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sweeteners Alternative Names
sugar, sugar substitutes, artificial sweeteners
Definition
There are two kinds of sweeteners; nutritive and non-nutritive. Nutritive sweeteners supply calories and energy to the body. Nutritive sweeteners, like sugar, have 4 calories per gram. Non-nutritive sweeteners do not provide energy to the body. They have no calories. They are called sugar substitutes. Aspartame is a sugar substitute. Most do not breakdown in the body like sugar does. They simply leave the body in the urine.
What food source is the nutrient found in?
Some sweeteners are found naturally in fruits, and in vegetables such as sugar beets. Others are artificially manufactured.
How does the nutrient affect the body?
Nutritive sweeteners include sugar and sugar alcohols. Nutritive sweeteners make foods taste sweet. They also enhance moisture, tenderness, and the "mouth feel" of food, especially baked goods. These sweeteners can preserve some foods, which improves flavor and freshness.
Non-nutritive sweeteners provide sweetness without calories. Most non-nutritive sweeteners do not improve the moisture or tenderness of baked goods.
Information
All nutritive sweeteners, except sugars found in alcohol, provide 4 calories per gram, or 16 calories per teaspoon. Compared with fat, which has 9 calories per gram, sugars, like other carbohydrates, are lower in calories. The problem comes when people eat too many sugary foods. The average American eats 20 teaspoons of sugar per day. Sugar is added to many foods to improve flavor. People often are not aware they are eating so much sugar. Government guidlines recommend eating sugar and sugary foods only occasionally. Fatty foods and sweets appear at the top and smallest part of the Food Guide Pyramid.
Nutritive sweeteners include: - all types of sugar. These include brown, powdered, granulated, and raw. These sugars come from sucrose made from sugar cane or sugar beets.
- corn sweeteners made from corn. These provide 60 percent of average sugar consumption. High-fructose corn syrup is a major ingredient in sweetened foods including sodas and juice drinks.
- dextrose, or glucose combined with water
- fructose, which is found naturally in fruits, now sold in granulated form
- honey made by bees, which is a mixture of fructose, glucose and water
- maple sugar, a natural sugar from trees
- molasses, a sweet syrup from the residue of making sugar cane into sugar
- sugar alcohols including sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol. These sweeteners are used in candy, chewing gum, and in some baked goods. Sugar alcohols have about half the calories of other nutritive sweeteners. They are called sugar alcohols because of their chemical structure. They do not contain alcohol. They are not included on the food label under grams of sugar but they are included in the ingredient list. Unlike sugar, they are not cavity producing. Sugar alcohols don't break down completely in the body, so they do not affect blood sugar.
The FDA has approved four non-nutritive sweeteners. The four non-nutritive sweeteners are:
Saccharin, which was developed in 1879. It is made from a substance that occurs naturally in grapes, and is 300 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharin is the sweetener used in Sweet 'N Low and Sugar Twin. It is also used in fountain sodas combined with aspartame. The FDA proposed a ban on saccharin in 1977, when it was found that it could cause cancer in laboratory animals. But this was only if taken in very large amounts. The FDA decided that the amount consumed would be very difficult for someone to actually consume on a daily basis. They withdrew the ban in 1991 but products made with saccharin must have warning labels. The label reads: "Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."
Acesulfame-K (Ace-K), which is 200 times sweeter than sugar. The "K" stands for potassium. This sweetener does not breakdown when heated, so it can be used in cooking and baking. It does not provide bulk like sugar does so it may not work in some recipes. The brand name of the tabletop sweetener is Sweet One or Sunette. The FDA approved Ace-K in 1988.
Aspartame, is made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is the most popular sugar substitute. It is used in more than 150 different types of products. Aspartame is available as a packaged sweetener called Equal or is added to foods under the name NutraSweet. The FDA approved aspartame in 1981. All foods or drinks that contain aspartame must have a warning that states that the product contains phenylalanine. This is for people that have a rare genetic order called phenylketonuria, or PKU. All babies are tested for this shortly after birth. People with PKU cannot properly breakdown phenylalanine in the body, which can be toxic. People with PKU must be careful about products containing Aspartame.
Sucralose, is the newest non-nutritive sweetener. Sucralose is made from table sugar but it cannot be digested, so it adds no calories. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is approved for use in desserts, candies, and non-alcoholic beverages. It does not breakdown when heated, so it can be used in cooking and baking. It is marketed under the trade name Splenda. The FDA approved Sucralose in 1998.
More sugar substitutes are being developed and reviewed. Sugar substitutes must go through safety evaluations before the substitutes are put on the market. The FDA approves and constantly re-evaluates them. It can take up to as many as 10 years for a sweetener to go through intensive reviews.
Non-nutritive or artificial sweeteners can be part of a healthy diet. They allow people to enjoy the sweet taste of foods without the extra calories. They can help with weight control but they won't solve the problem. Successful weight control includes making positive lifestyle changes balanced with physical activity. They also allow diabetics to satisfy sweet cravings without effecting blood sugar levels like sugar would. Sugar can also be a part of a healthy diet if consumed in moderation. People should check food labels and ingredient lists to look for sweeteners in foods.
Author: Clare Armstrong, MS, RD
Reviewer: Kimberly A. Tessmer, RD, LD
Last Updated: 05/19/00
Contributors
Potential conflict of interest information for reviewers available on request |
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