Sweet Nothings – Not All Sweeteners are Equal

Sweet nothings
not all sweetener s are Equal
by David Schardt
T
he artificial sweetener business
must be a pretty good place to be
these days. Thanks to the obesity
epidemic, a growing number of people
are trying to cut calories. That means
more “diet” this and “no-sugar-added”
that. And the low-carb craze has left
food manufacturers scrambling to be
the first on their block to take the sugar
out of everything from chocolate to
ketchup to Bloody Mary mix.
The result? We’re eating more lowcalorie sweeteners than ever before.
Yet not all sugar substitutes are Equal,
so to speak.
only a tiny risk to any given person.
The potential problems arise when tens
of millions of people consume the
sweetener for years. That’s why the
government should require better
studies on some sweeteners and should
ban others.
And remember: real sugar is hardly a
toxic chemical. The problem is the
large amounts that Americans eat. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture has suggested a limit of ten teaspoons of added
sugars per day for people who eat a
2,000-calorie diet. That’s 40 grams,
about as much as you’d get from one
12-ounce soft drink or two six-ounce
fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts.
Here’s a scorecard showing which
artificial sweeteners are safe...and
which are questionable. With that in
hand, you can check our “Sweet vs.
Sweet” chart (p. 11) to see which sweeteners are in which foods.
Safe
■ Sucralose and neotame are safe.
■ Sugar alcohols and tagatose, while
safe, may give you the runs if you eat
too much.
Sucralose
■ Aspartame probably is safe.
Also known as: Splenda.
■ Acesulfame and stevia may or may
What is it? Sugar (sucrose) chemically combined with chlorine. Its “made from
sugar” label slogan is technically true, but misleading.
not be safe; there’s not enough good
research to tell.
Photos: Nick Waring.
■ Saccharin isn’t safe (though the risk
is small).
If you drink diet soda or chew gum
(sugarless or regular), you’ll have a hard
time avoiding aspartame and acesulfame. And if you’re a fan of “light”
yogurt, you’ll be getting either aspartame or sucralose.
That’s because manufacturers choose
sugar substitutes depending on the
food. Some are used in baked goods
because they withstand heat better.
Some are used in yogurt because they
can survive in an acidic environment.
Some lose their sweetness in the syrup
used to make fountain sodas, but are
fine for bottled or canned soft drinks.
Just keep in mind that even an
unsafe sweetener like saccharin poses
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Why it’s low-calorie: Our bodies can’t burn sucralose for energy.
Safety: Sucralose passed all safety tests in animal studies.
Comments: There is no reason to suspect that sucralose causes any harm.
Neotame
What is it? A synthetic derivative of a combination of aspartic acid and
phenylalanine, the same two amino acids that are used to make aspartame.
The bond between the amino acids is harder to break down than aspartame’s,
so neotame is more stable.
Why it’s low-calorie: Our bodies can’t metabolize neotame, and only tiny
amounts are needed to sweeten foods.
Safety: Unlike aspartame, neotame isn’t broken down in the body into the
amino acid phenylalanine, which is toxic to people with the rare disorder phenylketonuria (PKU). Animal and human studies have raised no safety concerns.
Comments: Neotame is so new that it hasn’t yet appeared in any foods. It’s
always possible that once millions of consumers start eating neotame, some
people may turn out to be sensitive to it.
NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ M A Y 2 0 0 4
Safe, but large amounts can cause diarrhea
Sugar Alcohols
Tagatose
Also known as: sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol,
maltitol, lactitol, isomalt, erythritol,
hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
Also known as: Naturlose.
What are they? Sugar alcohols aren’t sugar
and won’t make you tipsy. They’re made by
adding hydrogen atoms to sugars. For example, adding hydrogen to glucose makes
sorbitol.
Why they’re low-calorie: Some sugar
alcohols are absorbed better than others. Erythritol, which is largely unabsorbed, has virtually no calories, while maltitol and hydrogenated starch
hydrolysates are absorbed enough to provide three-quarters the calories
of sugar.
Safety: Too much sugar alcohol traveling unabsorbed through the intestinal tract can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Unfortunately, the FDA only
requires a “laxative effect” warning notice on labels if consumers could
ingest 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams of mannitol from the food in a day.
But just 10 grams of sorbitol, for example, can cause GI distress. (If sugar
alcohols have made you sick, send a letter to CSPI—JE, Suite 300, 1875 Conn.
Ave. N.W., Washington DC 20009. We’ll forward it to the FDA.)
Comments: Sugar alcohols don’t raise blood sugar as rapidly as sugar
does, yet they’re as bulky as sugar. So they can be used tablespoon-fortablespoon to replace the sugar that’s been removed from lower-carb
foods. But while they may have a minimal impact on your blood sugar,
they may have more than a minimal impact on your waistline and hips.
What is it? A
“mirror-image” form
of sugar that’s
manufactured from
milk sugar (lactose).
Why it’s lowcalorie: Unlike
sugar, tagatose
can’t be digested
by enzymes in the
intestines. Most
passes through the
body unabsorbed.
