Artificial Sweetners

Why is in news? Guidelines for Usage of Artificial Sweetners

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that assessment of the health impacts of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame conducted by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as well as World Health Organization - Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO-FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) cite “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans.

However, IARC has classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic‟ to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA accordingly has reaffirmed that the acceptable daily intake should be 40 mg/kg body weight.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already laid down the standards for various artificial sweeteners in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.

These standards for non-caloric sweeteners and limits for use of such non-caloric sweeteners in various food products have been laid down on the basis of risk assessment and Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) established by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the limits are in harmonization with Codex Alimentarius Commission.

About:

Artificial sweeteners are sugar substitutes that are used as alternatives to natural sugars.

These sweeteners are chemically synthesized and provide a sweet taste without the high calorie content of regular sugar.

They are commonly used in various food and beverage products, including diet sodas, sugar-free desserts, and low-calorie snacks.

Some examples of artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), sucralose, neotame, and advantame.

Benefits:

Artificial sweeteners offer benefits for weight management, diabetes control, tooth decay prevention, and provide safe options for individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder, due to their low or zero-calorie content, minimal impact on blood sugar levels, non-fermentable nature, and absence of phenylalanine.

Advantages of Artificial Sweeteners:

Sugar is a common sweetener and plays an essential role in tooth decay and cavities. Substituting less sugar with the artificial sweeteners, one may be able to reduce these effects on your teeth.

Loss or maintenance of weight is the key reason why people start using artificial sweeteners. The Mayo Clinic says that every one gram of sugar contains four calories. So by replacing the regular sugar with a calorie-free sweetener, we can reduce the number of calories that we have each day.

For people with diabetes, eating too much (if any) sugar is a real concern. Artificial sweeteners are a safe choice because they do not raise blood sugar levels. However, it is important to consult your doctor about sugar alternatives.