Calorie Control Council | Benefits of Using Low-Calorie Sweeteners


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Research shows that people have an inborn desire for sweetness, one of the four fundamental taste sensations. Newborn infants react positively to sweetness. Humans in general, have demonstrated that the pleasant response to sweet solutions is a reflex, innate reaction, rather than a learned response. Historical evidence, such as a 20,000-year-old cave painting of a neolithic man robbing a wild bees' nest, indicates that humans may always have had a preference for sweets. It also is likely that sweetness was used in early times as an indicator of safety in selecting foods. This phenomenon may have led to the search for sources of additional sweetness (sweeteners) to make foods more palatable.

Honey and fruits have long been sought out for their sweet taste; however, since it was first refined some 600 years ago, table sugar (sucrose) has been the standard for sweetness. Until recent decades, sucrose was virtually the only sweetener in general use. Currently, in the U.S., low-calorie sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose provide alternatives to sucrose. These sweeteners contribute essentially no calories to the diet and are the primary sweetening agents for low-calorie and sugar-free foods and beverages.

Benefits

Low-Calorie Sweeteners Do Not Promote Tooth Decay

Low-calorie sweeteners have a variety of benefits to people of all ages. Besides satisfying a craving for sweets, low-calorie sweeteners do not support growth of oral bacteria that promote dental cavities.

Low-Calorie Sweeteners Can Assist in Weight Management

As part of an overall sensible weight-control program, low-calorie foods and beverages can help consumers control calories and therefore control weight. Health professionals agree that the key to losing weight is to burn more calories than are consumed, either by increasing physical activity, consuming fewer calories — or, preferably, both. Low-calorie foods and beverages provide consumers an alternative to higher-calorie products.

Human studies support the benefits of low-calorie sweeteners and light products in weight control. Blackburn and his colleagues investigated, for example, whether the use of aspartame in a multidisciplinary weight control program would improve weight loss and long-term control of body weight in obese women. One hundred sixty-eight obese women aged 20 to 60 years were studied over a two-year period. The researchers found that participation in this multidisciplinary weight control program, including the use of aspartame-sweetened foods and beverages not only facilitated weight loss, but long-term maintenance of a reduced body weight. Thus, the integration of low-calorie sweeteners and reduced-calorie products into the diet can help overweight individuals achieve substantial caloric savings.

In addition, Raben and colleagues found that using low-calorie sweeteners aided in the prevention of weight gain. Participants (a total of 41) followed a regular diet supplemented with food and drinks containing either sucrose or low-calorie sweeteners for two and a half months. The researchers found that participants consuming the sucrose sweetened foods and beverages had an increase in caloric energy, while those consuming the low-calorie sweetened foods and beverages showed a statistically significant decrease. Additionally, those in the sucrose group experienced an increase in weight while the low-calorie sweetener group experienced a decrease in weight.

Low-Calorie Sweeteners Are Beneficial to People With Diabetes

Because low-calorie sweeteners do not contribute carbohydrates to the diet, they allow people with diabetes to consume a greater variety of foods. People with diabetes are also able to satisfy their craving for sweets without affecting blood sugar, which helps them comply with a healthful meal plan. In addition, consuming products with low-calorie sweeteners can result in fewer calories, which helps people with diabetes manage their weight.

Consumers Can Use Low-Calorie Sweeteners as Part of an Overall Healthy Diet

A study conducted by Dr. Madeleine Sigman-Grant, Ph.D., R. D., found that people who use low-calorie, sugar-free foods and beverages have better quality diets. Researchers studied more than 1,000 adults and found that those who incorporated reduced-calorie products into their diets consumed more vitamins and minerals such as calcium, fiber, iron. Thus, the researchers found while participants were eating fewer calories overall, they were also eating more healthfully.

