Sodium saccharinate: benefits and harms

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Some 130 years ago, the world did not even know about the possibility of eating sweets without actually containing sugar. But with the invention of the first sweetener, namely saccharin, the popularity of these supplements has steadily increased. But along with it, anxiety is also growing, because the consumer is tirelessly frightened by the harm of synthetic sweeteners, the main one among which is sodium saccharinate. Its benefits and harms are on different scales, where the problems of obese people or diabetics are balanced against the risk of developing cancer from the use of saccharin. In fact, the devil is not as scary as he is painted, and it is better to look deeper into the issue.

What are sweeteners

They are also called sweeteners, and the point of using them is to give food or drink a sweet taste without the harm and calories that ordinary cane or beet sugar carries.

All sweeteners are divided into two groups:

• natural, or sugar alcohols - they are harmless, but very high in calories, which means they are not suitable for people who are concerned about the problemweight loss;
• synthetic amino acids - they have no calories and are hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar, the bad news is that many of them are accused of causing serious illness.

Saccharinate belongs to the second group, and then we will get to know it in detail.

What is this

Saccharin, aka sodium saccharinate, aka sodium saccharinate, aka E 954, is a synthetic sweetener that looks like a white, odorless, crystalline powder. It dissolves well in water, is resistant to high temperatures and does not break down in hot tea or baked goods, and it is completely calorie-free and is… 450 times sweeter than regular sugar.

A characteristic feature of saccharin is that it imparts a characteristic metallic flavor to the sweetened product. Many do not like it, but today there are analogues without this taste. Often, a product is sold that contains various sweeteners, such as a mixture of sodium cyclamate - sodium saccharinate.

It is also important that saccharin is not metabolized and is excreted from the body almost unchanged. There are studies, but they are not conclusively confirmed, that saccharin also has a bactericidal effect.

Invention Story

The history of this sweetener is full of interesting twists and turns. Despite the fact that the additive was invented in the USA and came to Russia from there, its inventor was a native of Tambov, Konstantin Falberg. He worked in the laboratory of the American chemist IraRemsen, where he was engaged in the production of toluene from coal. One day, after work, he was having lunch with his wife and noticed that the bread had a sweetish aftertaste. But the same bread in his wife's hands was completely ordinary. It became clear that the toluene left on his fingers after work was to blame. Fahlberg made experiments and calculated the substance contained in toluene, which gave sweetness, and this is how saccharin was obtained. It was in February 1879.

The complicated fate of saccharin

It is worth noting that this was not the first sweetener identified by researchers, but it became the first more or less safe for human he alth. Together with Remsen, Fahlberg published several scientific papers on the topic of saccharin, and in 1885 a patent was received for the production of this substance.

Since 1900, saccharin has been advertised as a substitute for sugar for diabetics, which, of course, did not please the natural product manufacturer. A backlash campaign has begun to promote the harm of saccharin as a substance that causes damage to the internal organs. A complete ban on the sweetener was prevented by US President Theodore Roosevelt, who himself was a diabetic and used a sweetener. But further research continued to instill fear in consumers, and the wave of popularity of saccharin in America (namely, the States were the main consumer of the additive) was falling. But two world wars in a row brought saccharin back into our lives again - during the war, sugar production was significantly reduced, and the sweetener, which was significantlycheaper, entered people's lives even more firmly.

His future fate was once again in jeopardy, as scientists were able to develop cancer in experimental mice by feeding them the amount of saccharin that corresponds to 350 cans of soda sweetened by him. These experiments cast doubt on the advisability of selling the additive, but no other groups of scientists have been able to repeat these studies. So saccharin remained on the shelves of stores and today it is allowed almost all over the world, as it is considered safe for he alth. If you use it in reasonable doses, of course.

Harm saccharinate

Despite the official permission of saccharinate, many consider its use deadly. Some scientists believe that this substance is a carcinogen and potentially leads to the formation of malignant tumors. However, there is no real evidence for this, experiments do not yet confirm this point of view. Therefore, sodium saccharinate is considered the safest sweetener, simply because it has been studied the most.

The recommended and maximum daily dose of this substance is 5 mg per 1 kilogram of your weight, so if you do not exceed the norm, the use of saccharin will be safe.

