| A sugar substitute, or artificial sweetener, is a food | | | | researches show that they are not harmful if they are |
| additive which duplicates the effect of sugar or corn | | | | consumed in the recommended doses. In fact, only in |
| syrup in taste, but offers less food energy (calories). | | | | the U.S. between 2000 and 2005, a total of 3,920 |
| The latest dietary habits have introduced certain | | | | products containing artificial sweeteners were |
| sweet, non-caloric substances, whose use has spread | | | | launched. But the problem began in the 60's when in |
| in the last few years. These sugar substitutes are | | | | certain experiments with rats the excessive dose that |
| considered as ideal by many people in order to control | | | | was issued to them daily generated neoplastic disease |
| diverse metabolic disorders originated or aggravated | | | | in their bladder of some of the second-generation rats. |
| by the ingestion of sugar, such as diabetes, obesity | | | | Even though this was an experiment and the dose |
| and arteriosclerosis. Moreover, the advantages of | | | | issues to the rats was completely disproportionate, it |
| these substances are enormous, since they can | | | | was 10,000 times higher than the dose an average |
| replace sugar and quick re-absorption polysaccharides, | | | | person would take in a year's time, the scientific |
| making food more tempting without the extra calories | | | | community and many of the sugar substitute |
| of sugar. | | | | consumers have been alarmed. |
| The reason why the food and beverage industry is | | | | But regardless of the ongoing controversy over the |
| increasingly replacing sugar, or corn syrup, with artificial | | | | supposed health risks of artificial sweeteners, doctors |
| sweeteners in a range of products traditionally | | | | support that "nothing is completely harmless to people, |
| containing sugar, is actually rather simple. Although the | | | | but everything depends on the quantity and the |
| profit margins on artificial sweeteners are extremely | | | | sensitivity of the subject, as well as on the time period |
| low for manufacturers, they still cost the food industry | | | | of the dose." Thus, consumers should be informed that |
| just a fraction of the cost of sugar and corn | | | | in the sugar market, an extremely powerful industry |
| syrup-which once was introduced by the industry as a | | | | around the globe, economic interests are at play. Even |
| low-cost alternative to sugar. In the UK, for example, it | | | | if the results of the scientific studies are real or false, |
| is now almost impossible to find any non-cola soft | | | | sweet food producers are always after their |
| drinks in supermarkets which are not sweetened with | | | | substitute competitors and as statistics have shown a |
| artificial sweeteners, and a variety of side foods, like | | | | number of health issues caused by tobacco, alcohol or |
| ketchups, mustards and mayonnaise are artificially | | | | sugar consumption, were attributed to market |
| sweetened. | | | | competition. Similar was the reason why the |
| Although as early as 1969, many stories have been | | | | introduction of Aspartame in the U.S. was delayed for |
| heard in relation to the dangers associated with sugar | | | | several years even though this sugar substitute is |
| substitutes for the human health-particularly | | | | completely innocuous, since it consists of only two |
| carcinogenic reactions-their continued use and different | | | | strictly natural amino acids. |