Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, are substances that are used instead of sucrose (table sugar) to sweeten foods and beverages. Because artificial sweeteners are many times sweeter than table sugar, much smaller amounts (200 to 20,000 times less) are needed to create the same level of sweetness.

Artificial sweeteners are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Approved artificial sweeteners include:

 Aspartame, distributed under several trade names (e.g., NutraSweet® and Equal®),

 Sucralose, marketed under the trade name Splenda®

 Acesulfame potassium (also known as ACK, Sweet One®, and Sunett®)

 Neotame, which is similar to aspartame

 Advantame, which is also similar to aspartame Questions about artificial sweeteners and cancer arose when early studies showed that cyclamate in combination with saccharin caused bladder cancer in laboratory animals. However, results from subsequent carcinogenicity studies (studies that examine whether a substance can cause cancer) of these sweeteners have not provided clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans. Similarly, studies of other FDA-approved sweeteners have not demonstrated clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans.13