Sugar & Artificial Sweeteners

What do you think about sugar-free hard candy and breath mints? They're good tasting, low-calorie candies. Most sugar-free candy, gum and breath mints taste good. Read the label to see which artificial sweetener is an ingredient. Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol are frequently used in these low-calorie candies. Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol are sugars derived from alcohol....

Is saccharin all right to use? With all cancer scares about artificial sweeteners, I want to know if it is safe to use. Saccharin was thought to be one cause of bladder cancer in men. Because of a law called the Delaney Clause, any substance that is known to cause cancer in man or animals...

Does aspartame cause headaches? I think I get migraines from aspartame. I was on vacation in Jamaica over Spring break and I didn't have any migraine headaches. The only thing different that I noticed was the pop had saccharin in it instead. I do drink several cans of diet pop a day. Try eliminating all...

What is in NutraSweet? It tastes good and doesn't leave a bitter aftertaste like saccharin. NutraSweet is the brand name of aspartame. Aspartame contains two amino acids, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine. Together they make foods taste sweeter. Persons with PKU (phenylketonuria) cannot use aspartame because it would raise their blood levels of phenylalanine. PKU is...

Does the US Dietary Guidelines in calling for no more than 10% of calories from sugar mean a) added sucrose, b) sucrose, added or naturally occurring, or c) all simple sugars (fructose, glucose, lactose, sucrose, etc.)? Do you also know whether sugars on the food label refers to added sucrose or to sucrose (whether or...