<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Foodstuffs containing large amounts of sucrose, which is rapidly absorbed by the human body, cause a marked increase in blood glucose levels; for some people, especially those with diabetes, this is undesirable. Therefore, efforts were undertaken to produce food with a reduced calorie content, but maintaining a sweet taste. Additionally, food producers were interested in cutting costs by replacing sugar with a cheaper alternative. Saccharin, one of the first synthetic sweeteners, was discovered in the USA in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Subsequently, other sugar substitutes were developed: synthetic (e.g. aspartame or acesulfame K), semi-synthetic (xylitol, mannitol), or polyols.</p>
<p>The latter were used during the First and Second World War to increase the calorific content of the available food. Nowadays, the advancing obesity epidemic has resulted in the increasing popularity of synthetic and semi-synthetic sweeteners. However, from the beginning of their existence there have been controversies regarding their safety and impact on health. There have been many studies on individual sweeteners, specifying any adverse or side effects. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to summarizes the characteristics of the most popular sweeteners and their effects on human health.</p>
</abstract>

Foodstuffs containing large amounts of sucrose, which is rapidly absorbed by the human body, cause a marked increase in blood glucose levels; for some people, especially those with diabetes, this is undesirable. Therefore, efforts were undertaken to produce food with a reduced calorie content, but maintaining a sweet taste. Additionally, food producers were interested in cutting costs by replacing sugar with a cheaper alternative. Saccharin, one of the first synthetic sweeteners, was discovered in the USA in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Subsequently, other sugar substitutes were developed: synthetic (e.g. aspartame or acesulfame K), semi-synthetic (xylitol, mannitol), or polyols.
The latter were used during the First and Second World War to increase the calorific content of the available food. Nowadays, the advancing obesity epidemic has resulted in the increasing popularity of synthetic and semi-synthetic sweeteners. However, from the beginning of their existence there have been controversies regarding their safety and impact on health. There have been many studies on individual sweeteners, specifying any adverse or side effects. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to summarizes the characteristics of the most popular sweeteners and their effects on human health.

Characteristics of sweeteners used in foods and their effects on human health

Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin

Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolomics

Pomeranian Journal of Life Sciences

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Characteristics of sweeteners used in foods and their effects on human health"}

Foodstuffs containing large amounts of sucrose, which is rapidly absorbed by the human body, cause a marked increase in blood glucose levels; for some people,...

Characteristics of sweeteners used in foods and their effects on human health

Published Online: Sep 18, 2020

Page range: 57 - 65

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21164/pomjlifesci.723

Keywords
sweeteners, classification, properties, health

© 2020 Natalia Antonik et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Characteristics of sweeteners used in foods and their effects on human health

Published Online: Sep 18, 2020

Page range: 57 - 65

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21164/pomjlifesci.723

Keywordssweeteners, classification, properties, health

© 2020 Natalia Antonik et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
sweeteners, classification, properties, health