Q. Are artificial sweeteners safe?
By and large, yes. The major sweeteners have been deemed safe by the US Food and Drug Administration. But not everyone agrees with the FDA, and not all sweeteners are the same.
There are two types -- caloric, including sorbitol and xylitol, and noncaloric, which includes saccharin, aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame-K, said Karen Chalmers, a diabetes specialist at the Joslin Diabetes Center. The caloric ones aren't as fattening as sugar because they are not absorbed as well by the body.
Sorbitol and xylitol, often found in sugar-free gum, are considered safe, according to the January 2005 Consumer Reports on Health, though they can cause bloating, stomach cramps, gas and diarrhea. Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, said he has "a bit of concern" about the safety of sorbitol because prunes, which contain natural-occurring sorbitol, were linked to a higher risk of colon cancer in one study.
The American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association consider acesulfame-K (found in Sweet One) to be safe; but both Consumer Reports and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based nutrition advocacy group, say not enough is known about the additive to be completely sure.
Consumer Reports noted that 500 studies have shown no evidence of harm from aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), except for people with phenylketonuria, or PKU, a rare inherited disorder.
Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low) is controversial. Chalmers said it is safe. Willett said that, although high intake was linked to increased bladder cancer in rats, no such relationship was found in large human studies. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said flatly that saccharin "should not be on the market."
Sucralose (Splenda) gets the best marks from everyone, and is not associated with any safety concerns.
Too little is known about another sweetener, Stevia, to assess its safety.
For the record, sugar is safe, too, in small doses. It's only in excess that it puts pounds on.
JUDY FOREMAN 