Saccharin

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Saccharin

Saccharin (/ˈsækərɪn/; from the Greek sakcharon, meaning "sugar") is an artificial sweetener with effectively no food energy. It is about 300–400 times as sweet as sucrose but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations.

History

Saccharin was discovered in 1879 by chemists Ira Remsen and Constantin Fahlberg at Johns Hopkins University. While working on coal tar derivatives, Fahlberg noticed a sweet taste on his hand one evening, and connected this with the compound benzoic sulfimide on which he had been working that day.

Uses

Saccharin is used to sweeten products such as drinks, candies, cookies, and medicines. It is also used in cosmetic products, vitamins, and pharmaceuticals.

Health Effects

In the 1970s, studies performed on laboratory rats found an association between consumption of high doses of saccharin and the development of bladder cancer. However, further research has indicated that these results apply only to rats and not to humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded that saccharin is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.

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