Also known as sugar substitutes, artificial sweeteners represent a category of food additives that can replace sugar in recipes. Although artificial sweeteners may be derived from natural substances, including sugar, some element of the sweetener has been refined or processed. The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved five sweetener types for consumption: acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose. These sweeteners can offer some advantages over sugar when added to your foods.
No-Calorie Source
Artificial sweeteners are considered a non-nutritive additive, meaning that although they provide no nutrition, they also have virtually no calories. For comparison's sake, consider that 1 g of sugar has 4 calories. For an 8-oz. soda can, this translates into 130 calories that come from added sugars. The diet alternative to this soda made with artificial sweeteners has none. When eaten in moderation, foods prepared with artificial sweeteners can have significantly fewer calories than those that are not.
Require Less to Use
Artificial sweeteners tend to be more potent and sweet than sugar thanks to the chemical processes by which they are made. For example, sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar. When cooking with artificial sweeteners, you can use less and retain the same sugary flavor. While artificial sweeteners tend to be more costly than sugar, using less can save you money. It also makes artificial sweeteners more portable than sugar. If you use sweetener in your tea, you can use only a few packets of artificial sweetener to replace several sugar packets.
Prevents Cavities
Sugars can stick to your teeth and are associated with an increased risk for tooth decay. However, artificial sweeteners do not affect the teeth in the same manner. Eating foods prepared with artificial sweeteners can reduce your risk for cavities if it means you are eating less foods prepared with real sugar. In fact, the artificial sweetener saccharin is added to toothpastes to give a sweet taste.
Helps Control Diabetes
Diabetics have a difficult time consuming foods that contain sugar because these foods cause blood sugar spikes. The elevated blood sugar levels must then be controlled with medication if they can be controlled at all. However, artificial sweeteners do not cause blood sugar spikes because they are not a form of carbohydrates. This means diabetics can satisfy the occasional sweet tooth without having to fear adverse side effects and blood sugar spikes.
Misconception/Considerations
Research studies conducted in the 1970s linked consuming saccharin, an artificial sweetener to increased incidence of bladder cancer. However, the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not determined research to be confirmed in relation to artificial sweeteners and cancer. The FDA has approved artificial sweeteners are "generally recognized as safe," providing you use them in moderation and as they are intended to be used in cooking and food products.
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