Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, acesulfame K)

Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, acesulfame K)

Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, acesulfame K)

What is it:

Acesulfame potassium is a zero-calorie sweetener that is added to many sugar-free foods and beverages. It can also be found under the brand names  Sunett® and Sweet One®. It is made by combining acetoacetic acid and potassium through chemical synthesis and is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar. Acesulfame potassium is not metabolized by the body and is excreted through the kidneys unchanged.

Rating:

It has been reported that early studies supporting the safety of acesulfame potassium were poorly conducted. While some studies suggest that acesulfame potassium can help with weight loss, others suggest that consumption of it may negatively affect metabolic parameters, cognitive factors, and the microbial composition of the microbiome.

Resources:

  1. Acesulfame potassium affects microbiome and weight of mice (animal study) 
  2. Acesulfame potassium safety tests may have been inadequate 
  3. Acesulfame potassium may affect neurometabolic functions in mice (animal study)  
  4. Using acesulfame potassium instead of sugar may benefit weight loss (a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies)
  5. Mechanisms for how non-nutritive sweeteners may affect metabolic factors 
  6. General information on acesulfame potassium 
  7. Acesulfame potassium associated with increased cancer risk (population-based cohort study)

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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