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Saccharin Effects

Saccharin, more commonly known as Sweet N'Low, is the world's oldest low-calorie sweetener. Saccharin can be found in many products, including sugar-free foods, diet drinks, medicines and toothpastes. The safety of saccharin, and other artificial sweeteners, remains controversial in the science, medical and health communities.

  1. Description

    • Saccharin is 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar but has a distinct metallic aftertaste. The basic substance of saccharin is benzonic sulfinide and the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for saccharin is 5 mg/kg of body weight.

    History

    • Saccharin was discovered by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in 1879. In 1907, after the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, the USDA started investigating saccharin. At the time, some individuals believed saccharin was detrimental to health while others sharply disagreed. Saccharin remains highly controversial to this day.

    Positive Effects

    • One positive effect of saccharin is that it contains no calories. Foods and beverages can be sweetened with saccharin without increasing the caloric value. Saccharin is also safe for diabetics since it does not raise blood glucose levels.

    Negative Effects

    • Whether saccharin causes cancer remains debatable. Although studies suggesting saccharin is a carcinogen date back to as early as the 1960s, the first major study to grab the public attention occurred in 1977. The Canadian Saccharin Study by D. L. Arnold and his associates, which was published in the July 1977 issue of Science magazine, showed cancerous bladder tumors in male rats who consumed saccharin. After this study, the FDA proposed a total ban on saccharin but Congress allowed saccharin to remain on the market as long as it was sold with a warning that use of the product may be hazardous to health. Since then, additional studies have shown that saccharin is safe for human consumption but many organizations such as the Center for the Science in Public Interest (CSPI) believe saccharin is probably a weak carcinogen and more testing is needed.

    Other Sweeteners

    • The FDA has approved five artificial sweeteners. The four in competition with saccharin are aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose and neotame.

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