{"id":8913,"date":"2014-06-09T06:00:58","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T10:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/candostreet.com\/blog-parents\/?p=8913"},"modified":"2014-05-31T06:55:31","modified_gmt":"2014-05-31T10:55:31","slug":"sugar-substitutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candostreetny.com\/blog-parents\/sugar-substitutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar Substitutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sugar<\/a>Many of us use sugar substitutes on a regular basis. Which ones are the safest?\u00a0 The following is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) release on the status of sugar substitutes.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n

Release\u2026May 19, 2014<\/i><\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s to cut down on the number of calories they consume or any of a variety of other reasons, some people use sugar substitutes \u2013 also called high-intensity sweeteners \u2013 to sweeten and add flavor to their foods. They can be used alone to sweeten foods and beverages such as iced tea or coffee, or as an ingredient in other products. There are a number of sugar substitutes on the market from which to choose.<\/p>\n

\u201cSugar substitutes are called \u2018high-intensity\u2019 because small amounts pack a large punch when it comes to sweetness,\u201d says Captain Andrew Zajac, U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), director of the Division of Petition Review at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to Zajac, unlike sweeteners such as sugar, honey, or molasses, high-intensity sweeteners add few or no calories to the foods they flavor. Also, high-intensity sweeteners generally do not raise blood sugar levels.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

The FDA has approved a new high-intensity sweetener called advantame.<\/p>\n

Advantame\u2014which does not yet have a brand name (such as Sweet\u2019N Low, a brand name for saccharin, or Equal, a brand name for aspartame)\u2014has been approved as a new food additive for use as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods, except meat and poultry.<\/p>\n

Examples of uses for which advantame has been approved include baked goods, non-alcoholic beverages (including soft drinks), chewing gum, confections and frostings, frozen desserts, gelatins and puddings, jams and jellies, processed fruits and fruit juices, toppings, and syrups.<\/p>\n

How Do You Know it’s\u00a0 Safe?<\/b><\/p>\n

FDA is required by law to review all new food additives for safety before they can go on the market. The process begins when a company submits a food additive petition to FDA seeking approval. One exception is for substances “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, because those substances are generally recognized by qualified experts as safe under the conditions of intended use and are exempt from the food additive approval process.<\/p>\n

Zajac explains that the agency\u2019s scientists thoroughly review all the scientific evidence submitted by a company to ensure the product is safe for the intended use.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn determining the safety of advantame, FDA reviewed data from 37 animal and human studies designed to identify possible toxic (harmful) effects, including effects on the immune, reproductive and developmental, and nervous systems,\u201d Zajac says.<\/p>\n

Advantame is chemically related to aspartame, and certain individuals should avoid or restrict the use of aspartame. To that end, FDA evaluated whether the same individuals should avoid or restrict advantame, as well.<\/p>\n

People who have phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder, have a difficult time metabolizing phenylalanine, a component of both aspartame and advantame. Newborns are tested for PKU using a common \u201cheel-prick\u201d test before they leave the hospital.<\/p>\n

Foods containing aspartame must bear an information statement for people with PKU alerting them about the presence of phenylalanine. But advantame is much sweeter than aspartame, so only a very small amount needs to be used to reach the same level of sweetness. As a result, foods containing advantame do not need to bear that statement.<\/p>\n

Five Sugar Substitutes Already on the Market:<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

The last high-intensity sweetener approved by FDA was Neotame (brand name Newtame) in 2002. The other four on the market, and are:<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n