Safety: Because
tagatose isn’t wellabsorbed, consuming
large amounts can
cause flatulence, rumbling noises, bloating, and
nausea. Studies have raised no other
safety concerns.
Comments: Tagatose is so new that
you’re only likely to find it in one food—
Diet Pepsi Slurpees sold at 7-Eleven.
Probably safe, but certain people should avoid
Aspartame
Also known as: Equal,
NutraSweet, NatraTaste.
What is it? A synthetic derivative of a combination of the
amino acids aspartic acid and
phenylalanine.
Why it’s low-calorie: Only tiny amounts of aspartame are
needed to sweeten foods.
Safety: People with the rare disorder phenylketonuria
(PKU) can’t metabolize phenylalanine, so they should avoid
aspartame.
Whether aspartame causes headaches is unclear.
An industry-funded study of people who complained of
aspartame-induced headaches concluded that it doesn’t.
But an independent test in 1994 of 26 similar people
found that the sweetener was linked to symptoms in
the 11 who were “very sure” they were sensitive. That
suggests that some people react to aspartame, though
fewer than the number who believe they do.
The most serious charge—that aspartame increases the
risk of cancer—has never been proved. Among the many
animal studies on aspartame, only one hints at an
increased risk.
There’s no foundation to claims floating around the
Internet that aspartame causes everything from
Alzheimer’s disease to multiple sclerosis.
Comments: Clouds hang over both aspartame and
acesulfame, but researchers have done more—and better—studies on aspartame. Even so, because aspartame
is used in so many foods, the FDA should err on the side
of caution and require non-industry-funded studies to
resolve any questions about aspartame’s safety.
People who believe they suffer from headaches or
other symptoms after consuming foods that contain
aspartame should avoid the sweetener.
››››
NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ M A Y 2 0 0 4
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Inadequately tested
Acesulfame
Saccharin
Also known as: Sweet One,
Sunett, acesulfame potassium.
Also known as: Sweet ‘N Low.
What is it? A synthetic chemical.
Why it’s low-calorie: Our bodies can’t metabolize acesulfame.
Safety: The safety of acesulfame (pronounced ace-SULL-fame)
rests on three animal studies conducted in the mid-1970s. The
first was inconclusive because it found a variety of tumors both in
mice fed acesulfame and in control mice fed acesulfame-free diets.
The second was so plagued with sick animals that the FDA tossed
out the results as unreliable.
In the third study, female rats fed acesulfame were twice as likely
to develop breast tumors as control rats. While most of the tumors
were benign, there were some malignant tumors—one in the 60
control rats, two in the 60 rats given low doses of acesulfame, and
three in the 60 rats given high doses of acesulfame. The sweetener’s manufacturer argued that acesulfame seemed to cause more
tumors only because the control rats happened to remain unusually tumor-free. The FDA bought the company’s interpretation
and refused to require more safety testing.
Comments: Acesulfame should be better tested. Until then, try
to avoid it.
Stevia
Also known as: Sweet Leaf, Honey
Leaf.
What is it? An extract from a shrub
that grows in Brazil and Paraguay.
Why it’s low-calorie: Our bodies
can’t metabolize stevia.
Safety: When male rats were fed
high doses of stevioside (stevia’s active ingredient) for 22 months,
they produced fewer sperm and there was increased cell proliferation in their testicles, which could cause infertility. And when
female hamsters were fed large amounts of a derivative of stevioside, they had fewer and smaller offspring. That—combined with
the absence of other animal studies that are normally required
for food additives—led the FDA, Health Canada, the European
Union, and the World Health Organization to conclude that stevia
shouldn’t be allowed in food.
Comments: Stevia can’t be used as an ingredient in food. But it
can be sold as a supplement, since safety rules for supplements are
looser than for foods. Stevia is promoted by the health-food industry as a natural alternative to synthetic sweeteners like saccharin,
aspartame, and sucralose. But “natural” doesn’t automatically
mean “safe.”
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Unsafe
NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ M A Y 2 0 0 4
What is it? A synthetic chemical
that was discovered in 1879
when a researcher at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore
noticed that a compound he
spilled on his hand tasted sweet.
Why it’s low-calorie: Our bodies can’t metabolize saccharin,
and only tiny amounts are
needed to sweeten foods.
Safety: In 1977, the FDA tried to
ban saccharin because animal
studies showed that it caused
cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin,
and other organs. Bowing to pressure from
the diet-food industry and dieters, Congress
intervened to keep saccharin on the market,
though with a warning notice on the label.
(At the time, saccharin was the only highpotency sweetener.)
In the late 1990s, the Calorie Control
Council—which represents the low-calorie
food and beverage industry—convinced the
FDA and the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) that the main health concern about
saccharin was bladder cancer in male rats,
but that people didn’t develop bladder cancer through the same mechanism as the rats.
In 2000, over the objections of a number of
scientists, the NIH removed saccharin from its
list of carcinogens and Congress removed the
requirement for warning notices.
