Are Sweet n Low and other artificial sweeteners worth the risk?

Health risks of Sweet-n-low as well as other artificial sweeteners has many diabetics and others, such as those suffering from obesity, trying to avoid sugar in their diet. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it as safe, but does that really mean there are no health risks?

Sweet-n-low contains an artificial sweetener known as saccharin. Saccharin is the best known and oldest type of artificial sweetener and is 300 times sweeter than sugar. For the past few decades the Food and Drug Administration required that anything containing saccharin carry a warning label stating that it could cause cancer. This label was required beginning in the 1970’s when a study was done that found saccharin caused bladder cancer in rats. However since then numerous other studies have been performed between 1970 and 2000 and it was found that saccharin does not cause cancer in humans. So in 2000 the warning label was removed from products containing saccharin.

Only a few studies have found a link between saccharin and cancer. But these found that there must be high consumption of saccharin, between six and seven servings per day, and even then it only increases the risk of cancer by a very small amount.

Aspartame, known by the brand names Equal and Nutra-sweet, is another commonly used artificial sweetener found in most diet drinks. Aspartame has been blamed for a variety of health problems, but so far the only documented health risk is for people suffering from advanced liver disease.

Sucralose (Spenda) is another sweetener that is actually made from sugar. It's made by processing table sugar with the chemical chlorine. It has been on the U.S. market since being approved by the FDA on April 1998 and relatively few studies have been made regarding its safety. Some problems related to its use have been reported such as stomach pain, gas and other unpleasant side effects. However, no statements were ever made concerning it's safety. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that sucralose is the safest artificial sweetener but that is open for obvious debate.

Artificial sweeteners are considered an acceptable and safe alternative to sugar for people with low-sugar diet needs. However, just because an artificial sweetener is deemed safe does not mean it is necessarily good for your health.

Always avoid sweets whenever you can. If you feel compelled to eat sweets do so in moderation. Of course always strive to live a good lifestyle (no smoking and drinking) along with regular exercise to maintain good health.