Artificial Sweetener: WHO Panel Says No Need to Cut Daily Intake

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What are Low-Calorie/Artificial Sweeteners?
• Common Low-Calorie/Artificial Sweeteners
• How Your Body Reacts to an Artificial Sweetener?
• Benefits of Artificial Sweeteners
• Disadvantages/Side Effects of Artificial Sweeteners
• News Summary

 

Why in News?

• A World Health Organization’s (WHO) committee categorised artificial sweetener aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.
• However, another committee simultaneously assessing the levels that can be safely consumed has said there is no need to reduce the previously established acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the sweetener.

 

What are Low-Calorie/Artificial Sweeteners?

• Low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) o than sweeteners with calories—like table sugar, fruit juice concentrates, and corn syrups.
• Other names for LCS are non-nutritive sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, sugar substitutes, and high-intensity sweeteners.
• LCS sometimes carry the label “sugar-free” or “diet”. Some LCS can be used as general purpose sweeteners.
• LCS are found in many beverages and foods like frozen desserts, yogurt, candies, baked food items, chewing gum, breakfast cereals, gelatins, and puddings.

 

Common Low-Calorie/Artificial Sweeteners

 

Image Caption: Common Low-Calorie/Artificial Sweeteners

 

How Your Body Reacts to an Artificial Sweetener?

• When you eat regular sugar, your blood transports the sugar to your cells, where it’s either turned into energy or put into storage for later use.
  • Sugar can be stored as glycogen (the body’s storage form of sugar) or turned into fatty acids and deposited into fat cells.
• On the other hand, most artificial sweeteners are man-made chemicals that the human body wasn’t designed to process.
• That said, our bodies are unable to absorb some artificial sweeteners.
• For example, sugar alcohols like xylitol or sorbitol don’t get absorbed. They sit in the GI tract, where they can cause gas, bloating or diarrhoea.
• If the artificial sweetener is absorbed, the body recognizes it as a foreign substance or toxin.
• Instead of going to different cells in our body, artificial sweeteners travel straight to our liver.
• The liver then has to get rid of them, similar to how your liver responds to drinking alcohol.

 

Benefits of Artificial Sweeteners

• Sweetness without sugar –
  • One of the main selling points of artificial sweeteners is the ability to add sweetness to foods without adding any actual sugar.
• Calorie control –
  • Sugar substitutes have significantly less calories than real sugar.
  • Most of them don't truly contain zero calories, but they contain such a negligible amount that manufacturers can write "No Calories" on the label.
• Used in weight-loss diet –
  • Prior to beginning a weight-loss diet, a person may be accustomed to eating sugary beverages and foods.
  • Consuming artificial sweeteners can provide a “bridge” for a person who’s changing their eating habits.
  • It allows them to slowly wean off of real sugar and eventually cut out sweetened foods and beverages.
• Diabetics/Pre-diabetics –
  • Artificial sweeteners don’ affect blood sugar the same way that real sugar does, making it useful for people managing diabetes or pre-diabetes.

 

Disadvantages/Side Effects of Artificial Sweeteners

• Possible link to diseases –
  • Articles published in Nature in 2014 reported that LCS ingestion in mice for 11 weeks led to the development of glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiome.
  • Saccharin fed mice (in high fat fed) developed marked glucose intolerance as compared to the control group.
  • This intolerance was abolished by antibiotic treatment and even transferable by faecal transplantation, thereby confirming saccharin's role in rendering the microbiome unhealthy.
  • This has raised alarms whether LCS use in humans can exacerbate metabolic disorders due to dysbiosis and raise the risk for progression to diabetes and obesity.
• May lead to more sugar cravings –
  • Because artificial sweeteners aren’t real sugar, they may not satisfy your sugar cravings.
  • This can lead to overeating to satisfy these cravings.

 

News Summary

• In May 2023, a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) had recommended against using artificial sweeteners to achieve weight loss and prevent lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.
• However, another committee simultaneously assessing the levels that can be safely consumed has said there is no need to reduce the previously established acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the sweetener.
• As per the second committee’s analysis, consuming a couple of aspartame tablets in coffee and tea is unlikely to be harmful.

 

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Q1) What is sugar and why is it bad for health?

Sugars are a type of simple carbohydrate that occur naturally in some foods and drinks. They are also an additive in certain foods and drinks. Consuming too much sugar can lead to health problems, such as increasing the risk of weight gain, diabetes, tooth cavities, and more.

 

Q2) What is the relationship between starch and carbohydrates?

Starch is a carbohydrate and a natural component of most plants, including fruits, vegetables, and grains. Starchy foods are an essential part of a balanced diet, as they provide energy, fiber, and a sense of fullness. The body breaks down starch molecules into glucose, which is the body's primary fuel source.

 

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Source: Artificial sweetener: WHO panel says no need to cut daily intake