Ingredient up to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar lurks in vapes popular with teens, study shows

Ice cream, lip gloss, and sparkling water are just a few of the products that can contain neotame — an artificial sweetener that’s 7,000-13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Now researchers have found it’s also in many flavored disposable e-cigarettes, which they warn gives them extra appeal to teens and kids.

The study, published Monday in JAMA, found neotame in all 11 of the popular disposable vape brands it tested, including Elf Bar, Breeze, and Mr. Fog. Neotame was also detected in vapes marketed as “zero-nicotine” or that used nicotine analogs. All of these vapes are technically illegal in the U.S., but remain widely available at many gas stations and convenience stores as well as online. The study did not find neotame in the four e-cigarettes it tested that are authorized for sale by the Food and Drug Administration, nor in Juul, which has an application pending with the FDA. 

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