Definition of Saccharin

Saccharin: An artificial sweetener which diluted in water is 200-700 times sweeter than the sugar sucrose. (The chemical name for saccharin is o-sulfabenzamide; 2,3-dihydro-3-oxobenzisosulfonazole).

The US government removed saccharin from its list of potential cancer-causing agents in 2000 because tests show that it causes bladder cancers in rats through a mechanism unrelated to human physiology. There is no evidence that it causes tumors in humans.