How Safe are Artificial Sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners have been around since the late 19th century, when saccharin was developed at Johns Hopkins University. Since, the presence of artificial sweeteners has grown in food, from diet soda to chewing gum. With the ever-increasing consumption of these man-made sugars, scientists and food health specialists began to wonder how safe are artificial sweeteners?

Surprisingly, a growing body of research suggests that the majority of artificial sweeteners approved for use in food in the U.S. are safe. Despite some earlier research to the contrary, the majority of artificial sweeteners are not responsible for cancer. The FDA in the 1970s desired to ban the progenitor of artificial sweeteners, saccharin, because it caused cancer in rats. The move failed, though products containing the sweetener were required to display a warning label explaining its contents. More recent research explained that the rats found to have cancer after consuming saccharin, male rats, were already predisposed to having bladder cancer. Saccharin was not shown to cause cancer in people, as stated by the National Cancer Institute.

Though the answer to the question how safe are artificial sweeteners seems to be fairly safe, the consumption of some artificial sweeteners does have some drawbacks. The most notable of which is aspartame, which should not be consumed by people with phenylketonuria, an uncommon hereditary disorder. Otherwise, the most unfortunate side effect of eating or drinking food containing some artificial sweeteners is diarrhea.

One of the most useful artificial sweeteners is sucralose, which is found in Splenda. Unlike several other artificial sweeteners, Splenda can be used in cooking because it is unaffected by heat. Stevia is a popular natural sweetener, though it has not yet been approved for use in food in the U.S.

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