All sugar substitutes are not
created equal. Here are a few facts about the most widely known
sweeteners.
Equal (Aspartame) was discovered in 1965 and first approved by
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981. It is the
only FDA approved nutritive sweetener, meaning it adds caloric
value to a meal. It loses its sweetness when heated and
therefore is not used in baked goods. It is a mixture of
aspartic acid and phenylalanine) that is 200 times sweeter than
sugar.
Newtame - (Neotame) It was approved by the FDA during 2002 and
is 7,000 to 13,000 times as sweet as table sugar.
Splenda (Sucralose) was discovered in 1976 and first approved by
the FDA IN 1998. It is molecularly bonded sucrose molecules with
chlorine and is 600 times as sweet as sugar by gram. It is
chemically modified to have zero calories. It keeps its
sweetness when heated and therefore is used in baked goods.
Sweet’N Low (saccharin) was discovered in 1879. It was removed
from the FDA’s caution list in 2000. It is made from benzoic
sulfimide, a coal tar derivative that is approximately 300 times
sweeter than sugar and also contains dextrose and cream of
tartar. It contains 4 calories per packet, but the body cannot
metabolize it, so it adds no caloric or nutritional value to a
meal. Cyclamate was the original ingredient in Sweet’N Low. It
is a chemical 30 to 50 times sweeter than sugar. By 1963,
cyclamate was America’s favorite artificial sweetener, then the
sweetener was proven to cause bladder cancer in rats, resulting
in an immediate ban by the FDA that is still in effect. In
response, Sweet’N Low swiftly became a saccharin-based product.
Stevia is a sweetener and sugar substitute marketed most
familiarly as PureVia and Truvia, extracted from the leaves of
the plant species Stevia rebaudiana. The active compounds of
Stevia are steviol glycosides, which have up to 150 times the
sweetness of sugar. It is heat-stable, pH-stable, and not
fermentable. The legal status of Stevia as a food additive or
dietary supplement varies from country to country. In the United
States, high-purity stevia glycoside extracts are generally
recognized as safe and allowed as ingredients in food products,
but stevia leaf and crude extracts do not have FDA approval for
use in food. The European Union approved Stevia additives in
2011, and in Japan, Stevia has been widely used as a sweetener
for decades.
Sweet One - (Sunett) was discovered during 1967 and approved in
1988. It contains Dextrose, Acesulfame-K, Cream of Tartar,
Calcium Silicate (an anti-caking agent), and natural flavors and
is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is soluble in hot and cold
beverages and remains stable when heated, so it can also be used
in cooking and baking. It adds no caloric or nutritional value
to a meal.
According to the FDA, high-intensity sweeteners add few or no
calories to the foods they flavor and they generally do not
raise blood sugar levels.
The FDA during 2014 approved a new high-intensity sweetener
called advantame, which does not yet have a brand name. It has
been approved as a new food additive for use as a sweetener and
flavor enhancer in foods, except meat and poultry.
Incidentally, notice how many months/years it takes for FDA
to approve.