Natural sweeteners for example, sucrose and fructose add to calorie intake and therefore may people prefer to use artificial sweeteners. Many people find artificial sweeteners to be an attractive alternate to the natural and calorie contributing counterparts. No acceptable general theory can explain what makes certain compounds taste sweet and precisely how they interact with human taste sensing systems.
Natural Sweeteners also increase the glucose level in persons suffering from diabetes. So to assist in weight loss and to manage diabetes mellitus people have been looking for artificial sweetener. These are duplicates of sugar and have less food energy called non-nutritive sweeteners. Some commonly used sugar substitutes are given below.
Does artificial sweeteners provide any benefits to humans? Is it safe for the environment? Have any long term studies been conducted on human consuming this artificial sugar? Unfortunately the answer to all of these questions is a resounding no! Better avoid using artificial sweeteners.
Natural Sweeteners also increase the glucose level in persons suffering from diabetes. So to assist in weight loss and to manage diabetes mellitus people have been looking for artificial sweetener. These are duplicates of sugar and have less food energy called non-nutritive sweeteners. Some commonly used sugar substitutes are given below.
- Saccharin – Saccharin is about 550 times sweeter than sucrose. It is not biodegradable ad is excreted as such in urine. It has no calorie content. It has been proved to be a life saver for countless diabetes and is useful for those who need to control intake of calories.
- Aspartame – It is most widely used artificial sweetener. It is a methyl ester of a dipeptide unrelated to any carbohydrate. Aspartame is about 100 times as sweet as sucrose. It decomposes at baking or cooking temperature and hence can be used in cold foods and soft drinks.
- Cyclamate – It is low calorie additives with an intense sweetness. It was water soluble, cheaply produced and for almost two decades in combination with saccharin in sweet N low until evidence surfaced that it caused cancer in mice if consumed in vast amounts. It was banned by FDA in 1969 however, it is still available in some countries.
- Sucralose – It is relatively new artificial sweetener that was approved for use in USA. It is proposed to be as 600 times sweeter than sucrose. It is produced by chlorinating sucrose.
Does artificial sweeteners provide any benefits to humans? Is it safe for the environment? Have any long term studies been conducted on human consuming this artificial sugar? Unfortunately the answer to all of these questions is a resounding no! Better avoid using artificial sweeteners.
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