
	Medical Edge


	About

	Television

	Radio

	Newspaper

		Participating Newspapers

	Magazine

	Contact


	About Mayo Clinic

	Make an Appointment at Mayo Clinic

Medical Edge Newspaper Column from Mayo Clinic

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: A (MOSTLY) CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: There are so many products available with artificial sweeteners (NutraSweet, Splenda, Equal). I’ve heard they can cause cancer. Have these products been sufficiently studied to ensure that they don’t cause health problems? In an increasingly obese world, should we embrace these lower-calorie alternatives? What about consumption by children? — Rochester, Minn.

ANSWER: Artificial sweeteners approved by the Food and Drug Administration are generally safe to use. They offer the benefit of making foods taste sweet without adding calories. These sweeteners, more accurately described as nonnutritive sweeteners, include:

— Acesulfame-K (brand names Sunett, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One)

— Aspartame, (brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Sugar Twin)

— Neotame (no brand name)

— Saccharin (brand names Sweet ‘N Low, Sweet Twin, Necta Sweet)

— Sucralose (brand name Splenda)

Nonnutritive sweeteners are popular with manufacturers and consumers. Aspartame, for example, is added to more than 6,000 foods, personal care products and pharmaceuticals. Up to 90 percent of consumers in the United States buy or use low-calorie products.
These substances are intensely sweet, so they’re only needed in very small amounts. Neotame tops out the sweetness scale; it’s 8,000 times sweeter than sucrose — table sugar.

There seems to be a lingering perception that nonnutritive sweeteners are bad for you. But research hasn’t shown any significant health concerns. In 1977, the FDA proposed a ban on saccharin because of a suspected link to cancer in rats. It turned out that the research was flawed. There’s no credible evidence that saccharin or other nonnutritive sweeteners cause cancer.

Only products made with aspartame include a health advisory. People with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic metabolism disorder, should avoid aspartame because of possible health risks.

While using nonnutritive sweeteners offers the potential to help lower the intake of calories, there’s only limited evidence that calorie reduction occurs. A diet soda with a double cheeseburger and large fries doesn’t do much for the waistline! The best advice for managing weight is to keep overall calorie intake low, and nonnutritive sweeteners are just one small part of this effort.

Even though data shows nonnutritive sweeteners are safe, it may be prudent to limit how often you give them to children. These sweeteners have been part of our food supply for only a relatively short time. Children are more susceptible to any potential effects, and research hasn’t specifically focused on their effects on children.

— Donald Hensrud, M.D., Preventive Medicine and Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester

Additional Resources:
Information on Artificial Sweeteners
More Information

READERS: About half of the estimated 4 million Americans with glaucoma aren’t aware they have the condition. Not knowing could mean a loss of vision.

Glaucoma isn’t a single disease, but a group of diseases. The common feature of these diseases is pressure-induced damage to the optic nerve, a bundle of nerve fibers that connect to the back of the eye.

The first sign of glaucoma you may notice is loss of peripheral vision. But by then, vision loss is usually significant and permanent. Your eye-care provider can detect glaucoma during routine eye exams before vision loss occurs.

If glaucoma is diagnosed early, treatments are typically effective in stopping or significantly slowing vision loss. Eye drops and oral drugs can be used to decrease eye pressure. Surgery is an option if other treatments aren’t effective.

If you’re over age 40, schedule a glaucoma screening every two to four years. Over age 65, schedule a screening every year or two.

If you’re at high risk for glaucoma, your doctor could recommend earlier or more frequent screenings. Risk factors are: a family history of the disease, African ancestry, diabetes, certain rare eye diseases, having had an eye injury and having used any corticosteriod preparation for a prolonged period.

Additional Resources:
Information on Glaucoma
Appointment Information
More Information on Glaucoma

- - -

Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. To e-mail a question, go to www.mayoclinic.org, or write: Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic, c/o TMS, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y., 14207. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com.