Just some 130 years ago, the world did not know about the possibility of eating sweets without the content of sugar itself. But with the invention of the first sweetener, namely saccharin, the popularity of these supplements is steadily growing. But anxiety is growing along with it, because the consumer is constantly scared by the harm of synthetic sweeteners, the main among which is sodium saccharin. Its benefits and harms are on different scales, where the problems of obese people or diabetics and the risk of developing cancer from the use of saccharin balance. In fact, the devil is not so terrible as he is painted, and it is better to understand the matter more deeply.
What are sweeteners
They are also called sweeteners, and the meaning of their use is to give the 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 will not suit people who are concerned about the problem of weight loss;
- synthetic amino acids - they have no calories and are hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar, the bad thing is that many of them are accused of provoking serious illnesses.
Saccharinate belongs to the second group, and then we will get to know it in detail.
What it is
Saccharin, aka sodium saccharin, aka sodium saccharinate, aka E 954, is a synthetic sweetener that looks like a white, odorless, crystalline powder. It is highly soluble in water, resistant to high temperatures and does not break down in hot tea or pastries, and it is completely free of calories and sweeter than regular sugar ... 450 times.
A characteristic feature of saccharin is that it gives the sweetened product a distinctive metallic flavor. Many do not like it, but today there are analogues without this aftertaste. Often a product comes in for sale in which there are different sweeteners, for example, a mixture of sodium cyclamate - sodium saccharinate.
It is also important that saccharin is not metabolized and excreted from the body almost unchanged. There are studies, however, they are not conclusively confirmed that saccharin also has a bactericidal effect.
History of invention
The story of this sweetener is full of interesting twists. Despite the fact that the supplement was invented in the United States and came to Russia from there, its native was Konstantin Falberg, a native of Tambov. He worked in the laboratory of the American chemist Ira Remsen, where he was engaged in the production of toluene from coal. Once after work, he had lunch with his wife and noticed that the bread has a sweetish flavor. But the same bread in the hands of his wife was completely ordinary. It became clear that the toluene that remained on his fingers after work was to blame. Falberg made experiments and calculated the substance contained in toluene, which gave sweetness, and so he received the same saccharin. It was in February 1879.
The difficult fate of saccharin
It is worth noting that this was not the first sweetener identified by researchers, but it was the first more or less safe for human health. Together with Remsen, Falberg published several scientific papers on saccharin, and in 1885 a patent was received for the production of this substance.
Since 1900, they began to advertise saccharin as a sugar substitute for diabetics, which, of course, was not liked by the manufacturer of the natural product. The reverse campaign has begun, promoting the harm of saccharin as a substance that causes damage to the internal organs. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who himself was a diabetic and used a sweetener, prevented the complete banning of the sweetener. But further research continued to stir fear on consumers, and the wave of popularity of saccharin in America (namely, the States were the main consumer of the supplement) was falling. But two world wars in a row brought saccharin back into our lives - during the war, sugar production decreased significantly, and the sweetener, which was significantly cheaper, entered people's lives even more strongly.
His further fate was again in jeopardy, since scientists were able to achieve the development of cancer in experimental mice by feeding them such an amount of saccharin that corresponds to 350 cans of soda sweetened by him. These experiments called into question the feasibility of selling supplements, but no other groups of scientists could repeat these studies. So saccharin remained on store shelves and today it is allowed almost all over the world, as it is considered safe for health. If you use it in reasonable doses, of course.
Harmful saccharinate
Despite the official authorization of saccharinate, many consider its use to be 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 have not yet confirmed this point of view. Therefore, sodium saccharinate is considered the safest sweetener simply because it has been studied more than others.
The maximum daily dose of this substance is recommended - this 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 cannot completely exclude sugar from the diet only if you are not a diabetic. He is involved in many metabolic processes, and its complete absence can harm the body. Therefore, if you do not have diabetes, do not use saccharin as an alternative to regular sugar daily.
To eliminate the 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. Anyway, any sweeteners are best taken after consulting a doctor.
It is worth considering that the sweetener under consideration (sodium saccharin) is found in many carbonated soft drinks, and their excessive consumption can be harmful to health. This is especially true for children and adolescents who can drink lemonades literally in liters, which subsequently affects, for example, the work of the prostate gland.
Benefit
As such, sodium saccharinate does not bring an independent benefit to the body, since it has no nutritional value. However, it is indirectly beneficial to the body due to its replacement of regular sugar. This is relevant primarily for patients with diabetes. This disease lies in the fact that due to metabolic disorders, sugar ceases to be absorbed, and its excess remains in the blood. A sweetener 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 caries, unlike regular sugar. However, proper oral hygiene and non-abuse of sweets will give the same effect.
Sodium saccharinate for weight loss
Despite the fact that scientists and doctors mainly recommend sweeteners, including sodium saccharin, for diabetes, they are often used for weight loss. Moreover, it is not only about treating obesity, but also about periodic diets that almost every woman sits on.
Since sodium saccharinate does not contain calories, on the one hand, it is ideal for a diet - they can sweeten coffee or a cup of tea without the risk of getting better. 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’s a sweetener, then there’s nothing to process, but the signal from the brain about the intake of sweets is still coming. Then our body begins to stock up on carbohydrates and, as soon as it receives real sugar, it produces more than necessary amount of insulin. The result is fat deposition. Therefore, if you are on a diet, try to get used to drinks and pastries, either without sugar at all, or with a minimal amount of natural product.
Alternatives to saccharin
There are other sweeteners that are more modern and somewhat less harmful. So, stevia is considered the best non-nutritive sweetener. It is a vegetable sweetener that is unconditionally recognized as non-harmful.
However, if you are not a diabetic, it is best to sweeten tea or homemade cookies with a drop of honey or maple syrup.
The use of sodium saccharinate
Due to the fact that saccharin maintains stability during freezing and during high-temperature processing (during frying and baking), as well as due to the fact that it continues to maintain sweetness even after the addition of acids, it is widely used in the food industry for the manufacture of dietary products and drinks and, to be honest, to reduce the cost of production. So, saccharin is a frequent ingredient in chewing gum, soft drinks and soft drinks, baked goods, jams, jams and canned fruits.
In addition to the food industry, saccharin is used in pharmaceuticals and in cosmetics.
Saccharin as a sugar substitute
In addition to adding saccharinate during the production process, very often sweeteners are produced on its basis, which are recommended for diabetics and for patients suffering from obesity. Both need to limit sugar intake, and sweeteners help a lot.
If you want to buy saccharinate, look for “Sukrazit” on the shelves. This is an Israeli-made sweetener in tablets (300 and 1200 pieces per pack). One tiny tablet is equal to 1 tablespoon of sugar. “Sukrazit” also contains auxiliary substances: sodium saccharinate is supplemented with baking soda to better dissolve the tablet in water and fumaric acid - an acidifier to suppress the bitter taste of saccharinate.
Another option is the German-made Milford SUSS sweetener. It is available in the form of tablets for sweetening tea or coffee and in liquid form for addition to preserves, pastries, compotes and desserts. Here, to improve the taste, sodium cyclamate E952, sodium saccharinate E954 , fructose and sorbitan acid are mixed.
A similar composition and the Chinese sweetener Rio Gold. It can also be used in cooking and for adding to hot drinks instead of sugar.
As you can see, saccharin has firmly entered our lives, and often we use it without noticing it, since this supplement is present in many products, for example, in store bread or lemonade. Nevertheless, it is easier to decide on the use of this supplement if you know the possible risks.