Are Sugar Substitutes Safe?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four sugar substitutes: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K and sucralose. Saccharin (available as Sweet ‘n Low) is a noncaloric, indigestible petroleum product that is 300 times sweeter than sugar. In the late 1970s, a study linked saccharin to cancer in laboratory rats, and the product was nearly removed from the market. But the case against the sweetener was dropped when it was disclosed that the rats had consumed saccharin in the equivalent of 800 cans of diet soda a day. Aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), a synthetic combination of two amino acids, contains four calories per gram, just like sugar. But aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so much less is needed. Although the FDA ruled that most people could safely consume the equivalent of 97 packets of aspartame daily, some consumers have complained of headaches and other side effects. Aspartame was originally approved in 1981 for use in powdered drinks and as a tabletop sweet
