Acesulfame k

Studies in people

• Open question

  How much you eat¹

  In people, drinks with acesulfame-K and aspartame led to eating less than sugary drinks did.

• Open question

  Breast milk and infant exposure²

  Acesulfame K passes into breast milk after a mom drinks diet soda, but scientists do not yet know if it affects babies.

• Concern

  Early delivery risk³

  In people, eating more Acesulfame K may be linked to giving birth early, but scientists do not yet know for sure.

• Open question

  Sweeteners in breast milk⁵

  Acesulfame k passed from mothers' milk into babies' blood after they drank diet juice.

• Concern

  Gut bacteria in people⁶

  In young adults, drinking diet soda with acesulfame k changed the mix of gut bacteria after a week.

• Concern

  Fat tissue inflammation⁷

  In women, drinking diet soda with acesulfame-K changed genes tied to inflammation in belly fat.

• Benefit

  How much you eat next¹⁰

  In people, a drink with acesulfame K before a meal led to eating less overall than one with sugar.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar control¹¹

  In people without diabetes, two weeks of a soft drink with acesulfame K and aspartame did not change blood sugar or insulin.

Animal and lab studies only

• No harm found

  Cancer risk¹³

  In animal studies, acesulfame K showed no sign of causing cancer.

• Concern

  Sweetener and puberty timing¹⁴

  In animal studies, acesulfame K led to earlier puberty in rats.

• Concern

  Liver cancer immune evasion¹⁵

  In lab studies, acesulfame K helped liver cancer cells hide from the body's immune system.

• Concern

  Fatty liver disease¹⁶

  In animal studies, long-term acesulfame-K intake worsened fatty liver disease in mice fed a high-fat diet.

• Concern

  Heart artery plaque¹⁷

  In animal studies, acesulfame K worsened artery plaque in mice already fed a high-cholesterol diet.

• Concern

  DNA damage¹⁸

  In lab studies, acesulfame k bound to DNA, and 5 mg/mL killed 85% of HUVEC cells after 48 hours.

• Concern

  Cell toxin pump blocked¹⁹

  In lab studies, acesulfame K blocked P-glycoprotein, a pump that moves medicines and toxins out of cells.

• Concern

  Skin healing in babies²⁰

  In animal studies, acesulfame-k eaten by mothers during pregnancy changed how wounds healed in their babies' skin.

• Concern

  Additive mixture kidney harm²²

  In lab studies, acesulfame K with benzoic acid harmed kidney cells more together than alone.

How it’s made and used

• Sweetener intake in teens⁴

  Teens who ate sugar-free foods took in acesulfame K, but none went over the daily limit.

• Sweetener intake in children⁸

  Young children on a worst-case estimate took in more acesulfame-K than the recommended daily limit.

• Sweetener intake tracking⁹

  Acesulfame-K eaten by volunteers showed up in their urine, letting researchers estimate how much sweetener people actually consume.

• Bitter aftertaste¹²

  Acesulfame K switches on bitter taste sensors on the tongue, which may explain its bitter aftertaste.

• Bitter aftertaste of sweeteners²¹

  A cooling compound called (R)-(-)-carvone blocks the bitter taste that acesulfame K leaves behind.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1990

  Acceptable daily intake: up to 15 mg per kg of body weight.