One of the crucial elements of taste is sweetness. Jaggery, honey, table sugar etc. are one of the most common sources which make foodstuffs delicious and provide taste, making them more appealing. However, with the rapid rise in industrialization and mechanization, processed purified sugar (table sugar) has become a ubiquitous element and is being used in almost all food products. As a result of a luxurious lifestyle and rapid urbanization, the consumption of sugary food products has led to an alarming health epidemic, with India dubbed as the ‘Diabetes Capital of the world’. According to Patil et. al. (2023), high sugar intake has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, prediabetes, cardiovascular diabetes among both children and adults. Products which are marketed for the children population group are one of the largest product groups which use sugar as one of the main ingredients, often in large quantities (per 100g). As a result, with sugar being villainized and being responsible for various ailments, artificial sweeteners have become one of the most used sugar alternatives.
As explained by Rother et. al. (2018), artificial sweeteners (AS) are also known as non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs), low-calorie sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, and sugar substitutes. The consumption of AS is expected to be on the rise because of continuous efforts to lower sugar intake. In a review study by Pearlman et. al. in 2017, the prevalence of AS increased from 6.1% to 12.5% among children and 18.7% to 24.1% among adults in the USA, owing to promotion of AS being lower in calories, without compromising the taste. However, with increase usage and consumption, there may be underlying health implications to overconsumption of AS. Rother et. al. (2018) explained in their review how AS have gone rigorous testing, and are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), if ingestion does not exceed recommended intake according to the regulatory bodies of respective nations. As discussed by More et. al. (2021), the use of AS has increased because of their low caloric quality and improve insulin resistance among those with diabetes and obesity. However, limited studies are there that support this claim.
There are numerous AS that are used in the market today, with over 6000 products in the USA that use these AS. Saccharin is the oldest artificial sweetener, which is 200-700 times sweeter than sucrose, and is most used in soft drinks, chewing gum, toothpaste, baked goods etc. and numerous other products. Second generation sweeteners, which were approved by the FDA, include aspartame and acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K), which have seen increased usage among food products (Rother et al., 2018). Plant derived AS include stevia, sorbitol, xylitol etc. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have also recognized and legalized the uses of AS such as aspartame K, saccharin, sucralose etc. in food products within safety limits. However, FSSAI does not recommend the approved AS for weight loss or as a means of controlling blood sugar in diabetic individuals.
The report by Patil et. al. in 2023 discusses the recent research on overuse of AS, well over the recommended limits. For instance, patients suffering from phenylketonuria (difficulty metabolizing phenylalanine) are usually asked to avoid aspartame consumption. The report concludes that although AS has been marketed as a healthy alternative with thousands of products using them, scientific research supporting its unconditional use is still scarce. As a result, it can be concluded that:
- Currently, artificial sweeteners are an asset in our diet.
- International (WHO, JECFA) and national (FDA, FSSAI) bodies should strictly monitor the use of AS in food products.
- The use of artificial sweeteners should be well within the permissible limit. If someone takes sweeteners externally, they should be cautious and should use it within permissible guidelines.
- Promotion of AS other than its recommended use should be checked. Fake advertisements which have contradictory results regarding its use should be checked by regulatory authorities.
References:
- Ali, A., More, T. A., & Shaikh, Z. (2021). Artificial sweeteners and their health implications: a review. Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia, 18(2), 227-237.
- Basson AR, Rodriguez-Palacios A and Cominelli F. (2021). Artificial Sweeteners: History and New Concepts on Inflammation. Front. Nutr. 8:746247. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.746247
- Patil, S., Jalal, R. A. S., Albar, D. H., Bansal, S. J., Patil, S., Nagaral, S., Finch, J., Bernard, C. A., Baeshen, H. A., & Awan, K. H. (2023). Intake of Artificial Sweeteners by Children: Boon or Bane?. The journal of contemporary dental practice, 24(2), 137–145. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10024-3435
- Pearlman, M., Obert, J., & Casey, L. (2017). The association between artificial sweeteners and obesity. Current gastroenterology reports, 19, 1-8.
- Rother, K. I., Conway, E. M., & Sylvetsky, A. C. (2018). How Non-nutritive Sweeteners Influence Hormones and Health. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM, 29(7), 455–467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2018.04.010