More than 5 grams of artificial sweetener saccharin a day can be fatal: Doctors

Consuming more than 5 grams of saccharin an artificial sweetener known to be about 300400 times sweeter than regular sugar with zero calories a day can be fatal but sudden deaths due to artificial sweeteners have not been reported yet contended doctors on TuesdayThey reacted to the tragic case of a 10yearold girl in Punjabs Patiala who died last month after eating her birthday cake which was reportedly baked with a high concentration of saccharinThe girls entire family also fell ill after consuming the chocolate cake purchased onlineldquoIn normal quantities saccharin is not fatal but high quantities especially more than five grams a day would be very fatal And this could be a part of any preparation which is not properly mixedrdquo Dr M Wali senior consultant Department of Medicine Sir Ganga Ram Hospital saidldquoThere are no published or documented reports of humans suddenly dying from lsquohigh levels of saccharin consumptionrsquo There are no empirical evidencebased reports on sudden death due to saccharine in animal models or human beingsrdquo added Dr Abby Philips a hepatologist in a post on XldquoSaccharine and other artificial sweeteners are generally considered safe and have undergone extensive trials which showcase safety as additives in food products It is ok for you to use them in their recommended intakerdquo explained Dr Abby popularly known as the liver doctor on XSaccharin sodium is among the six artificial sweeteners aspartame acesulfame potassium sucralose neotame and isomaltulose approved ldquoto be used in foodrdquo products by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India FSSAIBased on the available scientific evidence saccharin is also deemed ldquosafe for the general population under certain conditions of userdquo by the US Food and Drug AdministrationHowever Dr Tushar Tayal Lead Consultant Department of Internal Medicine CK Birla Hospital Gurugram told IANS that ldquoresearch suggests that artificial sweeteners can disrupt bacteriarsquos delicate balance in the digestive system and encourage types of bacteria that can raise glucose intolerance leading to an increased risk of metabolic disorders such as obesity cancer and diabetesrdquoDr Wali noted that commonly people who consume these sweeteners including saccharin experience very severe headachesBut in the case of the young girl ldquoshe would have consumed the portion of the cake which might have an accidentally high concentration of saccharinerdquo He suggested ldquoavoiding artificial sweeteners at all costsrdquoYet the question remains How much of the cake did the young girl consumeldquoAcute saccharine toxicity leading to sudden death in the child is highly assumptious and adulteration contamination or other causes deliberate or unintentional must be soughtrdquo the liver doctor saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever