In the effort to be health conscious, many consumers are thinking about their sugar intake. The majority turn to artificial sweeteners to replace sugar in their favorite beverages, such as coffee and iced-tea. However, many studies have been conducted on the safety of various sweeteners and the rumor mill is working on overdrive to convince the public that sweeteners can potentially be worse than actual sugar. What’s true and what’s false?

There are more sweeteners out there than one can count, and those that use sweeteners on a regular basis quickly lay claim to their favorite one. But there are some sweeteners that can be potentially harmful, especially if you are a pregnant mother.

The most commonly used sweeteners include: Cyclamate, Saccharin, Acesulfamine Potassium, Sucralose, and Aspartame. Cyclamate is a very popular sweetener in countries like Canada but you won’t find it in the United States. Why, you ask? Because since the 1970s the use of Cyclamate in the U.S. has been banned due to studies that discovered less than favorable results when tested on lab rats. However, other countries continue to use Cyclamate and organizations are working on getting the sweetener back into the U.S. market through the use of revisions, petitions, and newer medical studies. However, despite the fact that other countries have found no harm in human consumption of Cyclamate, pregnant women are warned to avoid it.

Saccharin should also be avoided by pregnant women. One of the oldest artificial sweeteners out there, Saccharin was found to cause cancer in rats. However, the medical community has insisted that this sweetener does not cause the same effect in humans and while it is banned for use as a food additive, it is okay as a regular sweetener.

Acesulfamine Potassium is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and while it tends to have a terrible taste by itself, it is ideal for use as a sweetener in your favorite drinks, and has been deemed safe for pregnant mothers to consume. This artificial sweetener did have cancer-causing rumors spread for years but luckily its name was cleared by various health organizations that found no such history or record of Acesulfamine Potassium ever causing cancer in humans.

Sucralose contains no calories, making it one of the most popular sweeteners out today. Also considered safe for consumption by pregnant mothers, Sucralose has managed to escape the rumor mill. Just about anyone can use Sucralose, and it is highly favored among those with diabetes.

Aspartame is safe for pregnant women to consume but should not be used for cooking or baking since it can become unstable when heated. This type of sweetener has received the brunt of rumors that claim Aspartame was originally used as rat poison and can cause everything from brain tumors and lupus to cancer and seizures. However, there has been no scientific or medical proof at all to back it up. That being said, numerous health organizations have deemed Aspartame safe for anyone to use, with the exception of those suffering from the rare hereditary disease phenylketonuria.

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