Artificial sweeteners are an important part of a diabetic diet. Many diabetics have to use sugar substitutes rather than sugar, in order to maintain low blood glucose levels. There are many different kinds of artificial sweeteners, and it is important to know the differences in each. As with any diet, the best advice is moderation. Using artificial sweeteners in moderation has no ill health effects. Diabetics can also consider eating foods with natural sugars, such as fruit.

Saccharin

Saccharin has been used to sweeten beverages without adding kilojoules or energy for over a century. For many people, saccharin is an integral part of their lifestyle. Saccharin was discovered accidentally in 1879 by Ira Remsen and Constantin Fahlberg, researchers at Johns Hopkins University. They were experimenting with toluene and discovered its sweetness while eating shortly thereafter–they had not washed it all off their hands.
Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar, which means only a little is needed for sweetening. However, like most artificial sweeteners, it has an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. It is stable when heated, which means it is good for cooking. It also passes through the body without having any impact on the blood sugar levels, making it ideal for people with diabetes. It is a complex mix of elements such as calcium, sodium, hydrogen and oxygen, all combining to make the substance.
It is particularly important to those whose diets require a restriction of kilojoule intake, such as people with diabetes. Many health practitioners favour the use of a non-nutritive sweeteners like saccharin in weight reduction and for people with diabetes.

Is it safe?

Saccharin has been the subject of extensive scientific research. It is one of the most studied ingredients in the food supply. Although the totality of the available research indicates saccharin is safe for human consumption, there has been controversy over its safety. The basis for the controversy rests primarily on findings of bladder tumours in some male rats fed high doses of sodium saccharin. Considerable saccharin research, however, shows that this is a safe product when added to beverages at the levels consumed by humans. The average user of saccharin ingests less than one ounce of the sweetener each year. Studies in both human and animal models have shown they safety of sacharin.
Saccharin is not metabolized (it passes through the body unchanged) and does not react with DNA (nucleic acid present in all living cells), meaning that saccharin lacks two of the major characteristics of a classical carcinogen.

Aspartame

Aspartame is one of the most common artificial sweeteners. Aspartame is made with two amino acids: phenylalanine, and aspartic acid. Aspartame is approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). People with phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot ingest aspartame in any form. Phenylketonuria is a genetic disease that is tested for at birth.
Aspartame was originally linked to brain cancer in rats, but the FDA has noted that it takes large amounts to cause cancer. Moderation is the key to aspartame use. One of the dangers of aspartame is that is made with formaldehyde, which is actually poisonous. Aspartame breaks down into its components while in your body, and as such, it is not a non-caloric sweetener.
Aspartame behaves generally like sugar, but might react with other ingredients. NutraSweet and Equal are both made with aspartame. Aspartame can be used in food and as a table-top sweetener.
Headache is the most common adverse side effect attributed to aspartame but is seldom confirmed by single-dose double-blind challenge. Up to 11% of patients with chronic migraine headaches reported headaches triggered by aspartame; however, a double-blind challenge with three doses of 10 mg/kg given every 2 hours triggered no more headaches than did placebos in patients with vascular headaches believed to be exacerbated by aspartame. A small, double-blind 4-week trial showed an increase in frequency of headaches after ingestion of 1200 mg/d, indicating that a longer challenge period may be necessary.
In anecdotal reports, aspartame has been linked to various neuropsychiatric disorders, including panic attacks, mood changes, visual hallucinations, manic episodes, and isolated dizziness. A small, double-blind crossover study of patients with major depression revealed a higher incidence of reactions in these patients compared with nondepressed volunteers after administration of 30 mg/kg for 7 days; symptoms included headache, nervousness, dizziness, memory impairment, nausea, temper outbursts, and depression. None of these conditions has been rigorously proven to be caused by aspartame, but carefully conducted double-blind challenges may be indicated in patients with histories that suggest aspartame as a cause. Patients with underlying mitral valve prolapse or affective disorders may be at increased risk for neuropsychiatric effects; several studies have shown that individuals without psychiatric or seizure disorders do not demonstrate these effects.
Seizures have been reported via passive surveillance data collected by the FDA and in a few case reports. A recent analysis of FDA reports showed 41 cases of rechallenge with a temporal relationship to aspartame consumption. Most seizures occurred in patients who had an acceptable dietary intake, except for a 16-year-old who ingested up to 57 mg/kg of aspartame. Aspartame is generally considered safe for children with epilepsy. One study found increased spike-wave discharges in children with untreated absence seizures after a high dose of aspartame and suggested that children with poorly controlled absence seizures avoid aspartame.

