Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are a popular ingredient in beverages, cookies, cakes, jams and jellies. These two sweeteners are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and considered safe for general consumption. While artificial sweeteners can certainly play a part in a healthy diet and weight loss, you should still consume them in moderation.
About Aspartame
Aspartame was one of the earliest commercial artificial sweeteners, discovered accidentally by chemist Jim Schlatter in 1965. Although aspartame is not technically a zero-calorie sweetener, it contains only 4 calories per gram and is 180 times as sweet as table sugar. Your body breaks down aspartame, sold under the names NutraSweet and Equal, into three components -- phenylalanine, methanol and aspartic acid.
Effects of Aspartame
Sweeteners like aspartame have been scrutinized since their introduction to the market in the 1990s. In 2006, the National Cancer Institute published a study debunking the claim that aspartame consumption is responsible for leukemias, lymphomas and brain cancer. However, aspartame is unsafe for people with a condition called phenylketonuria, or PKU, who are unable to metabolize phenylalanine properly. Unless people with PKU limit their intake of this compound, the condition can lead to mental retardation.
About Sucralose
Sucralose, or Splenda, is the only artificial sweetener made from table sugar or sucrose. It is 600 times sweeter than sucrose. Sucralose is unique in its heat stability, and you can use it in cooking and baking. The human digestive tract cannot metabolize sucralose, and consequently it is a true zero-calorie sweetener.
Effects of Sucralose
Since sucralose was discovered in 1975, approximately 110 human and animal studies have been published that deem it safe for human consumption. No known negative side effects are associated with sucralose.
Considerations
Excessive use of artificial products, which are hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose, may leave you unable to appreciate the natural sweetness of fruits and vegetables. Just because a product is "sugar-free" and has sucralose or aspartame as an ingredient does not mean it is healthy. An apple is still healthier than a sugar-free cookie.
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