Artificial Sweeteners

Diet soda may indeed be associated with weight gain, as a new study suggests, but the fault may lie in your head, not necessarily your metabolism. In a study that has sparked headlines along the lines of “Diet soda makes you fat,” researchers found that people who drank diet soda for nearly a decade gained more stomach pudge than diet-drink abstainers. The study wasn’t huge or broad, assessing only 474 elderly participants from the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Diet soda may indeed be associated with weight gain, as a new study suggests, but the fault may lie in your head, not necessarily your metabolism. In a study that has sparked headlines along the lines of “Diet soda makes you fat,” researchers found that people who drank diet soda for nearly a decade gained more stomach pudge than diet-drink abstainers. The study wasn’t huge or broad, assessing only 474 elderly participants from the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a new calorie-free artificial sweetener and for the first time in a decade will allow a sugar-substitute to be sold without a health warning label. The approval came over the objection of a Washington consumer interest group that had charged that the new sweetener, acesulfame potassium, may have been responsible for tumors that developed in laboratory rats. The group urged that more tests be conducted.

Think saccharin is unsafe? You may want to think again. Saccharin was first identified as a hazardous, potentially cancer-causing chemical by the Food and Drug Administration in the 1970s. But since that time it has slowly been exonerated by state and federal agencies. The FDA changed its position on the chemical in 2001, reclassifying it as OK for consumption, as did the state of California. Now the EPA has announced removal of the sweetener from its list of hazardous chemicals too. Saccharin is one of the best studied artificial sweeteners — after all, it's been around the longest.

After 40 years, science has yet to resolve one of America's biggest dietary dilemmas -- finding an alternative to sugar. It's not for lack of trying or lack of a market. Some 30% of Americans are obese, a national weight problem expected to fuel an increased demand for substitute sweeteners that began when the first diet products appeared in the 1960s. The U.S.

With a nod of approval this month from the Food and Drug Administration, the latest sugar substitute--neotame--is poised to become a new ingredient in baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, frozen desserts and other products. Already approved in Australia and New Zealand, neotame joins the sweeteners aspartame (sold as NutraSweet and Equal), acesulfame potassium (Sunett and Sweet One), saccharin (Sweet'N Low) and sucralose (Splenda) now on the market.

There are so many things you're not supposed to eat or drink when you're pregnant -- sushi, Caesar salad, blue cheese, lox, coffee and, of course, alcohol. Now researchers have added a new item to that list -- diet soda. It seems that regular consumption of carbonated beverages made with artificial sweeteners significantly increases the risk of preterm delivery (defined as giving birth after fewer than 37 weeks of pregnancy). Women who drank at least one diet soda per day were 38% more likely to have their baby early compared to women who abstained.

Think saccharin is unsafe? You may want to think again. Saccharin was first identified as a hazardous, potentially cancer-causing chemical by the Food and Drug Administration in the 1970s. But since that time it has slowly been exonerated by state and federal agencies. The FDA changed its position on the chemical in 2001, reclassifying it as OK for consumption, as did the state of California. Now the EPA has announced removal of the sweetener from its list of hazardous chemicals too. Saccharin is one of the best studied artificial sweeteners — after all, it's been around the longest.

Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the calorie-free artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat. Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the latest report, said the study offered a possible explanation for the unexpected association between obesity and diet soda found in recent human studies.

As the palette of artificial sweeteners has grown and manufacturers have honed the skill with which they blend them to mimic sugar taste, debate has swirled around whether these sensory stand-ins really help people consume fewer calories and avoid weight gain. New research adds another dimension to the uncertainty: It suggests that even when artificial sweeteners fool the taste buds, they still don't fool the ultimate arbiter of our appetites -- our subconscious brains. The latest evidence for this comes from a brain scanning study performed in the Netherlands.

There are so many things you're not supposed to eat or drink when you're pregnant -- sushi, Caesar salad, blue cheese, lox, coffee and, of course, alcohol. Now researchers have added a new item to that list -- diet soda. It seems that regular consumption of carbonated beverages made with artificial sweeteners significantly increases the risk of preterm delivery (defined as giving birth after fewer than 37 weeks of pregnancy). Women who drank at least one diet soda per day were 38% more likely to have their baby early compared to women who abstained.

As the palette of artificial sweeteners has grown and manufacturers have honed the skill with which they blend them to mimic sugar taste, debate has swirled around whether these sensory stand-ins really help people consume fewer calories and avoid weight gain. New research adds another dimension to the uncertainty: It suggests that even when artificial sweeteners fool the taste buds, they still don't fool the ultimate arbiter of our appetites -- our subconscious brains. The latest evidence for this comes from a brain scanning study performed in the Netherlands.

Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the calorie-free artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat. Lyn M.

Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the calorie-free artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat. Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the latest report, said the study offered a possible explanation for the unexpected association between obesity and diet soda found in recent human studies.

What is it about artificial sweeteners? As never before, they pervade the American diet -- in pink, yellow and blue packets on diner counters, in sugar-free cookies and diet juices, in sodas and smoothies and low-calorie yogurt and boxes of powder for baking. And, as ever, many Americans view them with suspicion. Every few years, a study links one to cancer. People get scared. Follow-up research finds nothing to worry about. Decades may pass, but sooner or later another scary study comes along.

Placido Osuna points to a crudely stitched scar on his belly and thanks God for the little green herb that his sons encouraged him to grow instead of tobacco and cotton. "Stevia saved my life," says the 68-year-old farmer, dressed in flip-flops and an open shirt, with a machete tucked into his belt.

Scientists say they may have located the so-called sweet tooth gene, a finding that could lead to new artificial sweeteners. In two separate studies, scientists pinpointed a gene in mice they believe is responsible for tasting sweetness and were able to locate the equivalent human gene. The report was published in the journal Nature Genetics.

What is it about artificial sweeteners? As never before, they pervade the American diet -- in pink, yellow and blue packets on diner counters, in sugar-free cookies and diet juices, in sodas and smoothies and low-calorie yogurt and boxes of powder for baking. And, as ever, many Americans view them with suspicion. Every few years, a study links one to cancer. People get scared. Follow-up research finds nothing to worry about. Decades may pass, but sooner or later another scary study comes along.

The maker of Splenda settled a lawsuit over its disputed advertising slogan -- "Made from sugar so it tastes like sugar" -- after a jury reached a verdict against the market-leading artificial sweetener. Terms weren't disclosed. Merisant Co., which makes rival Equal, had accused the maker of Splenda of confusing consumers into thinking its product was more healthful and natural than other artificial sweeteners.

Midway through the afternoon, when the belly yearns for snacks, three NutraSweet executives are going wild: cola, orange drink, citrus punch, chocolate milk, more cola, pound cake and crispy squares of coconut pie -- all test-kitchen concoctions made with artificial sweeteners. They consume two servings of everything. In quick succession. They wax exuberant about one of the pound cakes -- moist, crumbly and nicely browned.