Artificial Sweeteners: The Truth

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Artificial SweetenersThe Truth

• Group 11
• Jesse Barton
• Jessica Hendrickson
• Ryan Kaczor
• John Woodworth

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This presentation will include

• A Brief History
• Present Day Sweeteners
• Their Chemistry
• Their Uses
• The Pros and Cons

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Where did artificial sweeteners come from?
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The History of Artificial Sweeteners

• The knowledge that sugar had little nutritional
  value dates back to Queen Elizabeth I
• Since then, medical research has determined that
  being overweight is a serious medical problem

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And Millions Began to Diet

• The desire to cut excess sugar from the diet led
  to the development of artificial sweeteners that
  are not metabolized by the body

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The History of Artificial Sweeteners

• Saccharin and Cyclamate began to appear in
  grocery stores widely as table sweeteners and as
  added ingredients in prepared foods
• Saccharin
• 
  Cyclamate

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The History of Artificial Sweeteners

• The National Academy of Sciences raised several
  questions about the effects of saccharin on the
  liver and kidneys and even possibly the breakdown
  of chromosomes in 1968
• And
• In 1977 the FDA found saccharin to be a
  carcinogen and banned it from the market

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New Sweeteners Were Made!
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The Discovery of Aspartame

• Aspartame was accidentally discovered in 1965 by
  James Schlatter, a chemist for G.D. Searle
  Company, while he was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

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Modern Artificial Sweeteners Aspartame

• Aspartame is a dipeptide, and is a compound of
  two amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine)
  joined together.
• Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar

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Aspartame

• Aspartame is used often because very small
  amounts are needed for sweetening purposes.
• Because of this, diet sodas, sugar free gums and
  candies, sugar free ice cream, and coffee
  sweeteners often use aspartame.

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The Discovery of Sucralose

• In 1976, Tate Lyle, a British sugar company,
  was searching for ways to blend sucrose (sugar)
  with laboratory chemicals. In collaboration with
  Professor Leslie Houghs laboratory at Queens
  College in London, halogenated sugars were
  currently being tested. Responding to a request
  for testers for these experimental chlorinated
  sugars, foreign graduate student Shashikant
  Phadnis signed up for taste tests.  His
  participation in the research project led to the
  discovery that chlorinated sugars are sweet and
  have potencies hundreds to thousands of times
  greater than sugar.

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The Discovery of Sucralose

• A study of over 100 experiments and 20 years
  proved that Sucralose is safe for consumption
• In 1998 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  approved Sucralose to be used in 15 types of
  beverages

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Modern Artificial Sweeteners Sucralose

• Sucralose is modified sucrose. This results in
  the body not being able to use it for energy and
  so whilst it retains the sweet taste of sugar it
  has no calories.
• Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sucrose.

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Sucralose

• Commonly known as Splenda, sucralose is used in
  cake mixes, ice creams, candy bars, jams, and
  colas.

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Artificial Sweeteners!

• Good? or bad?

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The Pros

• Artificial sweeteners contain no calories, are
  cheap to produce, and can be applied to many
  different products and foods
• They are also good for use by people who are
  diabetic

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The Cons

• There are over 92 different health side effects
  associated with aspartame
• These can include damage to the eyes and ears,
  problems with neurological function and
  psychological function, chest problems,
  gastrointestinal complications, skin and allergy
  symptoms, endocrine and metabolic effects, and
  others

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What the government has to say about it
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FDA Guidelines and Policies

• The FDA has approved both Nutrasweet and Splenda
  for use by the public
• The FDA stands behind its original decision,
  despite recent attacks on these products claiming
  that they cause brain tumors

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What the people have to say about it
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Public Opinion on Artificial Sweeteners

• On one side, the American Heart Association
  endorses these products for diabetics and those
  on weight loss diets.
• On the other hand, mostly on the internet,
  systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, vision
  problems, headaches, fatigue, and even
  Alzheimer's disease have been blamed on
  artificial sweeteners.

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It is important to remember

• Some side effects do occur from the use of
  artificial sweeteners
• The people that reported these symptoms drank
  excessive amounts of diet sodas
• The symptoms they reported went away after they
  stopped using the products excessively
• So

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Dont Worry!

• A Diet Coke isnt going to kill you!

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A Summary

• We hope that in this presentation we have
  provided you with
• A Brief History
• Present Day Sweeteners
• Their Chemistry
• Their Uses
• The Pros and Cons

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Thanks for watching!

• We hope that you enjoyed our presentation, and
  that you all know a little bit more about the
  chemistry behind the sweeteners that we use
  everyday.
• Thanks,
• Jesse Barton
• Jessica Hendrickson
• Ryan Kaczor
• John Woodworth

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Sources

• Group 11 Artificial Sweeteners Works Cited
• Lawler, Philip F. Sweet Talk. Washington D.C.
• The Media Institute, 1973.
• Understanding Food Additives The Chemistry of
  Sweeteners. http//www.york.ac.uk/org/ciec/food_a
  dd/pages/Ch2pg6-2.htm
• Henkel, John. Sugar Substitutes Americans Opt
  for Sweetness and Lite. http//www.cfsan.fda.gov/
  dms/fdsugar.html December 2004.
• Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners.
  http//www.annecollins.com/weight_health/diet-sug
  ars-sweeteners.htm 2005.
• Sweeteners. http//www.shands.org/health/informat
  ion/article/002444.htm January 30, 2002.
• Armstrong, Clare. Health Encyclopedia
  Sweeteners. http//www.northmemorial.com/healthen
  cyclopedia/content/1940.asp 2002.