Sweeteners permitted in the European Union, Safety aspects

Sweeteners are substances with a sweet taste. Based on their relative sweetness compared to sucrose, sweeteners are divided into intense or bulk sweeteners. In the past, the Scientific Committee on Food was the scientific guarantor for the safety of food additives (including sweeteners) in use within the European Union (EU). At present, this responsibility lies with the European Food Safety Authority. Extensive scientific research has demonstrated the safety of all sweeteners permitted for food use in the EU. Their safety is documented by the results of several in vitro and in vivo animal studies, tests in humans, and in some cases epidemiological studies. Their safety has been evaluated through a risk assessment process covering hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk characterization. Permitted sweeteners have been allocated an acceptable daily intake (ADI), which is the amount of a food additive, expressed as mg/kg body weight, that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without incurring any appreciable health risk. ADI ‘‘acceptable’ ’ means that the expected exposure to the substance used in foods at the levels necessary to achieve desired technological effects does not represent a hazard to health. The consumption of sweeteners in the quantities within the ADI does not constitute a health hazard to consumers

Transgenic laboratory animal models in atherosclerosis research

Atherosclerosis and its clinical sequela coronary heart disease is a major cause of death in the modern world. It is caused by a complex interaction between genetical and environmental factors. Over the last decade the development of transgenic techniques and the isolation of human genes coding for proteins that directly interact with plasma lipids made it possible to create new transgenic animal models in atherosclerosis research. Several transgenic mouse lines have now been  established that overexpress many of the lipoprotein transport genes. Additionally, the technique of homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells has been used to knock out lipoprotein transport genes. The new models allow in Vivo investigation of over- or underexpression or total lack of different lipoprotein transport genes on development of atherosclerosis under controlled conditions. The models are a promising tool for studying the effect of drugs, diet and chosen environmental factors on atherosclerosis, and will facilitate thelunderstanding of the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic lesions

Blood lipids in young and adult Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic (WHHL) and adult normolipidemic rabbits — straln and sex dlfferences

The aim of this study was to examine blood lipids in homozygous WHHL rabbits from 11 to 23 weeks of life and to examine blood lipids of adult WHHL and normolipidetnic rabbits for strain and sex differences. In homozygous WHHL males plasma cholesterol did not change significantly from the 11th to 23rd week of age but their triglyceride level at 23 week of age was significantly lower (p<0.05) than at the 11th and 19th week of age. No significant changes with age were recorded for females apart from a transient increase in plasma cholesterol and triglycerides at the 19th week of age (p<0.05). The females had plasma cholesterol significantly higher than males at the 15th and 19th weeks of age (p<0.05) and the female triglyceride level was significantly lower than in males at the 11th week of age (p<0.05'). N0 sex difference was seen in blood lipids of 23 weeks old and adult homozygous WHHLS. The adult homozygous WHHL rabbits had significantly higher levels of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides compared to heterozygous WHHLS and normolipfiideniie rabbits due to significantly elevated LDL, VLDL and IDL (p<0.05). Blood lipids of aduh heterozygous WHHL and normolipidemic rabbits of different strains were comparable. The heterozygous WHHL females and females from the normolipidemic strains had a higher plasma cholesterol level than males

The rabbit in atherosclerosis research

The rabbit was the first animal model in atherosclerosis research and it has been the most popular species during the last nine decades despite some critique concerning the nature ofthe experimental atherosclerosis The rabbit fulfils a number ofpractical and biological criteria for being an ideal animal model tor human atherosclerosis. The shortcomings of the Classical rabbit model, the Cholesterol-fed rabbit, concerning the morphology of the lesions have been overcome. and new  genetic variants which offer expanded possibilities of exploring the relationship between lipid metabolism and development of atherosclerosis have been developed. At present the mostly used rabbit models are: the eholesterol-l‘ed rabbit. the Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbit, and St. Thomas’ Hospital rabbit Different study designs can be applied to the eholesterol-fed rabbit. Atherosclerosis in rabbit models can be evaluated by macroscopic, biochemical and microseopie methods

Extravascular lipid deposition and morphology of atherosclerosis in heterozygous WHHL rabbits fed vegetable (n-6) and marine (11-3) oils

The aim of this experiment was to test the cholesterol-fed heterozugous WHHL rabbit as a model for investigation of atherogenicity of different fats. Twentytwo rabbits of both sexes, 8—9.5 months old were randomized in 3 groups, and fed 100 g diet daily: cholesterol enriched standard diet (group I, n=8), cholesterol enriched diet with added vegetable (group II, n=7). or marine (group III, n=7) oils during 14 weeks. The vegetable oil (n-6 = 33 %, n—3 less than 1 %) and a marine oil(n-6 = 18 %, n-3 = 17 %) were adjusted to contain equal amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. One percent cholesterol in the diet caused a pronounced hypercholesterolemia which was significantly enhanced by addition of oils.The increase in total cholesterol was especially reflected in the increase in the VLDL concentration. The blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels were comparable between the two of fed groups apart from a transitory lowering in the marine oilfed rabbits. The atherosclerotie lesions caused by 1 % cholesterol in the diet were fibrous plaques and plaques with foam cells. The added oils aggravated the atherosclerosis caused by cholesterol. Based on morphological appearance of the aorticand coronary atherosclerosis the marine oil was more atherogcnic than the vegetable oil. In pulmonary arteries, however, the less severe atherosclerotic changes were found in the marine oil group. In this group no lipid infiltrations were seen in the myocardium but very severe infiltrations were seen in the liver. In the vegetable oil group these infiltrations were severe in the myocardium and less pronounced in the liver. The massive hypereholesterolemia and extravascular lipid deposition in different parenchymatous organs suggest that lower doses of dietary cholesterol should be used when the cholesterol-fed heterozygous WHHL rabbit is chosen to study the ellect ot'van'ous fats on blood lipids and developmentof atherosclerosis