Posts Tagged ‘artificial sweetener’

Each Monday I answer a question posed by one of our readers. If you have a question which you’d like to ask please email it to dailydose@righthealth.com.  This week I received several questions regarding artificial sweeteners:

Q: Are artificial sweeteners truly safe to eat? What about Truvia and PureVia?

A: Artificial sweeteners are sugar (sucrose) substitutes that are generally a lot sweeter, and contain less calories, than sugar. There are currently six artificial sweeteners approved for consumer use by the FDA: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, neotame and rebiana. One of the main concerns about these sweeteners is their potential cancer risk. The concern arises from laboratory studies of rats fed high doses of these sweeteners, especially saccharin and aspartame, and went on to develop various cancers including bladder, brain, lymphomas and leukemias. However, currently, there doesn’t appear to be clear evidence of association between artificial sweeteners and cancers in humans. But, this has not quieted the hundreds of thousands of reports by consumers of side effects experienced from using these additives. There’s even concern regarding the latest sweetener to hit the market , rebiana (marketed as Truvia and PureVia), an extract of the Stevia plant that is hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose. The FDA is classifying rebiana as GRAS (generally regarded as safe). However, the Stevia plant is still labeled as a dietary supplement because the FDA has not permitted its use as a food additive. Some say the FDA was under tremendous pressure by food companies to approve rebiana’s use as a food additive. Whatever the case may be, officially, artificial sweeteners are deemed safe for consumption (except for aspartame which is NOT safe for people with the genetic condition phenylketonuria). However, if you are truly concerned about potential side effects of artificial sweeteners, then moderation in regular sugar consumption is a very realistic and achievable goal for most people – and a much more healthier one.

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The stevia plant has long been used as a sweetener in many countries, and is now just starting to appear on the US market. Marketed as Truvia, this “natural” sweetner is vying for your taste buds in a heated battle with the big three artificial sweetners – aspartame (Sweet and Low), sucralose (Splenda), and saccharin (Equal). Because stevia comes from a plant, companies can market it as a natural sweetener, hence its green packaging. However, this doesn’t come without a price – stevia needs to be extracted from a particular part of the leaf and then processed correctly in order to avoid an aftertaste of licorice and menthol. But what about any health risks? Despite hundreds of studies, none of the artificial sweeteners have been steadfastly linked to any medical conditions, but some beg to differ. For now stevia is safe for consumption, according to the FDA. But as stevia becomes more widely adopted, it will no doubt receive the same scrutiny as its pink, blue, and yellow counterparts.

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