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Artifical sweeteners and safety - Sucralose, Aspartame, Stevia

Consuming artificial sweeteners like aspartame in low doses is safe. Risk comes if you start making desserts and kheer from it thereby consuming high doses.

As aspartame is commonly available, we are focusing on it.

Aspartame:

A.

The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame, established by different regulatory bodies, indicates the safe amount of aspartame that can be consumed daily without adverse effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set the ADI for aspartame at 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg/day) 

Ref https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/aspartame.html 

B.

 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has a slightly lower ADI for aspartame at 40 mg/kg/day

Ref https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aspartame

Sucralose:

The safe daily dose of sucralose varies slightly among different regulatory bodies. The European Food Safety Commission (EFSC) has set the daily ingestion level of sucralose at 15 mg/kg/d

Ref https://www.news-medical.net/health/Sucralose-Safety-and-Evidence.aspx

Stevia:

To determine the safe dose of stevia, it is recommended to consider the guidelines provided by various sources. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests an acceptable daily intake of up to 4 mg of stevia per kilogram of body weight

Ref https://www.eatingwell.com/article/290579/is-stevia-safe/

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Sweeteners approved for use in the UK include:

  • acesulfame K (E950)
  • aspartame (E951)
  • erythritol (E968)
  • saccharin (E954)
  • sorbitol (E420)
  • steviol glycosides (E960)
  • sucralose (E955)
  • xylitol (E967)

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/are-sweeteners-safe/

B. Risks

Aspartame

# 29 Jun 2023 — The artificial sweetener aspartame is set to be declared a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

https://m.economictimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/whos-cancer-research-agency-to-say-aspartame-sweetener-a-possible-carcinogen-sources/articleshow/101357809.cms

Stevia

1. “Stevia leaf extract is safer than many other sugar substitutes, especially aspartame and sucralose,” Lefferts says. 

2. The stevia used in food products is actually stevia leaf extract, explains Lisa Lefferts, M.S.P.H, senior scientist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). “Stevia leaf and crude stevia extracts are not permitted as sweeteners,” she says. Research found that high doses of whole-leaf stevia and crude extracts fed to rats reduced sperm production and rapid cell growth in their testicles, which could cause infertility or other problems, a report from CSPI says.

https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a27198164/what-is-stevia/

Compiled by :

Dr M Khalid Munir , MBBS, Cert in diabetes ( Univ of Copenhagen). Diabetes specialist, JBI Hospital, Nanal Nagar, Hyderabad. Ex consultant Kamineni wockhardt hospital, Hyderabad. For in person consultation or online video consultation, Whatsapp 9959098255

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