Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Health & Beauty Artificial Sweetners Artificial Sweetners Humans have always craved sweet foods. Nutritive sweeteners such as honey and sugar have been enjoyed since the beginning of time, and people were so active in the past that the caloric content of these products was a necessary addition to their diets. With the 20th Century came an era of sedentary lifestyles and convenience foods in the United States and throughout the civilized world, causing increased incidences of obesity and various chronic diseases. These changes in our world created new markets for dieting programs and calorie-free sugar substitutes. The FDA has approved certain nonnutritive sweeteners for use as food additives, such as saccharine, aspartame and sucralose. Each have faced controversy, but these are now the most widely used sweeteners available. Saccharine, the worlds oldest alternative sweetener, was discovered in 1897 by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Its use was very limited until World War II, when sugar rationing created a need for an inexpensive sugar substitute. Saccharine gained popularity in the 1960’s as dieting became more popular, but was removed from the market in 1977 due to a study which linked it to bladder cancer in rats. Since then it has been rigorously tested, and in over 30 human studies it has never been directly linked to cancer in humans. It is not metabolized in our bodies and therefore does not react with our DNA, and has been proven safe for general human consumption. Saccharine, which is found in Sweet & Low, is 500 times sweeter than sucrose, and is used regularly in candies, jams, baked goods, canned fruits, salad dressings, and even in cosmetics and vitamins. Aspartame was discovered by a scientist at G.D. Searle & Company in 1965. Mr. James Schlatter was researching amino acids in hopes to find a treatment for ulcers, when he licked his finger to lift a sheet of paper and noticed the sweet taste. Aspartame, which is made up of protein components, is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, and began being used as a food additive in 1981. It quickly became controversial, as over 7000 complaints were filed against the sweetener, claiming that it was causing headaches and seizures. It has since been tested in over 100 studies using animals and humans, including a double-blind study which proved that it was in fact not the cause of these adverse reactions. Subsequent studies of long-term use of this product have shown it to be safe for human consumption. Aspartame is the sweetening agent in Equal, and is currently used in diet sodas, yogurt, fruit spreads, candies and cereals. Sucralose, a relatively new sweetener, is a derivative of refined sugar. It was discovered at Tate & Lyle, a British sugar company, by a tester who accidentally thought he was a “taster”. He sampled the chlorinated sugar, which is 600 times sweeter than sucrose, and really liked it. Over 110 studies have been done in animals and humans to test the safety of this sweetener, and it has shown no negative side effects. In 1998, sucralose was approved for general use as a tabletop sweetener as well as for use in products such as carbonated beverages, puddings, baked goods, syrups and chewing gum. It’s been a long road for alternative sweeteners, with continuous testing and criticism about their safety. Ultimately our society has benefited from the discovery and use of these low calorie sugar substitutes. Diabetics can now enjoy the tastes they crave without the adverse effects that excessive sugar can cause. Dieters can drink sugar-free sodas and eat certain sweets without worrying about their caloric contents. Although studies have proven that saccharine, aspartame and sucralose are all safe for human consumption, any possible slight risks of cancers and headaches would be offset by the far greater risk of obesity, cardio vascular disease and diabetes that can be attributed to the over consumption of convenience foods made with large amounts of sugar. Bibliography: Word Count: 669
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