THE HONEY TRAP

We like sweet foods so much that non-sugar sweeteners have become essential in many foods.

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Ours is a sweet civilisation. Sugar has the dual attraction of providing quick energy and of being sweet. It is not surprising that sugar consumption has increased dramatically in all societies that reach a certain stage of development. Sugars provide about 20% of the energy intake in the USA. But there are problems with sugar: over consumption is implicated in obesity and diabetes, so sweeteners with no energy content are obviously desirable in many foods.

There are several natural sugars. Common granulated sugar is sucrose, a combination of the two simpler sugars glucose and fructose. Lactose (milk sugar) consists of glucose and galactose, whilst maltose, produced by the malting of barley, is a combination of two molecules of glucose. The non-sugar sweeteners are many times sweeter than natural sugars and have no energy content whatsoever. These intense sweeteners are: acesulfame K (150-200 times as sweet as sucrose: E950), aspartame (200 times as sweet as sucrose: E951), saccharin (300 times as sweet as sucrose: E954), cyclamates (30 times sweeter than sucrose:E952), thaumatin (E957) and neohesperidine dihydrochalcone (E959).

Non-sugar sweeteners are used in drinks, yogurt and other desserts, and baked products. These sweeteners have been extensively tested. Aspartame was tested for over a decade before being approved. It contains the natural amino acid phenylalanine and a very few people in the population have a hereditary disease in which they cannot metabolise phenylalanine. Products containing aspartame have to have a label warning against such use. It is important to stress that only people who cannot tolerate foods containing phenylalanine need to avoid aspartame.

There are some new sweeteners currently awaiting approval. Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sucrose, is highly stable, and can be substituted for sugar in almost all its uses. Alitame is derived from the nutrient amino acids aspartic acid, alanine and an amide component. It is 2000 times sweeter than sucrose and, like sucralose, can be used in most products.

Bulk sweeteners are less concentrated and are similar in sweetening power to natural sugars: in fact they are derived from them by hydrogenation. Such sweeteners: maltitol (E965), xylitol (E967), and lactitol (E966), do not require insulin to metabolize them and can thus be used by diabetics, as can the intense sweeteners. High fructose corn syrup has become important in recent years, especially in cola drinks which now hardly ever contain sugar.

Studies have been made on the diet of young people and their intake of non-sugar sweeteners. Young people are the group most likely to consume more of the foods that contain these additives. The studies show that the acceptable daily intake is not exceeded even in this group.