BEYOND THE LABEL: HEALTH CONCERNS OF ARTIFICIAL COLORS AND SWEETENERS

This review comprehensively discusses artificial sweeteners and food color additives from the perspective of safety, legislation, and health impacts. First, it provides background information about artificial sweeteners, including historical development, major compounds such as saccharin, aspartame, and cyclamate, and the introduction of new alternatives like rare sugars. Further, the review discusses the physiological effects of artificial sweeteners, which include potential harmful effects on blood glucose levels, obesity, gut microbiota, cardiovascular health, and carcinogenesis. Additionally, it goes into discussion of the safety and adverse impacts of food colorants-including the regulatory standards-and underlines that synthetic food colorants, such as tartrazine and rhodamine B, may pose health risks. It concludes by calling for prudent intake, especially in children and pregnant women, and continued research to inform evidence-based diet recommendations and regulatory policy.