More people are turning to artificial sweeteners in place of sugar in an attempt to reduce their sugar intake to manage weight and conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. However, sugar alternatives can come with their own downsides, and some may cause more problems than they solve.
Neotame, a newer type of artificial sweetener used in soft drinks, cakes, and chewing gum, may damage the intestine and cause health issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and sepsis, according to a new in vitro study published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
What Is Neotame?
Neotame (brand name Newtame) is an artificial sweetener produced by NutraSweet Co. It is about 8,000 times sweeter than table sugar and 40 times sweeter than aspartame, another artificial sweetener made by the same manufacturer. It was developed in the 1990s as a derivative of aspartame and was expected to be the sweetener’s successor. It received approval for use in food by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002 and by the European Union in 2010.
A.C. Dahnke
Author
A.C. Dahnke is a freelance writer and editor residing in California. She has covered community journalism and health care news for nearly a decade, winning a California Newspaper Publishers Award for her work.
