Sweet nothings not all sweeteners are equal

The artificial sweetener business must be a pretty good place to be these days. Thanks to the obesity epidemic, a growing number of people are trying to cut calories. That means more "diet" this and "no-sugar-added" that. And the low-carb craze has left food manufacturers scrambling to be the first on their block to take the sugar out of everything from chocolate to ketchup to Bloody Mary mix.

The result? We're eating more low-calorie sweeteners than ever before.

Yet not all sugar substitutes are Equal, so to speak.

* Sucralose and neotame are safe.

* Sugar alcohols and tagatose, while safe, may give you the runs if you eat too much.

* Aspartame probably is safe.

* Acesulfame and stevia may or may not be safe; there's not enough good research to tell.

* Saccharin isn't safe (though the risk is small).

If you drink diet soda or chew gum (sugarless or regular), you'll have a hard time avoiding aspartame and acesulfame. And if you're a fan of "light" yogurt, you'll be getting either aspartame or sucralose.

That's because manufacturers choose sugar substitutes depending on the food. Some are used in baked goods because they withstand heat better. Some are used in yogurt because they can survive in an acidic environment. Some lose their sweetness in the syrup used to make fountain sodas, but are fine for bottled or canned soft drinks.

Just keep in mind that even an unsafe sweetener like saccharin poses only a tiny risk to any given person. The potential problems arise when tens of millions of people consume the sweetener for years. That's why the government should require better studies on some sweeteners and should ban others.

And remember: real sugar is hardly a toxic chemical. The problem is the large amounts that Americans eat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suggested a limit of ten teaspoons of added sugars per day for people who eat a 2,000-calorie diet. That's 40 grams, about as much as you'd get from one 12-ounce soft drink or two six-ounce fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts.

Here's a scorecard showing which artificial sweeteners are safe ... and which are questionable. With that in hand, you can check our "Sweet vs. Sweet" chart (p. 11) to see which sweeteners are in which foods.

Safe

Sucralose

Also known as: Splenda.

What is it? Sugar (sucrose) chemically combined with chlorine. Its "made from sugar" label slogan is technically true, but misleading.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't burn sucralose for energy.

Safety: Sucralose passed all safety tests in animal studies.

Comments: There is no reason to suspect that sucralose causes any harm.

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Neotame

What is it? A synthetic derivative of a combination of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, the same two amino acids that are used to make aspartame. The bond between the amino acids is harder to break down than aspartame's, so neotame is more stable.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't metabolize neotame, and only tiny amounts are needed to sweeten foods.

Safety: Unlike aspartame, neotame isn't broken down in the body into the amino acid phenylalanine, which is toxic to people with the rare disorder phenyl-ketonuria (PKU). Animal and human studies have raised no safety concerns.

Comments: Neotame is so new that it hasn't yet appeared in any foods. It's always possible that once millions of consumers start eating neotame, some people may turn out to be sensitive to it.

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Safe, but large amounts can cause diarrhea

Sugar Alcohols

Also known as: sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, isomalt, erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.

What are they? Sugar alcohols aren't sugar and won't make you tipsy. They're made by adding hydrogen atoms to sugars. For example, adding hydrogen to glucose makes sorbitol.

Why they're low-calorie: Some sugar alcohols are absorbed better than others. Erythritol, which is largely unabsorbed, has virtually no calories, while maltitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are absorbed enough to provide three-quarters the calories of sugar.

Safety: Too much sugar alcohol traveling unabsorbed through the intestinal tract can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Unfortunately, the FDA only requires a "laxative effect" warning notice on labels if consumers could ingest 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams of mannitol from the food in a day. But just 10 grams of sorbitol, for example, can cause GI distress. (If sugar alcohols have made you sick, send a letter to CSPI--JE, Suite 300, 1875 Conn. Ave. N.W., Washington DC 20009. We'll forward it to the FDA.)

Comments: Sugar alcohols don't raise blood sugar as rapidly as sugar does, yet they're as bulky as sugar. So they can be used tablespoon-for-tablespoon to replace the sugar that's been removed from lower-carb foods. But while they may have a minimal impact on your blood sugar, they may have more than a minimal impact on your waistline and hips.