What is the safest artificial sweetener?

All artificial sweeteners currently approved by the Federal Drug Administration are safe for human consumption, unless a person has phenylketonuria, according to the FDA and WebMD. Reasonable use of food products containing sugar substitutes is a safe alternative to sugar consumption.

Persons with PKU should avoid advantame, aspartame (the sweetener in Equal or NutraSweet), and phenylalanine. Saccharin, once blamed for causing many types of cancer, is now considered safe as long as it is not consumed in excessive amounts over long periods of time. Consumers who use artificially sweetened products should consider important nutrition facts, such as fats, carbohydrates and calories.