Artificial sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame have received a lot of negative press over the years, including numerous clinical test results suggesting links to cancer and other health problems. The truth is no solid evidence has yet been presented showing the use of these artificial sweeteners adversely affects human health in any way.
Saccharin
Saccharin is a derivative of coal tar discovered in the late 1800s and used for more than a 100 years as an artificial sweetener. Because it tastes much sweeter than sugar, foods contain only very small quantities of it. In the 1970s, studies suggested that saccharin caused cancer in laboratory rats. While the FDA did not ban the use of the sweetener, they required warning labels on products that contained it. More detailed studies conducted since that time have failed to show any link to cancer in humans. Since 2000, the sweetener has not been on the list of suspected carcinogens.
Aspartame
Aspartame is a synthetic chemical used in the sweeteners NutraSweet and Equal. The FDA approved its use in 1981. Subsequent claims linked the chemical to a variety of health problems, but hundreds of clinical studies have failed to confirm that it poses any health hazard. In early tests, some rats developed cancer after exposure to doses of the sweetener that would be equivalent to a human drinking more than 2,000 cans of diet soda a day. The National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Health now conclude there is no link between aspartame and cancer.
PKU and Aspertame
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare hereditary disease that prevents people from metabolizing the amino acid phenylalanine, which naturally occurs in milk, eggs and other foods. It also is present in aspartame, so in addition to avoiding these other foods, people with PKU should not eat or drink products containing aspartame. The buildup of phenylalanine in their bodies can harm their nervous systems and cause brain damage. Fortunately, most states require routine screening of newborns for the disease, and in the U.S., foods that contain aspartame have a warning to PKU sufferers that they contain phenylalanine.
Other Artificial Sweeteners
Cyclamates began to replace saccharin in the 1950s because their taste was closer to that of sugar. In 1968, Americans consumed more than 17 million pounds of cyclamates in their snack foods and zero-calorie soft drinks. Unfortunately, some laboratory test results indicated they might increase the risk of bladder cancer, so the FDA banned them in 1969. Studies since then have established the safety of the sweetener, but other products have replaced it. Three other artificial sweeteners currently are used in the United States: acesulfame potassium, used in Sweet One and Sunett; sucralose, used in Splenda; and neotame, a compound similar to aspartame. Various agencies have tested all of these compounds extensively, and there is no evidence that any of them cause cancer or pose any other health risks.
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