I do not recommend using Ace-K (acesulfame potassium) as a sweetener because it is manufactured with methylene chloride, a carcinogen. On page 249 in my book Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not?, I include the FDA report on Ace-K, and I write that the methylene chloride is used as a solvent in the initial manufacturing of the sweetener.
Q: Sorbitol Or Ace-K
What is your view on sorbitol? Is it safe or just as bad as aspartame?
And what about acesulfame potassium?
Thank you.
A: From Dr. Hull
I am asked A LOT if the sugar alcohols (sorbitol) are safe sweeteners.
Well, I am not a fan of sugar alcohols because they have been extracted from their natural sources. Sugar alcohols are actually made from sugar; they are not a form of sugar at all.
Part of their structure chemically resembles sugar and part is similar to alcohol – hence, sugar alcohol. To complicate matters more, these sweeteners are neither sugars nor alcohols. In marketed products, they are best described as a sugar byproduct.
To me, sugar alcohols fall into a “grey area” in the sweetener arena because they are actually carbohydrates (starches) more than they are sugars. They are typically used cup-for-cup in the same amount as refined sugar, but they each vary in sweetness, ranging from half as sweet to as sweet as sugar.
So, this makes them if-y in my book, and whether they are right for you depends upon your individual circumstances.
Sorbitol
Sorbitol is readily converted in the body to fructose and glucose. The problem with this sweetener is it is slowly absorbed from the intestines and may produce a laxative or gaseous effect, and may affect blood sugar levels more than the other sugar alcohols, so it may not be the best choice for diabetics.
Sorbitol is a simple carb 60 percent as sweet as sucrose. Excessive consumption of more than 50 to 80 grams a day may have a laxative effect. It is called a nutritive sweetener because it actually has four calories in every gram, just like table sugar.
Sorbitol seems safe because it is found naturally in fruits, so it is used as an ingredient in many sugar-free gums, sugar-free breath mints and dietetic candies.
Did you know that sorbitol is also produced by your body? Too much sorbitol in your cells can cause damage, though. Diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy may be related to too much sorbitol in the cells of the eyes and nerves.
This is important!
And here is a word of caution if you have IBS or similar health issues: these foods contain sugars that are absorbed slowly, such as fructose in fruit juice or sorbitol in low-calorie sweets. Through a process called osmosis, these unabsorbed sugars hold onto water in the intestines, which sometimes leads to diarrhea.
By reading labels, people with chronic non-infectious diarrhea can easily avoid fruit juice, fructose and sorbitol to see if this eliminates the problem.
So, to answer your question, I wouldn’t use it as my choice. I’d use stevia, unprocessed sugar, or no added sugar at all.
Ace-K (acesulfame potassium)
I do not recommend using Ace-K itself as a sweetener because it is manufactured with methylene chloride, a carcinogen. On page 249 in my book Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not?, I include the FDA report on Ace-K, and write that the methylene chloride is used as a solvent in the initial manufacturing of the sweetener.
Bottomline – avoid these alternative sweeteners.
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