Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners were made for people who cannot eat sugar or who want to cut down on calories from sugary foods. Years of their being in use haven't been able to kill the controversy over artificial sugars. Some people think these sugars are good because they do not cause cavities and may help them lose weight. Others believe that artificial sweeteners could cause cancer and other diseases.

There are two types of artificial sweeteners that are used instead of sugars in foods. They are non-caloric sweeteners and sugar alcohols. Non-caloric sweeteners, like saccharine and aspartame, do not add calories to foods, and are used in snacks and drinks. Also, these sweeteners do not cause as much tooth decay as sugar.

Sugar alcohols contain about the same number of calories as sugar. They are used in chewing gums and hard candies, and, like other artificial sweeteners, may cause fewer dental cavities than sugars. In fact chewing sugarless gum after meals may help prevent cavities. As they have the same calories as sugar, sugar alcohols do not help people trying to lose weight, and cause diarrhea in some people. Examples of sugar alcohols are Sorbitol and Mannitol.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved artificial sweeteners. The FDA made this decision after looking at tests, which show that "normal use" of artificial sweeteners do not cause health problems. Some people are still worried that there may be health risks for individuals, especially children, who consume more than the level that the FDA defines as "normal use." Moreover, the tests did not show how safe artificial sweeteners would be when consumed over a long period of time, or over a lifetime. Many people use artificial sweeteners because they think they are cutting calories and that will help them lose weight. Often, these people eat artificially sweetened foods or drinks and then eat even more of other foods - so they may even end up gaining weight! While there is no harm having artificial sweeteners some of the time, it is probably wise to limit your use of foods with artificial sweeteners. Most foods, especially ripe fruits, are just as sweet without added sugars. Other foods also taste fine when you make them with less sugar.