Sweeteners, particularly potent sweeteners, are used to substitute the sweetness generally supplied by sugars in food without considerably increasing the amount of energy accessible. This allows customers to regulate their caloric or carbohydrate consumption. They help prevent and control disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. Therefore their inclusion in the diet can have positive consequences. Like other food additives, sweeteners are thoroughly analyzed for safety before being approved for use in food.

Animal studies in the 1970s raised the possibility that long-term use of artificial sweeteners could increase cancer risk. Several nations went so far as to ban outright the majority of the available goods to safeguard consumers. Over the following 40 years, we learned that the cancer-causing processes artificial sweeteners induce in mice and rats do not exist in the human population. Until recently, items like saccharin had warning labels to inform customers that they may be hazardous. Because of this earlier data, some families continue to refrain from using artificial sweeteners.