Is sweetener bad for you?

May 14, 2023
Sweeteners are commonly used as additives in beverages and other foods. There has also been much debate about the safety of additives used in food. So is sweetener harmful to humans?

What is sweetener?

Aspartame, commonly known as sweetener, is chemically known as aspartic acid methyl ester, or aspartame. Its sweetness is 180 times that of sucrose, and its sweetness is very similar to granulated sugar, and has a cool feeling, without bitterness or metallic taste. It can be destroyed by prolonged heating or high temperature. It is unstable in aqueous solution and easily decomposes and loses its sweetness.

Controversy of sweeteners

In the 1980s, some studies warned that aspartame may cause epilepsy and headaches. In the 1990s, a U.S. study suggested a possible correlation between aspartame and brain tumors. And an Italian scholar who has studied aspartame for years has confirmed through animal studies that aspartame can cause cancer in rats.

Are sweeteners harmful to humans?

No significant harmful effects of sweeteners on humans have been found. In 1995, the National Institutes of Health sponsored the Diet and Health Study, which did not find a correlation between aspartame or other sweeteners and brain tumors. The Nurses' Health Study also did not find a correlation between aspartame and hematologic tumors.

Do sweeteners cause cancer?

No carcinogenic effects have been found for sweeteners. The World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Food Additives and the European Food Safety Authority have also evaluated aspartame and concluded that its safety is not in doubt.

Safe intake of sweeteners

Through the performance of aspartame data in animal experiments, it can be determined that the safe daily intake of sweeteners for humans is 40 mg per kg of body weight. In other words, a 60 kg person can eat 2.4 grams per day, which is equivalent to the amount of sweetener in a dozen cans of Coke. Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about the harm caused by sweeteners in food.
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