Aspartame
Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied food ingredients, with more than 200 scientific studies confirming its safety. In 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved aspartame for use in carbonated beverages. In addition to the FDA, regulatory agencies in more than 100 countries have found aspartame to be safe. Aspartame does contain the amino acid, phenylalanine, and, therefore, should not be consumed by people with phenylketonuria, a rare genetic condition for which infants are tested at birth in every state.

Acesulfame Potassium
Acesulfame potassium (also known as acesulfame K) is currently used in thousands of foods, beverages, oral hygiene and pharmaceutical products in about 90 countries. Among these are tabletop sweeteners, desserts, puddings, baked goods, soft drinks, candies and canned foods.

More than 90 studies have confirmed the safety of acesulfame K and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted its use. Numerous scientific and regulatory bodies throughout the world such as the FDA, The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which is the scientific advisory body to the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Union (SCF) have reviewed the available research on acesulfame K and concluded that it is safe for use in foods and beverages. Acesulfame K has been used in Europe since 1983, and in the U.S. since 1988.

Saccharin
Saccharin has been used as a calorie-free, sweetener for foods and beverages for over a century. Saccharin has been approved in more than 100 countries around the world.

Although the totality of the available research confirms the safety of saccharin, there has been controversy over its safety. The basis for the controversy rested primarily on findings of bladder tumors in some male rats fed high does of sodium saccharin. Over the past 20 years, however, extensive research on human populations has overwhelmingly demonstrated that there is no association between saccharin and bladder cancer in humans.

In 1997, the U.S. government announced that recent human studies had shown there is no link between saccharin and bladder cancer. In December 2000, the President signed federal legislation to remove the saccharin warning label that had been required on saccharin-sweetened foods and beverages in the U.S. since 1977.

Sucralose
Sucralose is a non-caloric sweetener that is structurally similar to sugar but is 600 times sweeter. Discovered in 1967, sucralose was granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 1998, for use in 15 food and beverage categories. The FDA expanded the uses for sucralose in 1999, approving it as a "general purpose" sweetener. Sucralose has also been approved for use in foods and beverages in more than 40 countries including Canada, Australia and Mexico.

If you have questions about low-calorie sweeteners and health, ask your healthcare provider or registered dietitian. For more information, you can visit the following websites:

• American Dietetic Association - http://www.eatright.org/Public
• American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
• Food and Drug Administration - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_sugar.html