Sweeteners - Escape From Calories

More and more sugar and confectionery are entering our lives. The wide access to them, the reasonable price and most of all the enticing taste make them an integral part of everyday life of each of us. Unfortunately, this pleasure also comes at a price. Only some of the disadvantages are the contribution to obesity, carious teeth, the inability to adequately control diabetes and others.

Due to this, but also for economic reasons, the search for sugar substitutes has begun. Today they are divided into two groups - with and without nutritional value. The so-called alcoholsbelong to the first group because they supply a certain amount of calories, although it is less than that of sucrose, mainly due to the lower degree of absorption. They are normally found in many fruits, but above all one consumes them through food and beverages, often marked with the inscription "sugar free". Among them are maltitol, lactitol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol. These sweeteners cannot be utilized by bacteria in the oral cavity, so they do not cause carious processes. However, due to their low degree of resorption, they can cause intestinal discomfort - increased flatulence and diarrhea if consumption is excessive. Their sweetness is estimated at 25 to 100% of that of sucrose.

Interest in sweeteners without nutritional valuebegan in the second half of last century. Due to the lack of calories, cost-effective products quickly find their application. Concerns about their safety for human health later emerged. Not a little data is collected about their contribution to malignant diseases and they give rise to hundreds of laboratory tests in search of the truth. Although there is ample scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners are not harmful to our health, this issue remains controversial and the arguments 'against' their use are no less than those 'for' it.

Artificial sweeteners are many times sweeter than sugar, which implies their minimal inclusion in food, beverages, medicines, stimulants and more. Today, they are already part of most of them and are usually combined in search of the perfect taste. As with everything, consumption has its limits here. The norms are defined, which show what is the permissible daily consumption considered to be absolutely safe for daily intake.
The first sweetener found was saccharin. It was discovered by chance in 1879. when conducting laboratory experiments with toluene derivatives. It is 300 to 500 times sweeter than sucrose and is part of many foods, beverages, medicines, cosmetics and more. Its bitter aftertaste is usually combined with other sweeteners. The allowable daily intake is calculated at 5 mg / kg body weight.

Testing in 1958 showed a high correlation between saccharin use and the incidence of bladder cancer in laboratory animals. This necessitated marking the danger on the labels of saccharin-containing products. At a later stage, it was found that it causes a malignant process only in male rats in connection with biochemical processes that are not present in the human body. In large quantities, saccharin forms precipitates with proteins present in the urine of rats, which has a carcinogenic effect on the epithelium. However, it does not affect the genetic material. In 2001, the warning labels were removed. Many countries restrict its use. However, there are many in which it is banned. Saccharin belongs to the group of sulphonamides, therefore in the presence of hypersensitivity to such a substance,

Aspartame is a sweetener discovered in 1965. also by accident. After more than 100 studies on product safety, in 1981. it has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), stating that it does not increase the risk of developing malignancies in laboratory animals. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Unlike other sweeteners, it should not be used in cooking involving heat treatment. It is a dipeptide of aspartic acid and a methyl ester of phenylalanine. The latter determines the need to limit the consumption of aspartame products among patients with phenylketonuria. The daily allowable dose is estimated at 50 mg / kg body weight, for children - up to 10 mg / kg body weight. Normally a person consumes up to 5 mg / kg of body weight aspartame through drinks, food, medication.

In double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, high doses of apsartam have been shown to cause headache crises in migraine patients, to worsen the symptoms of depressive affective disorder. Its use in pregnant women, babies and young children is not recommended due to some risk of neurological complications. The role of the substance in the development of malignant diseases such as brain tumors, lymphomas, leukemias and others has been widely studied. So far, however, there is no conclusive evidence of a link between them. Its metabolites, such as aspartate, methanol and diketopiperazine, are to blame for the harmful effects of aspartame. Aspartame as well as other artificial sweeteners are often used by diabetics. However, its uncontrolled use, against the background of regular insulin intake, can cause hypoglycemia with its consequences.

Neotam is a derivative of aspartame, in which phenylalanine is not released and thus can be consumed by persons with phenylketonuria. In addition, it has been found to be 7-13,000 times sweeter than sugar, suggesting even smaller amounts used in food and beverages. It was approved in 2002. Opponents of its use say there is a lack of scientific data on the long-term safety of the product.

Acesulfame K was approved as a sweetener in 1988 and today is part of many foods. Its permissible daily dose is set at 15 mg / kg body weight. It stimulates dose-dependent insulin secretion and may cause hypoglycaemia. There are few studies on the long-term effect of the sweetener. There is evidence of depression and other mental disorders caused by it, damage to the kidneys, liver, vision, and even neoplastic processes. However, they did not give a reason to stop its application.

Sucralose is the newest sweetener without nutritional value. It is a derivative of sucrose and contains chlorine. Although a product of sugar and the presence of a similar taste, sucrose is not a natural product. The fact is that it was discovered in search of a new pesticide. And now during its production it is obtained against the background of many toxic substances. Approved as a food supplement in 1998. after no risk of neurological, reproductive and other complications or predisposition to malignancy has been identified. It is a caloric product, but due to the 600 times greater sweetness, it is included in food and beverages in minimal quantities. It can be subjected to heat treatment.

Like any other product, sweeteners require moderation in their consumption. Reasonable use of them will minimize or completely avoid the risk of complications. They allow each of us to enjoy the taste of a number of temptations. Unfortunately, neither the ideal body figure nor the optimal metabolic control can be achieved only with their help.