Saccharin: What to know

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Companies use saccharin as a non-nutritive or artificial sweetener. People first discovered the substance by accident in 1879, and its use became widespread during World War I because of the sugar shortage. During the 1960s, marketers promoted it as a weight loss product under the trade name Sweet and Low.

Manufacturers make saccharin through various chemical processes using the chemical toluene or anthranilic acid as the base ingredient. The process results in a white, crystalline powder that is stable under a range of conditions.

Saccharin has three forms:

• acid saccharin
• sodium saccharin
• calcium saccharin

Sodium saccharin is most popular in artificial sweeteners, although some people find it has a bitter, metallic aftertaste.

However, humans cannot metabolize saccharin, meaning it does not add to a person’s energy and contains no calories or carbohydrates. For these reasons, people with diabetes or who want to lose weight may choose saccharin as an alternative to sugar. Because it is 300–500 times sweeter than regular sugar, they need only a tiny amount to sweeten foods.

Saccharin’s primary use is as a calorie-free sweetener. Manufacturers may combine it with other sweeteners, such as aspartame, to combat its bitter taste.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes saccharin for use as a sweetening agent in items such as:

• beverages, fruit juice drinks, drink bases, or mixes
• as a sugar substitute for cooking or table use
• in processed foods

They also authorize saccharin for industrial purposes, including:

• enhancing flavor in chewable vitamin and mineral tablets
• retaining the taste and physical properties of chewing gum
• improving the flavor of ingredients in bakery products

Although it no longer has associations with cancer, the use of saccharin is not as widespread today. The discovery of new sweeteners with no bitter aftertaste may have contributed to saccharin’s decline in popularity.

Food and drink

Saccharin still appears in the ingredients of many foods and drinks, including:

• bakery products
• candy
• chewing gum
• deserts
• jelly
• salad dressings

If manufacturers use saccharin in beverages, the FDA limits the acceptable amount to less than 12 milligrams (mg) per fluid ounce. In processed foods, saccharin cannot exceed 30 mg per serving size.

Sweetener

People can buy saccharin as a liquid or granule table sweetener with the following brand names:

• Sweet and Low
• Sweet Twin
• Sugar Twin
• Sweet’N Low
• Necta Sweet

Other uses

Besides its use in foods and soft drinks, companies also use saccharin to produce non-food items such as cosmetics, chewing tobacco and snuff, pharmaceuticals, and cattle feed.

The FDA considers saccharin a high-intensity sweetener as it is many times sweeter than sugar. Other FDA approved sweeteners include:

• Aspartame: Unlike saccharin, aspartame contains calories and may be considered a nutritive sweetener. However, because it is 200 times sweeter than sugar, people need only use a small amount. It is not heat-stable, so manufacturers do not use it in baked goods. It has uses as a table sweetener and in cereals, puddings, dairy products, and beverages. Companies may combine it with saccharin to offset saccharin’s bitter aftertaste.
• Acesulfame potassium: This non-nutritive sweetener is often in frozen desserts, drinks, and baked goods. Companies sell acesulfame potassium under the brand names Sunett and Sweet One. It is around 200 times sweeter than sugar, while manufacturers often combine it with other sweeteners.
• Sucralose: This is a non-nutritive sweetener under the brand name Splenda. It is about 600 times sweeter than sugar, and because it stays heat-stable, it can substitute sugar in baked goods.
• Neotame: This is a non-nutritive sweetener, up to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. It is heat-stable even at high temperatures.

Currently, the FDA, World Health Organization (WHO), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) agree that saccharin poses no risk and is safe for human consumption. According to the FDA, the acceptable daily intake of saccharin is 15 mg per kg of body weight.

Previous controversy

Previously, there was controversy surrounding saccharin use. In 1981, the FDA classified the substance as possibly cancerous to people and mandated that companies carry labeling on products containing the substance to highlight this information. Research in rats from the 1970s connecting saccharin to bladder cancer formed the basis of the FDA decision.

However, subsequent research did not find clear evidence of an association between saccharin consumption and cancer risk. In 2000, the FDA removed saccharin from its list of potential carcinogens, and it no longer requires a warning label.

While most health authorities consider saccharin to be safe for human consumption, saccharin is absent from the list of approved food additives in Canada.

Other research

Other research indicates saccharin may negatively impact human health.
In 2014, research on mice given a daily dose of saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame for 11 weeks demonstrated increased blood sugar levels. The scientists then gave the mice antibiotics, after which their blood glucose returned to within normal limits.

The researchers continued the experiment on a small number of healthy humans who did not typically consume artificial sweeteners. Scientists gave them 5 mg per kilogram of saccharin as 3 divided daily doses for 5 days.

Some participants had abnormally high blood sugar levels and changes in their gut bacteria composition. The researchers suggested that the sweeteners could disrupt bacteria’s delicate balance in the digestive system and encourage types of bacteria more efficient at harvesting energy from food. In turn, this can raise glucose intolerance leading to an increased risk of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes.

Although these research findings highlight the possible need for caution when using artificial sweeteners, large-scale studies have not confirmed these results.

Saccharin is around 300 times sweeter than sugar. People or food manufacturers may use it as a sweetener in food products and drinks, and some pharmaceutical companies also add it to some medications.

Following a controversial history, most health authorities agree that saccharin is safe for human consumption. However, after the substance’s previous classification as possibly carcinogenic, many manufacturers switched to using other sweeteners, leading to a decline in popularity.

Emerging evidence may point to saccharin’s involvement in the development of metabolic disorders, but further research is necessary to confirm this effect.