Saccharin has been around since the 19th century. The oldest sweetener is still used in many foods today. However, scientists disagree about the health benefits and risks of saccharin.
Saccharin is even the stuff of best-selling literature: in the bleak future version of George Orwell’s novel “1984” there is hardly any sugar left – instead, people sweeten it with saccharin. The reality is a bit different: Today we can choose between a variety of sugar and sugar-free sweeteners. The sweetener saccharin is one of the sugar-free products.
Saccharin: Zero calories and about 400 times sweeter than sugar
Saccharin is about 400 to 500 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). Therefore, a few milligrams are enough to sweeten food.
Since the human body cannot metabolize saccharin, the sweetener is calorie-free.
Unlike sugar, saccharin does not cause tooth decay.
Because saccharin tolerates heat, cold, and acid, and retains its shape for years, it is a good sweetener for many foods. However, saccharin not only tastes sweet, but also slightly bitter and metallic. That’s why you often find it in combination with other sweeteners such as the sweeteners cyclamate and aspartame.
Health effects of saccharin
According to the BfR, saccharin is considered harmless as long as the amount ingested is within the range of the ADI.
However, this was not always the case: in the 1970s, high doses of saccharin caused bladder cancer in animal experiments. As a result, many states have banned the substance. In the years that followed, however, no evidence was found that saccharin also increases the risk of bladder cancer in humans – at least not if the permitted dose is observed.
Since the human body does not metabolize saccharin, the sweetener is particularly popular in reduced-calorie and diabetic foods. However, scientists disagree on how saccharin affects weight and blood sugar levels:
Based on the current study situation, a review from 2015 sees no evidence that sugar-free sweeteners help you lose weight or have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Conversely, there is no evidence that there are negative effects on weight and blood sugar levels.
A 2016 review looks at various animal experiments and clinical studies. He concludes that sugar-free sweeteners can help with weight loss.
However, both reviews do not specifically rate saccharin.
Losing weight with saccharin?
In 2014, a study caused a stir in which rats were given high doses of saccharin: their intestinal flora changed, causing blood sugar levels to rise. The researchers found a similar effect in their study on humans.
So far, little is known about how certain substances affect the intestinal flora and what effects this in turn has on health. However, it is considered very likely that a disturbed intestinal flora can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes (study). However, much research needs to be done in this area.
Equally unclear is the question of whether sweeteners such as saccharin stimulate the appetite and thereby negate their calorie-saving effect. Here, too, meaningful studies are still lacking.
