Are artifical sweeteners bad for you

A�� Artificial sweeteners exist in all sorts of foods from yoghurt to fizzy drinks and toothpaste. The soft drinks industry is the biggest user, but they are present in many forms, including small tablets to sweeten tea and coffee. The use of artificial sweeteners in food is regulated in the UK and there are controls on how much can be included in a product. There is an 'acceptable daily intake', but there have been concerns expressed over their safety.

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Q.� What is the main sweetener

A.� Saccharin was the first sweetener to be used and remains the most popular in the UK. It was discovered in 1879 and is 300 times sweeter than sugar. Aspartame (also known by the brand name NutraSweet) is around 180 times sweeter than sugar. It is a combination of phenylalanine and aspartic acid, two naturally occurring amino acids. Any foodstuffs containing aspartame should be labelled "contains a source of phenylalanine". Cyclamic Acid is around 30 times sweeter than sugar. It is banned in the US and was banned in Britain until EU legislation in 1996 permitted it to be used in food and drink. Acesulfame K is often used in combination with other sweeteners such as saccharin. Another groups of sweeteners - polynols - including sorbitol, is found naturally in foods, but they are also made in laboratories.

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Q.� Why are they so popular

A.� They were an instant hit as the slimming market exploded. They are widely used in diet foods, supplements, and snack foods. They also reduce the calorific content of spreads, jams, ice creams, and even alcoholic drinks. They contain virtually no calories (compared with 16 calories per teaspoon of sugar). They can also be used by diabetics to control their sugar intake. Sweeteners are also much cheaper than sugar. The Food Commission estimates it costs around six pence to sweeten a litre of soft drink with sugar, compared with two pence to use aspartame, and less than half a pence to use saccharin.

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Q.� Are they safe

A.� The EU has pushed for clearer warnings to be included on food labels and a directive stating that the words "with sweeteners" should be written next to the name of the food. The directive is now UK law but MAFF (now DEFRA) told companies there was no legal requirement for this to be prominent. The Food Commission is unhappy that while drinks labelled "no added sugar" or "light" widely use artificial sweeteners, so do regular versions of the same product, which might mislead consumers.

According to the British Nutrition Foundation, symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and mood changes, have all been attributed to aspartame but the connection is so far unsubstantiated. NutraSweet reject any allegations, pointing out that around 100 animal studies have been conducted to test the safety of aspartame.

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Q.� Can you reduce your intake of artificial sweeteners

A.� You can check how much of the food and soft drinks you consume are labelled with artificial sweeteners. Choose plain water instead of fizzy soft drinks and consider cutting out sweeteners in hot drinks.

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By Katharine MacColl