Cyclamates

Cyclamates are banned in the United States. They are currently waiting for re-approval from the FDA. Cyclamates were linked to cancer in rats, but later studies disproved this. It can, in exorbitant dosages, cause testicular atrophy. Cyclamates are legal in over 50 countries, including Canada.

Stevia

Another sweetener, stevioside, is championed by natural-foods advocates in the United States and is used in several countries, most notably Japan. Stevioside comes from the leaves of the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), a perennial shrub of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family native to Brazil and Paraguay. Stevia contains sweet-tasting glycosides, mainly stevioside; but also rebaudiosides A, B, C, D, and E; dulcoside A; and steviolbioside. Stevioside has a slight bitter aftertaste and provides 250 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. It is stable to 200°C (392°F), but it is not fermentable and does not act in browning reactions.
In the 1970s, the Japanese government approved the plant for use in food. Japanese food processors use stevioside in a wide range of foods: pickled vegetables, dried seafood, soy sauce and miso, beverages, candy, gums, baked goods and cereals, yogurt, ice cream, and as a tabletop sweetener. In salty applications, stevioside modifies the harshness of sodium chloride. Combining it with other natural and synthetic sweeteners improves taste and functionality.
FDA considers stevia leaves and stevioside as unapproved, non-GRAS food additives. In 1992, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) petitioned the FDA to declare stevia as GRAS, citing historical usage and referring to numerous toxicology studies conducted in Japan and other countries. The FDA rejected AHPA’s petition, contending inadequate evidence to approve the product. The agency does allow the herb to be used in dietary supplements as covered by DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act).

Tagatose

It’s Tagatose, the only sweetener that tastes, looks, feels, and performs like table sugar. Tagatose can supply a major need for baked goods, ice cream, chocolates, chewing gum, and other food products that can’t be met by low bulk of high-intensity sweeteners. And it’s safe, with over ten years of safety research and numerous consultancies and world-renowned scientists reviewing the product. Scientifically known as D-tagatose, Tagatose occurs naturally in some dairy products and other foods. Our patented production process starts from whey, a dairy by-product. Tagatose has been determined to be a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) substance in the U.S., with the FDA affirming the green light for the product with its “no objection” opinion, permitting its use in foods and beverages. Tagatose has also been determined GRAS for use in cosmetics and toothpastes, as well as in drugs.
Tagatose is present in only small amounts in dairy products. It can be produced commercially from lactose, which is first hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose. The galactose is isomerized under alkaline conditions to D-tagatose by calcium hydroxide. The resulting mixture can then be purified and solid tagatose produced by crystallization.

Sucralose

Sucralose is the newest artificial sweetener. It is found in the brand Splenda. Sucralose is a non-caloric sweetener, because it passes through the body unchanged.
Sucralose is created by adding three chlorine compounds to sugar (where the hydroxyls normally are).
Some agencies (including the Sugar Association) claim that Splenda has not yet undergone enough testing, though most scientists agree that it has been tested extensively.
Splenda, also known as sucralose, is an artificial sweetener, which is a chlorinated sucrose derivative. Facts about this artificial chemical are as follows:

Pre-Approval Research

Pre-approval research showed that sucralose caused shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage) and enlarged liver and kidneys.

Recent Research

A possible problem with caecal enlargement and renal mineralization has been seen in post approval animal research.

Sucralose Breaks Down

Despite the manufacturer’s mis-statements, sucralose does break down into small amounts of 1,6-dichlorofructose, a chemical which has not been adequtely tested in humans. More importantly, sucralose must break down in the digestive system. If it didn’t break down and react at all (as the manufacturer claims), it would not chemically-react on the tongue to provide a sweet taste. The truth is that sucralose does break down to some extent in the digestive system.

Human Research were clearly inadequate and do not demonstrate safety in long-term use.

Chlorinated Pesticides

The manufacturer claims that the chlorine added to sucralose is similar to the chlorine atom in the salt (NaCl) molecule. That is not the case. Sucralose may be more like ingesting tiny amounts of chlorinated pesticides, but we will never know without long-term, independent human research.

Polyols

Polyols are sugar alcohols, and as such, are not exactly artificial sweeteners. Polyols are found in low concentrations in fruit. These are often used as food additives. Ones that you might see frequently are sorbitol, lactitol, malitol, and xylitol among others.
Polyols are safe to eat; however, if eaten in large quantities, they can cause some uncomfortable (but not life-threatening) gastric side effects: they act as a laxative and can cause discomfort.

Sources: Ezine Articles, Australian beverages, Sweet Poison

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