Saccharin intake

Morgan, K., Stults, V., Zabik, M., Amount and dietary sources of caffeine and saccharin intake by individuals ages 5 to 18 years, Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol., 2, 296, 1982. 

It is recommended that daily saccharin intake be maintained below 1 g because of a risk of bladder cancer. A lifetime daily diet containing 5-7.5% saccharin has induced bladder tumors in rats [69]. However, it is probable that saccharin is only a very weak carcinogen in humans. The amount contained in pharmaceutical preparations is well below the recommended maximum human daily intake. 

Chronic mild stress (CMS) presents mice with an unpredictable barrage of stressors to induce (rather than simply measure) a depressed state. CMS reduces sucrose or saccharin intake in mice, a symptom of anhedonia (see above). CMS may also be responsible for decreases in sexual and aggressive... 

From the available data it now appears that the development of tumors is a sex-, species-, and organ-specific phenomenon and extensive epidemiological studies have shown that saccharin intake is not related to bladder cancer in humans. ... 

The European Commission Scientific Committee for Food in 1997 established 1% sodium saccharin in the diet as a clear no-observed-effect level (NOEL) in relation to male rat bladder tumors and for other non-neoplastic effects of saccharin. In response to primarily updated experimental data and the extensive epidemiological data with no evidence of any relationship between saccharin intake and bladder cancer in humans, the Committee set a full acceptable daily intake (ADI) for sodium saccharin of 0-5 mg kg body weight. If the ADIs were expressed in terms of the free acid, since sodium saccharin is not the only salt used, and taking into account of the molecular weight difference between sodium saccharin (molecular weight 241) and the free acid (molecular weight 183), then ADI expressed as the free acid is 0-3.8 mg kg body weight. 

In a taste aversion paradigm, male Swiss mice were given either water, xylene (positive control), or maneb (0.32, 3.2, or 32 mg/kg). The percent saccharin intake was significantly reduced in the highest dose group (Mitchell et al. 1989). 

The sweetness of these three artificial sweeteners was discovered accidentally. The sweetness of sucralose was discovered In 1976 when a chemist misunderstood his superior, and so he tasted rather than tested his compound. Aspartame was discovered in 1965 when a chemist licked his dirty fingers in the lab and tasted its sweetness. Saccharin, the oldest known artificial sweetener, was discovered in 1879 by a chemist who failed to wash his hands after working in the lab. Saccharin was not used extensively until sugar shortages occurred during World War I. Although there were concerns in the 1970s that saccharin causes cancer, there is no proven link between cancer occurrence and saccharin intake at nornial levels. 

Typical saccharin Intakes in a one bottle test (e.g., 23) are presented in Figure 2. 

Intake estimates and calculations have been performed repeatedly for intense sweeteners for which probably the most extensive database among food additives exists. All studies and all calculations starting from reasonable assumptions indicate that only a minute proportion of consumers may come close to the ADI which may only seldom be exceeded by persons having food habits substantially different from the majority of the population. The best available data originate from a biomarker study on acesulfame and saccharin in which even the highest consumers among children consumed only a fraction of the ADI.29 Several intake studies were carried out on aspartame with the uniform result that no appreciable risk to exceed the ADI was found.14... 

Every patient with diabetes requires some form of dietary assessment, and often therapy. This is important to allocate the relative amounts of energy derived from carbohydrate, protein and fat of total recommended daily calories in proportion to the patient s body weight and height and daily requirements, while avoiding atherogenic diets. Diets with high carbohydrate content (50-60%), low fat (30-35%) and adequate protein (10-15%) is recommended. Fibre-rich foods are preferable. The use of non-nutritive sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, ace-sulfame K and sucralose) are acceptable. Alcohol intake should be assessed since excess consumption... 

Fernandez-Teruel A, DriscoU P, Gil L, Tobena A, Escorihuela RM (2002) Enduring effects of environmental enrichment on novelty seeking, saccharin and ethanol intake in two rat lines (RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh) differing in incentive-seeking behavior. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 73 225-231... 

In the most recent study at the time adverse effects were detected in animals at a dietary level of 3 per cent and above, and so a NOAEL was set at a level of i per cent in the diet. This is equivalent to 500 mg of saccharin per kg of body weight, which in turn is equivalent to a person drinking about 200 cans of diet cola a day The acceptable daily intake (ADI) is determined by dividing the NOAEL by a safety factor. The safety factor used is usually 100. 

A. G. Renwick, Acceptable daily intake and the regulation of intense sweeteners , Food Additives and Contaminants, 7 (1990), 463-75 A. G. Renwick, A data derived safety (uncertainty) factor for the intense sweetener saccharin , Food Additives and Contaminants, 10 (1993). 337-50. 

The WHO has set a temporary acceptable daily intake for saccharin, including its calcium, potassium, and sodium salts, at up to 2.5 mg/kg body-weight. In the UK, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment (COT) has set an acceptable daily intake for saccharin and its calcium, potassium, and sodium salts (expressed as saccharin sodium) at up to 5 mg/kg body-weight. ... 

Artificial or intense sweeteners are often used not only to restrict the sugar intake in food and beverages but also to boost the degree of sweetness to mask bitter notes. Only few are approved for use in over 80 countries (e.g., saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium). There is some ongoing controversy over whether artificial sweeteners are health risks despite lack of scientifically controlled peer-reviewed studies in general consistently to produce clear evidence. It is to be noted that if an acceptable daily intake (ADI) value is available, most of the time it is for a general adult population and not specifically for pediatric and geriatric population. 

Blizard, D., Kotlus, B., and Frank, M. (1999). Quantitative trait loci associated with short-term intake of sucrose saccharin and quinine solutions in laboratory mice. Chem. Senses 24, 373-385. 

Saccharin (SAK-uh-rin) is a synthetic compound whose water solutions are at least 500 times as sweet as table sugar. It passes through the human digestive system without being absorbed, so it has an effective caloric value of zero. It is used as a sugar substitute by diabetics or by anyone wishing to reduce their caloric intake. 

Saccharin is used almost exclusively as an artificial sweetener in food and drinks to replace sugar. Its lack of calories makes it suitable for diet products and for medical preparations designed for people who must reduce their caloric intake. It also finds some small application as a food preservative, as an antiseptic agent, and as a brightening agent in electroplating procedures. 

Cyclamate and saccharin are rapidly excreted in the urine, mainly unchanged. Aspartame, a monomethyl ester of aspartylphenylalanine, is degraded by digestive enzymes into its constituent amino acids. Phenyl-ketonurics should limit their intake of aspartame due to its conversion to phenylalanine in the intestine. 

Saccharin sodium is the oldest artificial sweetener. It is a sulfanilamide derivative and is stable within a wide range of temperatures but, in the presence of acids, does react chemically, and therefore is not compatible with preservatives that require low pH. In its acidic form, saccharin is not particularly water soluble. Therefore, the form used is usually the sodium salt. The calcium salt is also sometimes used, especially for restricting dietary sodium intake. Many studies have been carried out on saccharin, with some showing a correlation between saccharin consumption and increased cancer (especially bladder cancer) and others showing no such correlation. Nevertheless, no study has ever shown health risks in humans when saccharin is taken at normal doses. It has been approved for use in the USA but not in Canada, and was approved for use in Europe for children over 3 years of age. 

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