Monk fruit extract blend sweeteners have hit the marketplace with a bang!

You’ve probably seen a major increase in advertising for monk fruit awareness since anything possibly having to do with weight control is always at a fever pitch in the January of any new year.

“No-cal” and “Low-Cal” sweetener blend products of all types continue to sell well across the globe, but companies are always looking for something “newer” to the marketplace to promote.

(Luo han guo image property of and used courtesy of the Fruit Species fruit blog).

A monkfruit.org website is launched, and television, print, as well as online advertising, etc. is abundant.

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In Part 1 of 2 in this blog post series, we addressed some infotainment after the release by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in conjunction with the American Heart Association (AHA) of a scientific statement relative to nonnutritive sweeteners that the press considered newsworthy.

(Sweetener image courtesy of wax114 at rgbstock.com)

On July 9, 2012,  the ADA/AHA scientific statement provided a current use and health perspective on Acesulfame-K, Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Stevia Glucosides, and Sucralose, which are 6 of the 7 nonnutritive sweeteners currently approved for use in the US by the FDA. The 7th nonnutritive sweetener also approved for use in the US by the FDA, luo han guo fruit extract, was not addressed in the scientific statement. At this time, certain other nonnutritive sweeteners such as Alitame, Cyclamates, Neohesperidine, and Thaumatin that are approved for use in the food supply in use in other parts of the world are NOT approved for use in the US as of the date of this blog post.

We noted in that Part 1 of 2 blog post that sweeteners fall into one of two major categories: Nutritive (which include sugar alcohols and various carbohydrates), or Nonnutritive.

Nutritive sweeteners can occur naturally in food items or can be added during food preparation or processing. They include carbohydrate as well as sugar alcohol forms.

Unlike nonnutritive sweeteners, nutritive sweeteners refer to sweetening products that contribute calories to the diet.

Some of these nutritive sweeteners are obviously alternatives to the most common table sugar (i.e. sucrose). These carbohydrate based nutritive sweeteners (NOT sugar alcohols) typically provide close to 4 calories per gram of product consumed. The sugar alcohol based nutritive sweeteners, on the other hand, are types of polyols formed from the partial breakdown and hydrogenation of edible starches. Sugar alcohols are sweet, but contribute ~ 0.2-2.6 calories per gram of product consumed.

In this Part 2 of 2 in this blog series, let’s review through infotainment some of what has been written about various nutritive sweeteners focusing on evidence-based facts and dispelling some fictional myths.

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Sweeteners fall into one of two major categories: Nutritive (which provide calories since they are either sugar alcohols or various carbohydrates), or Nonnutritive (which in their pure state do not provide any calories).

There are products within each of the sweetener categories available for direct consumer purchase (possibly as liquids in bottles, as tablets, in packets, or in various “bulk bags”), or which are added by manufacturers during food manufacturing and processing (which should be noted on a product ingredient label). (Sweetener image courtesy of wax114 at rgbstock.com)

A lot of controversy exists concerning all the various types of sweeteners.

Health agencies and organizations try to zero in on the implications for use of various sweeteners as it affects the health of the general public.

You may have heard or read in the media that the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Heart Association (AHA) jointly released a scientific statement just this week on July 9, 2012, addressing 6 nonnutritive sweeteners currently in use in the USA (Acesulfame-K, Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Stevia Glucosides, and Sucralose). A 7th nonnutritive sweetener also approved for use in the US by the FDA, luo han guo fruit extract, was not addressed in the scientific statement.

There are additional details about nonnutritive sweeteners in general and those that were specifically mentioned in the ADA/AHA scientific statement which might be of interest to you, your family and your friends.

Let’s share some additional, practical infotainment perspectives on the role of various types of sweeteners in your food supply.

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