Saccharin: What Is It, Uses, and Potential Risks

Key Takeaways

• Saccharin is an artificial sweetener with an intensely sweet flavor to replace and reduce sugar in foods and beverages.
• Saccharin may help people lose weight and reduce cavities when substituting it for sugary gum and beverages.  
• However, excessive or prolonged use may harm gut health, impair glucose metabolism, and raise risks of stroke or heart disease, prompting concerns about its long-term safety.

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‍Saccharin is used in many foods and drinks as a sugar replacement. Saccharin was first discovered and used in 1879 but was not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) until 1977.Sweeteners or sugar substitutes, like saccharin, are used to sweeten foods and drinks. Many sweeteners are much sweeter than table sugar, requiring less overall sweetener to reduce overall calories, potentially aid in weight loss, and affect blood sugar levels less. Every solution has unique problems or consequences that emerge with time, saccharin included.This article will investigate saccharin, its common uses, the difference between it and sugar, its potential benefits and downsides, and the recommended intake and alternatives to saccharin.¹

What Is Saccharin?

The FDA regulates all food additives (ingredients added to food) in the United States for their safety for consumption. Qualified experts review research for a new additive or sweetener and determine if it is generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Ongoing research is used to reassess the safety of additives.¹

GRAS does not mean a food is beneficial for health, but it is considered safe for its intended uses.  For example, consuming carrots is safe for healthy adults. But, overconsuming carrots (6 to 7 pounds weekly) for an extended period can lead to yellow-orange skin, constipation, and possible vitamin A toxicity.² 

Consuming saccharin in recommended amounts is considered safe for most adults. Saccharin is one of six sweeteners authorized by the FDA as safe for the general population.¹

Saccharin brand names include all the pink packets of sweeteners: Sweet and Low, Sweet Twin, Sweet’N Low, and Necta Sweet. Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories since you only need a small amount for the sweet taste.¹

Saccharin has a bitter aftertaste, so it is often mixed with another regulated sweetener, aspartame, to reduce this effect.³

Saccharin is primarily absorbed in the stomach, with about 85 to 95% eliminated in the urine. The body cannot break saccharin down, so its excretion is easily measured. The other 5 to 15% is excreted in feces, meaning a small amount comes in contact with the intestines or colon.^{3, 4} 

Saccharin is used in many products to enhance sweetness without any added calories.

What Is Saccharin Commonly Used For?

Saccharin is used for sugar-sweetened soda and fruit drinks, chewing gum, baked goods, and canned fruit. It is heat-stable, meaning it retains its sweet taste when cooked or baked, unlike aspartame, which loses its sweetness.³ 

Common uses for saccharin include:

• Sugar substitute for cooking and baking. 
• Used to sweeten hot and cold beverages such as iced tea, coffee, and tea. 
• Gives chewing gum its sweet taste.
• Swap any time you use table sugar for saccharin.
• Sweetened canned fruit without added sugar or calories. 
• Saccharin sweetens lower-sugar and calorie jam, jelly, candies, and cookies.
• It is used in medicines and vitamins to mask unpleasant tastes.

Saccharin vs. Sugar: What Is the Difference?

Saccharin and sugar provide sweetness to foods and beverages. As mentioned above, saccharin is about 300 times sweeter than sugar, requiring less sweetener and reducing calorie and sugar intake.^{1, 3}

Manufacturers use saccharin and dextrose (Sweet’N Low) to make it measurable for baking and cooking. One packet of Sweet’N Low is the same sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar. Two teaspoons of Sweet’N Low is the equivalent of ¼ cup of sugar.⁵

Our bodies cannot break down saccharin, so it provides no energy or calories and is excreted in the urine or feces.^{3, 4} 

Sugar, on the other hand, provides four calories per gram. A teaspoon contains 4 grams of sugar or 16 calories. Added sugars provide no other nutritional benefit, and a high intake of sugars is associated with overweight and obesity.⁶ 

It was once thought that artificial sweeteners, like saccharin, were effective in treating obesity and diabetes without negatively affecting body weight or blood sugar control. It was also believed that swapping high-sugar sodas for artificially sweetened sodas was beneficial. Current research offers unique perspectives.

Saccharin: Potential Benefits and Downsides

While saccharin does not add sugar or calories when used to sweeten foods and beverages, recent research provides insight into its other side effects. 

Here are some potential benefits and downsides to consuming saccharin. 

Benefits

1. It May Aid in Weight Loss by Reducing Overall Calorie Intake

Research from 2011 found that swapping sugar for saccharin in beverages, baked goods, and sweets can reduce calories, leading to a calorie deficit and weight loss. However, in 2019, 154 overweight or obese adults were assigned to consume 1.25 to 1.75 liters daily of beverages sweetened with sucrose (sugar), aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, or rebaudioside A (Stevia) for 12 weeks. Sucrose and saccharin-sweetened beverage intake led to an average weight increase of four pounds. Aspartame and stevia resulted in no weight change, whereas the sucralose group lost three pounds.⁸It is unclear whether switching to saccharin leads to long-term weight loss. Other weight loss strategies, like increasing exercise and muscle mass while consuming a balanced diet, are more effective.⁷