However, you can't completely eliminate sugar from your diet unless you're a diabetic. It is involved in many metabolic processes, and its complete absence can harm the body. Therefore, if you are not diabetic, do not use saccharin as an alternative to regular sugar daily.

Forto eliminate an unpleasant bitter taste, sodium saccharinate is often mixed with cyclamate. Sodium cyclamate can cause more serious harm - it is contraindicated in renal failure. Also, all sweeteners have a choleretic effect, and if you have problems with the biliary tract, do not consume these products. And in general, it is better to take any sweeteners after consulting a doctor.

It is worth considering that the sweetener we are considering (sodium saccharinate) is found in many carbonated soft drinks, and their excessive consumption can be harmful to he alth. This is especially true for children and adolescents, who can literally drink liters of lemonade, which subsequently affects, for example, the work of the prostate gland.

Benefit

As such, sodium saccharinate does not bring any benefit to the body, as it has no nutritional value. However, it is indirectly beneficial to the body due to its replacement of conventional sugar. This is especially true for diabetic patients. This disease lies in the fact that, due to impaired metabolism, sugar ceases to be absorbed, and its excess remains in the blood. The sweetener, on the other hand, gives a feeling of sweetness, but is completely excreted from the body without aggravating the patient's condition.

Another plus of the sweetener is that it does not lead to tooth decay, unlike regular sugar. However, proper oral hygiene and not overindulging in sweets will have the same effect.

Sodium saccharinate for weight loss

Despite the fact that scientists and doctors generally recommend sweeteners, including sodium saccharinate, for diabetes, they are often used for weight loss. And we are talking not only about the treatment of obesity, but also about periodic diets, which almost every woman sits on.

Since sodium saccharinate does not contain calories, on the one hand, it is ideal for a diet - it can sweeten coffee or a cup of tea without the risk of gaining weight. However, often sweeteners can lead to the opposite effect and excessive weight gain. It's all about insulin, which is produced when we eat sweets. When it is regular sugar, the body begins to process carbohydrates into energy. And if it is a sweetener, then there is nothing to process, but the signal from the brain about the intake of sweets still goes on. Then our body begins to store carbohydrates and, as soon as it receives real sugar, it produces more insulin than it needs. The result is the deposition of fat. Therefore, if you are on a diet, try to get used to drinks and pastries either without sugar at all, or with a minimum amount of a natural product.

Saccharin alternatives

There are other sweeteners that are more modern and somewhat less harmful. So, stevia is considered the best non-caloric sweetener. It is a plant-based sweetener that is unequivocally recognized as harmless.

However, if you are not a diabetic, it is better to sweeten tea or homemade cookies with a drop of honey or maplesyrup.

Use of sodium saccharinate

Due to the fact that saccharin remains stable during freezing and high-temperature processing (during frying and baking), and because it continues to retain sweetness even after the addition of acids, it is widely used in the food industry for production of dietary foods and drinks and, to be honest, to reduce the cost of production. So, saccharin is a common ingredient in chewing gum, soft drinks and lemonades, baked goods, jams, jams and canned fruits.

In addition to the food industry, saccharin is also used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Saccharinate as a sugar substitute

In addition to the addition of saccharinate during the production of products, very often sweeteners based on it are produced, which are recommended for diabetics and for obese patients. Both need to limit their sugar intake, and sweeteners help a lot.

If you want to buy exactly saccharinate, look for “Sukrazit” on the shelves of stores. This is an Israeli-made sweetener in tablets (300 and 1200 tablets per pack). One tiny tablet is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. “Sukrazit” also contains excipients: sodium saccharinate is supplemented with baking soda for better tablet dissolution in water and fumaric acid, an acidifier, to suppress the bitter taste of saccharinate.

Another option- sweetener "Milford SUSS" of German production. It is available in tablet form for sweetening tea or coffee and in liquid form for adding to jams, pastries, compotes and desserts. Here, sodium cyclamate e952, sodium saccharinate e954, fructose and sorbic acid are mixed here to improve the taste.

The Chinese sweetener Rio Gold has a similar composition. It can also be used in cooking and as a substitute for sugar in hot drinks.

As you can see, saccharin has firmly entered our lives, and often we use it without noticing it ourselves, since this additive is present in many products, for example, in store-bought bread or lemonade. Still, making the decision to use this supplement is easier if you know the risks.