Yet last year the National Cancer Institute
noted that one of its own studies—the best
human study of saccharin use ever done—
had found “some evidence of an increased
risk of bladder cancer” in heavy saccharin
users, “particularly for those who heavily
ingested the sweetener as a table top sweetener or through diet sodas.” “Heavy” meant
“six or more servings of sugar substitute or
two or more eight-ounce servings of diet
drink daily.”
Comments: Just because saccharin no
longer carries a warning doesn’t erase the evidence that it may cause cancer in humans.
For the chemical structures of
the sweeteners described in this article,
see www.cspinet.org/sweetatoms.
Don’t expect the same sugar substitutes in all light yogurts,
all no-sugar-added ice creams, all diet soft drinks, or all
gums. Ingredients vary from brand to brand, and sometimes
Other Drinks
labels before buying, here’s a little crib sheet that you can
Diet Nestea Lemon Tea
take to the store with you.
Diet Snapple, except Apple and Lime Green
Tea1
Sucr
alos
e
Suga
r Alc
ohol
s
Taga
tose
Aspa
rtam
e
Aces
ulfam
e
Sacc
hari
n
from flavor to flavor. While you should always read food
Frozen Desserts
Atkins Endulge Ice Cream1
1
Baskin Robbins No Sugar Added Ice Cream
Baskin Robbins Truly Free Frozen Yogurt1
Ben & Jerry’s Carb Karma Ice Cream1
Ben & Jerry’s No Sugar Added Ice Cream1
Breyers Carb Smart Ice Cream1
Breyers No Sugar Added Ice Cream1
Carb Solutions Ice Cream1
Edy’s or Dreyer’s No Sugar Added Ice Cream1
■■
■
■
■■
■■
■■
■
■■
■■
Eskimo Pie No Sugar Added Reduced Fat
Vanilla Ice Cream Bars
Healthy Choice No Sugar Added Ice Cream,
except Chocolate Fudge Brownie1
Healthy Choice No Sugar Added
Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream
Klondike Reduced Fat & Calorie No Sugar
Added Slim-a-Bear
TCBY No Sugar Added Nonfat Frozen Yogurt
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Reduced Fat
Ice Cream
■
■
■
■
■
1
Dannon Light ‘n Fit Carb Control Yogurt1
Dannon Light ‘n Fit Yogurt1
Yoplait Light Fat Free Yogurt
Soda
■■
7-Eleven Diet Pepsi Slurpee
Diet 7UP or Diet Vanilla Coke
Diet Coke (from fountain)
Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi
Diet Dr Pepper or Diet Mountain Dew
Diet Mountain Dew Code Red
Diet Pepsi (from fountain)
Diet Rite
Fresca, Diet Sierra Mist, or Diet Sprite
Pepsi One, Diet Vanilla Pepsi, or Diet Wild
Cherry Pepsi
TAB
■
■■
■
■■
■
■■
■
General Foods Sugar Free Fat Free
International Coffees1
Nestlé Fat Free or No Sugar Added
Hot Cocoa Mix
Ocean Spray Light, except Cranberry Cocktail1
Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Cocktail
Swiss Miss Fat Free Hot Cocoa Mix
Tropicana Light ’n Healthy Orange Juice
■■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Cookies & Candy
■■
■■
SnackWell’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies ■ ■
Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Candy1
Russell Stover Low Carb Chocolate Candy1
SnackWell’s Sugar Free Chocolate Sandwich
Cookies
■
■
SnackWell’s Sugar Free Shortbread Cookies
SnackWell’s Sugar Free Lemon Creme Cookies
SnackWell’s Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies
Miscellaneous
Atkins Morning Start Cereal1
Fiber One Bran Cereal
■
■
1
Folgers Café Latté1
■■
■
■
■
Diet V8 Splash1
SnackWell’s Sugar Free Fudge Brownie Cookies
■■
Yogurt
Breyers Light Fat Free Yogurt1
■
■
■
■■
Klondike Carb Smart Fudge or Ice Cream Bar
■■
■■
■
■
■
■■
Diet Snapple, Apple or Lime Green Tea
Sucr
alos
e
Suga
r Alc
ohol
s
Taga
tose
Aspa
rtam
e
Aces
ulfam
e
Sacc
hari
n
Sweet vs. Sweet
Log Cabin Sugar Free Syrup
Smuckers Sugar Free Breakfast Syrup
Smuckers Sugar Free Preserves1
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
■
■■
■
Sugar Free Jell-O or Jell-O Pudding1
■
■■
■
■
■■
■
■■
Gum
Dentyne Ice, Eclipse, Extra, Freedent, Orbit,
or Trident1
■
■■
■ ■
■
■
■■
■ ■
■
■■
Doublemint or Winterfresh
■■
■ ■
Source: manufacturers.
The information for this chart was compiled by Heather Jones.
Ice Breakers1
Juicy Fruit (original)
■■
■
Tabletop Sweeteners
Equal, NutraSweet, or NatraTaste
Splenda
■
■■
■■
■■
■
■
Sweet ‘N Low
■
1
entire line.
NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ M A Y 2 0 0 4
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