How healthy are artificial sweeteners

With the entry of big players in the Indian food market, The Indian people also have access to wide range of healthy products. There are many sweeteners and low-calorie products made with artificial sweeteners available for diabetics and weight watchers (Hindustan Times).

According to a recent study conducted by Department of Food and Nutrition, Lady Irwin College discovered that Indian food market is flooded with beverage like like Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, Catch Clear, soft drink concentrate like D-Lite, chewing gums like Sugar Free Orbit and candies like Ricola candies.

Confectionary and sweets shops also seem to be preparing the sweets, cakes and ice creams with the sugar free sweets by adding artificial sweeteners.

The study also looked at the consumption pattern of these products among Diabetics, Overweight individuals and college girls. Aspartame was found to be the most popular sweetener among the three groups of people.

However, most consumers were using these products without knowing which sweetener they are consuming. It is important for the consumer to know that these sweeteners can also be harmful if consumed in excess.

But how does one know how much is safe? According to the investigator, the first step is to know what you are eating. A simple way to know your intake is by reading the label of tabletop sweeteners carefully and noting down which chemical is present in it as a sweetener.

The study revealed that young girls who were neither overweight nor diabetic were consuming these products with an effort to cut down their calorie intake.

In fact their mean daily intake of aspartame was higher than the diabetics and overweight individuals surveyed. All three groups were however consuming these sweeteners within the safe limits of intake.

With use of food additives like artificial sweeteners, safety becomes a prime concern. Toxicity studies for sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame are still under a cloud of controversy with some scientists claiming that even if these sweeteners are consumed at levels below the ADI, they can produce toxic effects as severe as bladder cancer by saccharin and leukemia by aspartame.

So what should the consumer do while scientists make up their mind about the safety of these sweeteners?

The best bet is to consume them in moderate amounts keeping your intake well below the ADI. Also remember that in order to keep fit and healthy, you need to do a lot more than just cut sugar from your diet. Only a diet well balanced with all nutrients and an active exercise regimen can help you keep trim and looking good.

And for diabetics it is good to develop taste for products without sweetness. Then only will they be able to resist the urge to consume sweetened products in the long run.