Artificial sweeteners provide the sweetness of natural sugar without the calories and produce a low glycemic response.
Artificial sweeteners are at least 30 times sweeter than sucrose, smaller amounts are needed to create the same level of sweeteners, and which are either not metabolized in the human body or do not significantly contribute to the energy content of foods and beverages.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates artificial sweeteners through the Food Additives Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, passed by Congress in 1958. This law requires the FDA to approve food additives, including artificial sweeteners, before they can be made available for sale in the United States.
These sweeteners are widely used in baked goods, carbonated beverages, powdered drink mixtures, jams, jellies and dairy products.
Artificial sweeteners used in processed foods are aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, saccharin, cyclamate, neotame, alitame, rare sugars, xylitol and D-allose.
The main reasons for using artificial sweeteners are weight lose, dental care, diabetes mellitus, reactive hypoglycemia and low cost.
Artificial sweetener