The five low-calorie sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. are:

Acesulfame Potassium: Acesulfame potassium (also known as acesulfame K) was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1988. It is a non-caloric sweetener and has a clean sweet taste that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame potassium’s safety is supported by more than 90 studies conducted over 15 years. Acesulfame potassium is most often used in combination another sweetener(s) in products such as chewing gum, dry beverage mixes, dry dessert mixes, dry dairy analog bases, confections, soft candy, hard candy, baked goods, dairy products, carbonated beverages and alcoholic beverages.

Aspartame: Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is appropriate for many food applications. It has been extensively studied in animals and humans for more than two decades in more than 200 studies. Persons born with a rare genetic disease called phenylketonuria (PKU), numbering about 1 in 15,000 in the U.S. population, know to restrict their intake of phenylalanine from all dietary sources. Because aspartame-containing products are a source of phenylalanine in the diet, they carry the labeling, "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine." It should be noted, however, that phenylalanine is found in much greater quantities in meats, milk and other protein foods. The FDA approved the use of aspartame in 1996. Aspartame is found in about 6,000 products around the world, including carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatins, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

Neotame: Neotame is a non-caloric sweetener and is approximately 30-40 times sweeter than aspartame; 7,000-13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Neotame has a clean, sweet taste like sucrose and unique flavor enhancement properties. The FDA approved the use of neotame as a general purpose sweetener in July 2002. Neotame is often used in chewing gum, carbonated soft drinks, refrigerated and non-refrigerated ready-to-drink beverages, tabletop sweeteners, frozen desserts and novelties, puddings and fillings, yogurt-type products, baked goods and candies.

Saccharin: Saccharin, the oldest of the approved low-calorie sweeteners, continues to be important for a wide range of food and beverage applications. Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Over a century of use has allowed studies to determine if saccharin poses a risk to humans. More than 30 human studies have been completed and overwhelmingly support saccharin's safety. Saccharin is used in such products as soft drinks, tabletop sweeteners, baked goods, jams, chewing gum, canned fruit, candy, dessert toppings and salad dressings. Saccharin also is used in cosmetic products, vitamins and pharmaceuticals.

Sucralose: Sucralose is a non-caloric sweetener created from sugar. Sucralose is made by a patented, multi-step process that starts with sugar (sucrose) and replaces three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with three chlorine atoms. Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar. More than 100 studies conducted and evaluated over a 20-year period clearly demonstrate the safety of sucralose. Sucralose can be used in products such as carbonated soft drinks, low-calorie fruit drinks, maple syrup, and applesauce. It also can be used as a sweetener in nutritional supplements, medical foods, and vitamin/mineral supplements.

Uses and Availability

According to a recent national survey, diet soft drinks and tabletop sweeteners are the most popular of the many low-calorie foods and beverages currently available. Low-calorie sweeteners may be used in many foods or beverages, including: instant coffees and teas, ready-to-drink teas, powdered soft drink mixes, refrigerated and non-refrigerated fruit juice beverages, chewable multi-vitamins, cold cereals, chewing gum, breath mints, gelatins, puddings and fillings, dry mixes for dessert toppings, frozen desserts and novelties, yogurt-type products, baked goods, wine coolers, candies and pharmaceuticals. According to the survey, 86 percent of all respondents report using low-calorie, free foods and beverages, and 87 percent of those who use low-calorie, sugar-free foods and beverages are interested in being offered additional low-calorie products.

In the Future

Low-calorie sweeteners provide consumers with many benefits. Whether by choice or necessity, millions of Americans restrict their intake of calories and carbohydrates. According to opinion research, most people consume low-calorie products to stay in better overall health, eat or drink healthier foods and beverages, and maintain weight or reduce weight. None of the known sweeteners (both approved and yet-to-be-approved) is perfect for all uses. As long as the strong demand for low-calorie foods and beverages continues, the search for the perfect low-calorie sweetener will persist. And, until the ideal sweetener is discovered, consumers will depend on a variety of low-calorie sweeteners to satisfy their desire for something sweet but low in calories.

More Information on Low-Calorie Sweeteners:

Health Professionals' Opinions
Multiple Ingredient Approach
Questions & Answers

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