1.
Fun Fact
Low-Calorie Sweeteners
What is Saccharin?
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners like saccharin are a tool to help reduce
the calories we consume from sugar. Saccharin is sweet, like sugar.
Unlike sugar, saccharin is not broken down during digestion, passing
through our bodies unchanged. This means that saccharin provides
sweet taste without calories.
Saccharin is the primary sweetener in brand names like Necta Sweet®, Sugar
Twin® and Sweet'N Low®.
What’s in a Name?
How many Calories?
Saccharin has no calories.
Some sweeteners are “low-calorie” contributing negligible
amounts of calories. Some are “no-calorie” contributing zero
calories.
While saccharin provides zero calories, packets or products
containing saccharin can have calories. Sometimes ingredients
with calories are added for flavor or texture. When this occurs,
the amount of these ingredients added per serving is so small
that their calorie contribution is low.
Is it Safe?
Yes, saccharin is safe to consume.
Saccharin is one of 8 low- and no-calorie sweeteners permitted by
the FDA for use in the US food supply. Each of the 8 have
been rigorously tested and reviewed.
Who says it’s safe? Leading global health authorities such
as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),
FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives
(JECFA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and
Health Canada.
Saccharin has been used to sweeten foods and
beverages since 1900 and has received interim
approval from FDA since 1970.
http://bit.ly/FoodInsightSaccharin
A little goes a long way. Because saccharin is
200-700 times
sweeter than sugar, only a tiny amount is needed to replace
sugar while keeping the same level of sweetness.
Sugar Saccharin
Sweet as Sugar?
1
EFSA
FAO/WHO
FDA
FSANZ
Health Canada
200-700
foodinsight.org
@FoodInsight
@FoodInsight &
@FACTSFollowers
Sources:
FDA:
http://bit.ly/FDAsaccharin
IARC:
http://bit.ly/IARCsaccharin
IFIC Foundation:
http://bit.ly/FoodInsightSaccharin
Saccharin was originally discovered in the 1870’s, making it the
oldest low- or no-calorie sweetener approved for use. Ira Remsen
and Constantine Fahlberg, researchers at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, Maryland, discovered saccharin’s sweet taste while
working on coal tar derivatives.