Executive Summary
- Foods and beverages containing sugar substitutes are widely used in the United States and other countries; they offer attractive dietary options for people who are trying to limit calorie intake and/or reduce the risk of tooth decay.
- Extensive scientific research supports the safety of the five low-calorie sugar substitutes currently approved for use in foods and beverages in the U.S. — acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose.
- In several instances, scientific studies have raised questions about the safety of specific sugar substitutes. Concerns about the possible cancer-causing potential of cyclamate and saccharin, raised during the 1960s and 1970s, respectively, have been resolved. A controversial animal cancer study of aspartame is currently being reviewed by regulatory authorities in the United States and other countries.
- Three sugar substitutes currently used in some other countries — alitame, cyclamate, and stevia — are not approved as food ingredients in the United States. Alitame and cyclamate are under consideration for approval. Stevia may be sold as a dietary supplement, but marketing this product as a food ingredient in the U.S. is illegal.
- A variety of polyols (sugar alcohols) and other bulk sweeteners, including two unusual sugars, trehalose and tagatose, are accepted for use in foods in the U.S. The only significant health issue pertaining to these sugar substitutes, most of which are incompletely digested, is the potential for gastrointestinal discomfort with excessive use.
- The availability of a variety of safe sugar substitutes is a benefit to consumers because it enables food manufacturers to formulate a variety of good-tasting sweet foods and beverages that are safe for the teeth and lower in calorie content than sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.
Introduction
If you enjoy diet soft drinks or other reduced-calorie or “light” products, you’re in good company. According to a recent survey, 180 million American adults use low-calorie, sugar-free foods and beverages. Despite the popularity of these products, though, some people have concerns or questions about the safety of the sugar substitutes that make the products possible. Misinformation about sugar substitutes abounds, especially on the Internet, and people may have difficulty distinguishing trustworthy sources of information on this topic from less reliable ones.
This report by the American Council on Science and Health summarizes the scientific facts about the safety of sugar substitutes. The principal source of information for this booklet was a technical manuscript entitled “Low-Calorie Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes: A Review of the Safety Issues,” accepted for publication in the journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, by Dr. Manfred Kroger of Pennsylvania State University and Kathleen Meister and Dr. Ruth Kava of the American Council on Science and Health.
BELOW IS A TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE FULL REPORT, WHICH CAN BE ORDERED -- OR DOWNLOADED FOR FREE -- AT THE RIGHT MARGIN.
