Why sweeteners are safe
Saccharin
The history of Saccharin goes back for over a hundred years. It is probably one of the most thoroughly investigated food additives.
In 1977 an animal study in Canada cast doubt on the safety of Saccharin. Following the consumption of Sodium Saccharin, male rats developed bladder tumours. However, the dose that was fed to the rats was extremely high. Applying these figures to humans, it is the equivalent of 750 bottles of soft drinks containing sweetener, or 10,000 sweetener tablets per day.
All scientific investigations carried out since then have shown that this occurs only in male rats that have been fed extremely high doses of Sodium Saccharin. It has nevertheless been confirmed that at normal consumption levels, Saccharin is safe for humans.
More than 20 studies on human subjects, including the largest study on bladder cancer ever carried out in the USA, found no causal link between taking Saccharin and the development of the cancer.
Cyclamate
In 1969, as a result of a very controversial animal study, Cyclamate was banned in the USA and England. In this study, rats developed tumours after extremely high doses of Cyclamate. A number of other countries restricted the use of Cyclamate.
Since then, over 70 investigations have been carried out on Cyclamate that have proved it is safe for human consumption.
In 1984, after analysis of all the scientific evidence, the Cancer Assessment Committee of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came to the conclusion that Cyclamate is not carcinogenic. In 1985 this finding was confirmed in an independent evaluation of the report by the US National Academy of Sciences.
As a result of new studies, many licensing authorities have either approved its use in a wider range of foodstuffs or raised the recommended intake considerably. (This includes Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Israel.)
Aspartame
Aspartame has been tested and found to be safe by the European Commission's Scientific Committee for Food (SCF); the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and also by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and more than 90 licensing authorities throughout the world.
Aspartame has been granted commercial clearance by guideline 94/35/EG of the European Parliament and Council of 30 June 1994 on sweetening products that can be used in foodstuffs. The member states of the EU had to incorporate the guideline into their national legislation within 18 months. For further information on Aspartame visit the Guide to Aspartame Safety at the International Sweeteners Associations homepage: http://www.isabru.org/news.en.html.
Acesulfame-K
Numerous scientific investigations on its safety have failed to reveal any adverse effects.