2. Saccharin Can Prevent Cavities

A review article including 19 studies shows that switching to saccharin-sweetened gum or soda reduces the risk of developing cavities in adults and children. Oral pH was less favorable for growth, so participants had fewer cavities and plaque when compared to those using sugar-sweetened soda and gum. Swapping from sugar-loaded drinks and gum to saccharin-sweetened versions is better for your dental health.⁹ 

3. There Is No Known Increase in Rates of Cancer

In the 1970s, research connected saccharin to bladder cancer in rats. More than 30 human research studies have since explored saccharin and its effect on the body, declaring it safe for human consumption. A large meta-analysis of 25 studies with 3,739,775 subjects found that the intake of artificial sweeteners had no apparent association with overall cancer incidence and mortality in the American participants but slightly increased risk in Europeans. The researchers concluded this is due to a higher intake of artificial sweeteners in Europe This extensive research did find a 13% increase in all-cause mortality with higher alternative sweetener intake.^{1, 10}

^‍Downsides

1. Saccharin May Impact Your Gut Bacteria Negatively

High artificial sweetener intake can alter the composition of gut bacteria, leading to worsened blood sugar control. Animal studies demonstrate this effect when rats consume more than the recommended amount of saccharin.On the other hand, existing human studies are less than 12 weeks long, involve healthy participants, and stay below the recommended intake recommendation, resulting in no significant changes in gut bacteria. Researchers share it is unclear to what extent saccharin (and other sweeteners) can negatively affect gut bacteria. More studies are needed, specifically on vulnerable populations with health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and those consuming high amounts or chronic intake of sweeteners.^{3, 4} 

2. It Can Lead To Impaired Glucose Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes

Most research has been done on rats, but small human studies have found that when consuming the upper limit of saccharin, glucose intolerance, and gut bacteria, changes were seen in four of the seven healthy adults.  Researchers suggest that each person has an individual response to sweeteners; some may have larger shifts in gut bacteria and glucose management than others.Another study involving 120 healthy adults found that 2 weeks of lower intake of saccharin, sucralose, or aspartame resulted in glucose intolerance in the saccharin and sucralose groups.^{3, 4} 

1. It May Increase the Risk of Stroke and Heart Disease

Research from 2019 on 81,714 post-menopausal women in the United States who were followed for five years revealed that women consuming at least two artificially sweetened beverages daily were at the highest risk for stroke and heart disease when compared to women consuming less than one artificially sweetened beverage a week.Researchers concluded that the women in the highest-consuming sweetener group had a 23% increased risk for stroke, 29% increased risk of coronary heart disease, and 16% increased risk of death for any cause. Women with a BMI greater than 30 and consuming high doses of artificially sweetened beverages had double the risk of ischemic stroke.¹¹‍

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href=sugar-substitutes-and-artificial-sweeteners-part-3>Are Artificial Sweeteners Worse Than Sugar?</a>.</div>

Saccharin Recommended Intake

The FDA established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for saccharin and all sweeteners. An ADI is the amount that is considered safe to consume each day throughout a person’s life.¹

Research on humans listed above included levels below the ADI for saccharin. 

The ADI for saccharin is 5mg per kilogram of body weight per day. For an adult weighing 180 pounds, this would equate to 409 mg of saccharin daily.^{1, 3}

The FDA has set a limit that beverages cannot contain more than 12 mg of saccharin per fluid ounce. A can of soda is typically 12 ounces, equating to a maximum of 144 mg of saccharin in a saccharin-sweetened diet soda.¹²   

Each packet of saccharin sweetener (Sweet’N Low) contains about 20 mg of saccharin.¹³

Four Alternatives to Saccharin

Saccharin is an intensely sweet substitute for sugar. Below are other sugar substitutes or sweeteners.

• Acesulfame potassium: This calorie-free, heat-stable sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is often used alongside other sweeteners in sodas like Diet Coke with Splenda, Coke Zero, Diet Mountain Dew, Sprite Zero, and Fresca.^{1, 3, 13} 
• Sucralose: This sweetener, or Splenda, is very popular, calorie-free, heat-stable, and 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is used alone to sweeten or with other sweeteners. Look for Splenda on the packaging.^{1, 3, 13}
• Aspartame: This sweetener is not heat stable, so it breaks down and loses its sweetness during cooking. It does contain some calories but is 200 times sweeter than sugar, allowing for less to be used overall. Aspartame is prevalent in many types of foods and beverages. Certain people who cannot digest phenylalanine should not use this sweetener.^{1, 3} 

The Bottom Line

Sugar sweeteners emerged as a potential sweet solution to reducing sugar intake. Over time, more research has shown undesirable or unknown side effects of saccharin and other sweeteners.

Saccharin provides an intensely sweet taste in a small amount, reducing sugar and calorie intake that may help with weight loss. 

However, consuming saccharin in large amounts or over a long period may lead to poor gut health, impaired glucose metabolism, and increased stroke or heart disease risk. 

The goal is to limit all sweeteners to promote a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, dairy, eggs, healthy fats, and lean meat or fish.

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<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn More: </strong><a href=stevia-vs-splenda>Stevia vs Splenda: Differences and Which Is Healthier</a>.</div>