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Saccharin: the master manipulator 👅
300 times more sweeter than sugar, but no use!
Its real name is Benzoic Sulfimide and is also known by the name as artificial sweetener. It is widely used in many processed foods as it just gives the sweet taste and doesn’t contribute to any calorie addition to the body. No calorie addition also implies that the body gets no energy out of it. It is a master manipulator as it fools our brain into thinking that we have consumed a really energy rich food but in fact it only gave us a momentary sensual pleasure of sweet taste.
Why do we feel saccharin more sweeter than natural sugar?
Our tongue has various receptors to sense the different types of taste like bitter, sweet, sour, salt and umami. Each of these taste receptors also have sub receptors which based on the type of food molecule can increase or decrease the quality of taste perception. Artificial sweeteners since they have their molecular structure so different from natural sugar, their binding with the sweet receptors are more aggressive and hence they taste more sweeter.
Why saccharine is bad for you?
Although the carcinogenic (cancer causing) effects of saccharine are debatable as it is made from hydrocarbon(toluene) and in some earlier studies it was found to be carcinogenic but in later studies those were refuted by the…