Sodium saccharinate: benefit and harm

Still some 130 years ago the world also did not know about the possibility to eat sweet without the content of sugar proper. But with the invention of the first sugar substitute, namely saccharin, the popularity of these additives is steadily growing. But along with it, there is growing anxiety, because the consumer is constantly being frightened by the harm of synthetic sweeteners, the main one being sodium saccharinate. Benefits and harms him - on different scales, where balancing the problems of obese people or diabetics and the risk of cancer from using saccharin. In fact, the devil is not so terrible as he is painted, and it is better to understand the question more deeply.

What are sweeteners

They are also called sweeteners, and the meaning of their use is reduced to giving a meal or drink a sweet taste without the harm and calories that carry ordinary cane or sugar beet.

All sugar substitutes are divided into two groups:

• Natural, or sugar alcohols - they are harmless, but very caloric, which means they will not suit people who are concerned about the problem of weight loss;
• Synthetic amino acids - they do not have calories and are hundreds of times sweeter than ordinary sugar, it's bad that many of them are accused of provoking serious illnesses.

Saccharinat belongs to the second group, and further we will get acquainted with it in detail.

What it is

Saccharin, it is also sodium saccharinate, it is sodium saccharinate, it's E 954, is a synthetic sweetener that looks like a white, crystalline powder without a smell. It dissolves well in water, is resistant to high temperatures and does not dissolve in hot tea or baking, and it also does not contain any calories and sweeter than normal sugar in ... 450 times.

A characteristic feature of saccharin is that it gives the sweetened product a characteristic metallic taste. Many do not like it, but today there are analogues without this taste. Often, a product is sold, 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 is eliminated from the body almost unchanged. There are studies, however, they are not confirmed definitively that saccharin exerts bactericidal action.

History of invention

The history of this sweetener is full of interesting twists and turns. Despite the fact that the additive was invented in the US and came to Russia from there, its inventor was the native of Tambov Konstantin Falberg. He worked in the laboratory of the American chemist Aira Remsen, where he was engaged in the production of toluene from coal. One day after work, he dined with his wife and noticed that the bread has a sweetish taste. But the same bread in the hands of his wife was quite ordinary. It became clear that toluene, left 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 should be noted 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 works on the subject of saccharine, and in 1885 a patent was obtained for the production of this substance.

Since 1900, saccharin has been advertised as a substitute for sugar for diabetics, which, of course, was not liked by the manufacturer of a natural product. The reverse campaign began, propagating the harm of saccharin as causing damage to internal organs of matter. The 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 drive fear into consumers, and the wave of popularity of saccharin in America (namely, the States were the main consumer of the additive) fell. But two world wars in a row once again returned the saccharine to our life - in the course of military operations the production of sugar was significantly reduced, and the sweetener, which was significantly cheaper, entered people's lives even more firmly.

His fate was again threatened, as scientists were able to develop cancer in experimental mice, feeding them the amount of saccharin that corresponds to 350 cans of soda, sweetened by him. These experiments questioned the feasibility of selling an additive, but none of the other groups of scientists could repeat these studies. So saccharin remained on the shelves of shops and today is allowed almost all over the world, since it is considered safe for health. If you use it in reasonable doses, of course.

Harmful saccharinate

Despite the official sanction of saccharinate, many people 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 is studied more than others.

Recommended and the maximum daily dose of this substance is 5 mg per 1 kg of your weight, so that if not exceed the norm, the use of saccharin will be safe.

However, you can not completely exclude sugar from the diet, only if you are not a diabetic. It participates in many metabolic processes, and its complete absence can harm the body. Therefore, if you do not suffer from diabetes, do not use saccharin as an alternative to regular sugar daily.

To eliminate an unpleasant bitterish taste, sodium saccharinate is often mixed with cyclamate. Cyclamate sodium harm can cause more serious - it is contraindicated in renal failure. Also, all sweeteners have choleretic effect, and if you have problems with biliary tract, do not eat these foods. And in general, any sugar substitutes should be taken 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 use can cause harm to health. Especially it concerns children and teenagers who can drink lemonades literally liter, which affects later, for example, on the prostate gland.

Benefit

As such, self-serving sodium saccharinate does not bring the body, since it has no nutritional value. However, it is indirectly useful to the body due to the replacement of ordinary sugar. This is important in the first place for people with diabetes. This disease consists in the fact that due to the broken metabolism, the sugar ceases to be absorbed, and its overabundance remains in the blood. The sweetener gives a sensation of sweetness, but is completely eliminated from the body, without exacerbating the patient's condition.

Another plus of a sweetener is that it does not lead to caries, unlike conventional sugar. However, proper oral hygiene and no abuse of sweetness will give the same effect.

Sodium saccharin for weight loss

Despite the fact that scientists and doctors basically recommend sugar substitutes, including sodium saccharinate, for diabetes, they are often used for weight loss. And it's not just about treating obesity, but also about the periodic diets on which almost every woman sits.

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 sweet. When this is an ordinary 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 arrival of sweet all the same goes. Then our body begins to store carbohydrates and, as soon as it receives real sugar, produces more than necessary, the amount of insulin. The result is the deposition of fats. Therefore, if you are on a diet, try to get used to drinks and baking either completely without sugar, or with a minimum amount of a natural product.

Alternatives to Saccharin

There are other sweeteners, more modern and in some ways less harmful. So, stevia is considered the best non-nutritive sweetener. This vegetable sugar substitute, which is unconditionally recognized as not harmful.

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

Application of sodium saccharinate

Due to the fact that saccharin remains stable during freezing and during high-temperature processing (during frying and baking), and also because 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 beverages And that it is a sin to conceal, in order to reduce the cost of production. So, saccharin is a frequent ingredient in chewing gum, soft drinks and lemonades, bakery products, jams, and canned fruits.

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

Saccharinate as a substitute for sugar

In addition to the addition of saccharinate in the production process, very often sweeteners are produced based on it, which are recommended for diabetics and for obese patients. Both of them need to limit the consumption of sugar, and sweeteners in this help a lot.

If you want to buy exactly the saccharinate, look for it on the shelves of the shops "Sukrasit". It is an Israeli-made sweetener in tablets (300 and 1200 pieces per pack). One tiny tablet is equal to one spoonful of sugar. "Sukrasit" contains auxiliary substances: sodium saccharinate is supplemented with baking soda to better dissolve the tablet in water and fumaric acid - acidifier to suppress the bitter taste of saccharinate.

Another option - sweetener "Milford SUSS" of German production. It is available in the form of tablets for sweetening tea or coffee and in liquid form for addition to jam, pastries, compotes and desserts. , фруктоза и сорбитовая кислота. Here to improve the taste, sodium cyclamate e952, sodium saccharinate e954 , fructose and sorbitic acid are mixed.

A similar composition is also found in 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 life, and we often use it without noticing it, since this additive is present in many products, for example, in market bread or lemonade. Still, it's easier to make a decision about using this supplement if you know the possible risks.