Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness

Newly FDA Approved Advantame is 20,000 Times Sweeter Than Sugar

Posted byBy S.C Rhyne | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Chemicals 1A new sugar substitute called advantame was approved on Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This high-intensity sweetener, can be used in baked goods, soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages, chewing gum, candies, frostings, frozen desserts, gelatins and puddings, jams and jellies, processed fruits and fruit juices, toppings and syrups.

It is approximately 20,000 times sweeter than sugar and an estimated 100 times sweeter than aspartame, according to the Calorie Control Council. All while adding few or no calories to the diet and has no apparent affect on blood-sugar levels.

“Sugar substitutes are called ‘high-intensity’ because small amounts pack a large punch when it comes to sweetness,” said Capt. Andrew Zajac, of the U.S. Public Health Service and director of the FDA’s division of petition review.

However the FDA cautions that advantage is chemically similar to aspartame (known by brand name Equal). People who have a genetic condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid or limit their use of aspartame. People with PKU have difficulty metabolizing phenylalanine, a component of both aspartame and advantame.

But since the amount of advantage needed to sweeten a beverage, for example, will be less, officials have decided not to put a warning on labels for people with PKU.

S.C. Rhyne is a blogger and novelist in New York City. Follow the author on Twitter @ReporterandGirl, http://Facebook.com/TheReporterandTheGirl and visit her website at http://www.SCRhyne.com

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top