide flexibility in offering a wider variety of appealing food choices for calorie-counting, weight conscious consumers concerned about weight gain, obesity and other health related issues.
