Artificial, or nonnutritive, sweeteners are added to all types of foods including gum, candy, sweets, soft drinks, and even to some over-the-counter medications. If you are trying to avoid these sweeteners or limit your consumption, read labels closely. Artificial sweeteners that are classified as “generally recognized as safe” are acceptable to use during pregnancy in moderation. However, the main health issue behind the use of artificial sweeteners is that they might encourage you to opt out of more nutritious foods. For example, if you drink gallons of diet soft drinks, you may not be drinking other more nutritious beverages such as water, milk, and juice that can be more beneficial. The other concern is that foods with artificial sweeteners are usually lower in calories, and pregnancy is not the time to be eating very low-calorie foods. Artificial sweeteners can be useful to pregnant women who have diabetes.

Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is found in popular products such as NutraSweet, Equal, and most diet soft drinks. This sweetener has not been shown to cause birth defects, and the FDA considers moderate use during pregnancy to be safe.

Aspartame is a concern for women with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder. Aspartame contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that is toxic for people with PKU. Women with PKU cannot break down phenylalanine, which can cause high levels in the mother's blood and may affect the developing fetus. Women who have the PKU gene, but not the disease, can break down aspartame well enough to keep from causing harm to their babies. If you have PKU, you should not consume aspartame. All products that contain aspartame have a phenylalanine warning label.

Saccharin

With all of the artificial sweeteners now on the market today, saccharin is much less commonly used. Saccharin is an artificial sweetener that is found in products such as Sweet 'n Low and some diet soft drinks as well as some over-the-counter medications. Saccharin was recently removed from the government's list of possible carcinogens after years of research. However, saccharin still carries a warning label until the FDA or Congress removes it.

Saccharin can cross the placenta and enter the baby's bloodstream. Research has shown that a baby clears saccharin from the bloodstream more slowly than the mother does. Whether this causes harm to the fetus or not is still a controversial issue. Some doctors may ban saccharin from their patient's diets. Because of the controversial and unknown safety of saccharin and unborn babies, it is suggested that saccharin be ingested in moderation if at all during pregnancy. Although there has been no concrete evidence that this sweetener is harmful to you or your baby, it is important to weigh the facts, speak to your doctor, and make your own personal decision.

Acesulfame-K

Acesulfame-K is one of the newer artificial sweeteners on the market. Acesulfame-K is marketed under the name Sunette. Acesulfame-K has recently been used in the product Pepsi One, which also includes aspartame, as well as candy, baked goods, desserts, and tabletop sweeteners such as Sweet One. The use of acesulfame-K within FDA guidelines appears safe for use during pregnancy.

Sucralose

Sucralose is one of the newest low-calorie sweeteners on the market and is the generic name for the product called Splenda. It was only approved by the FDA in 1998. This sweetener is actually made from sugar, but unlike sugar, it is not recognized as a carbohydrate during food digestion or absorption. The sweetener is not digested, absorbed, or metabolized for energy, so it does not affect blood sugar or insulin. Instead, sucralose basically passes through the body unchanged. Splenda can be found in many different products and is also packaged as a tabletop sweetener. Sucralose, or Splenda, is safe for pregnant women to consume, and as with other sweeteners it is best used in moderation.

The safety of FDA-approved nonnutritive sweeteners is expressed in terms of acceptable daily intake (ADI). This measure reflects the estimated amount per kilogram of body weight that a person can safely consume every day over a lifetime without health risk.

*Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 will equal kilograms of body weight.