Many people want to follow a balanced diet, whether to maintain the body in general, to lose weight, or even to control some diseases, and they usually look for alternatives to natural white sugar, to avoid its damage to the body, and among the widespread alternatives is saccharin sugar, what Is this kind of sugar? What are its most important uses? And is it safe? Get to know us from this article about all the information related to this sugar and its benefits.

What is saccharin?

Saccharin is one of the most popular types of non-nutritive artificial sweeteners, popular for containing zero calories and being used as a sugar substitute in cooking, or as a flavoring sweetener in low-calorie processed foods such as fruit juices and desserts.

This type of sugar is made through several chemical processes that include substances such as toluene or anthranilic acid as the basic materials. This type of sweetener is sold under different trade names, and it is found in many different foods to cover the metallic taste in the mouth that sometimes appears after eating it.

The benefits of saccharin

The benefits of this sugar include:

• Its number one significance is that it is a zero-calorie artificial sweetener.
• It can be used as a sweetening agent in beverages and juices.
• It can be used as a substitute for sugar in many cooking and recipes.
• Use to improve the taste in chewable multivitamin and mineral pills.
• It is used to retain taste in some types of chewing gum.
• It is used to improve the flavor and taste of some bakery products.
• It can help prevent cavities, as this sugar does not ferment in the mouth, unlike regular sugar, which helps prevent any acids from spreading inside the mouth that destroy tooth enamel.
• The body cannot metabolize saccharin, which means that consuming it does not add any energy to the body, nor does it contain any carbohydrates or calories as we mentioned before, which makes it a suitable option for many health conditions.
• It can help regulate blood sugar, since the body cannot metabolize it, so the blood sugar level will not rise after eating it.

Benefits of saccharin for diet

Saccharin can help in losing weight, as it does not contain any calories as we mentioned, and using it instead of refined sugar can help prevent obesity, so some experts recommend eating foods that contain this sugar, which are low in calories, to control in daily caloric intake.

The best kind of saccharin

There are several trade names for saccharin, and it is usually available in three forms:

• Acidic saccharin or saccharic acid.
• Calcium saccharin.
• Sodium saccharin.

Despite the taste it leaves in the mouth after eating it, sodium saccharin is the most popular type used in the available artificial sweeteners.

The harm of saccharin

In the late seventies, controversy spread over the safety of saccharin due to its association with the possibility of developing some forms of bladder cancer as a result of some animal experiments, which prompted the authorities to oblige manufacturers to place a warning on all products related to it, until its safety in humans is proven.

The FDA banned the use of saccharin and its products permanently for a period, but in 2000 the National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health decided to lift this ban and all warnings on this sugar and its products, and declare the safety of this product if used in the recommended quantities and doses (dose). The current recommended intake is less than 2.3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day).

After these opinions, most health authorities agreed on the safety of this product, but its popularity decreased and many tended to use other types of artificial sweeteners.

The effects of saccharin for diabetics

Some studies and experiments have indicated that consuming large amounts of this type of artificial sugar can negatively affect the balance of bacteria in the intestine, and any change in gut bacteria usually leads to type 2 diabetes or exacerbates the condition if it is present, in addition to infection. Obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes.

What are saccharin pills?

Saccharin sugar is the main component of these pills, and this type of pill can be prescribed to some diabetics, given that its constituent substances pass directly from the intestine without the need for digestion.

Although this sugar does not contain any energy, it can help release insulin due to its sugary taste, but it usually does not cause a rise in blood sugar, which makes it suitable for some diabetics, but it is highly recommended that you consult a doctor before consuming this type of pill to see how safe it is.