Medical Health Encyclopedia

NONCALORIC SWEETENERS

• Aspartame is a combination of phenylalanine and aspartic acid, which are 2 amino acids. It is also known by its commercial names of Equal, which is available as a packaged sweetener, and as NutraSweet when it is used in food or beverage products. It is 180 - 220 times sweeter than sugar.
• Acesulfame K is an artificial sweetener, also known as Sunett. It is heat-stable and can be used in cooking and baking. It is also available as a tabletop sweetener, marketed under the name Sweet One. It is FDA-approved and is used in combination with other sweeteners such as saccharin in carbonated low-calorie beverages and other products.
• Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar. It is the first artificial sweetener. It is used in several dietetic food and beverage products.
• Cyclamates are 30 times sweeter than sugar. They are banned in the United States because in 1970 they were shown to have caused bladder cancer in animals.

References: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Toxicology Program (NTP) 9^th Report on Carcinogens, May 2000