Fake Sugar: Are Artificial Sweeteners Good for You?

In an age of fad diets and shortcuts, artificial sweeteners offer a way to avoid sugar altogether. What are the different types of artificial sweeteners? And, are they really a healthy alternative?

What is an artificial sweetener?

Just as the name suggests, an artificial sweetener is a sugar substitute to make a product taste sweeter. The term "artificial sweetener," though, is a sort of umbrella term for all sugar substitutes, including sugar alcohols, fruits extracts, sugar extracts, and more. Sugar alcohols are often low-calorie or even zero-calories, so they are used by many diet-food companies. Additionally, foods such as ice cream often have xylitol for texture purposes. Artificial sweeteners are effective because they do not spike one's blood sugar as much as sugar does (an effect that often leads to the onset of pre-diabetes or diabetes mellitus). Read more about the effects of sugar here. Most are completely indigestible, making them "zero calorie."

It is important to recognize and understand the chemicals one consumes on the day-to-day as well as their effects one one's body as they become increasingly more popular. Odds are, you've noticed the signature "Sweet'N Low" packets offered next to the salt and pepper shakers on restaurant tables. Nowadays, most restaurants even offer a variety of these miniature packets of sweeteners, including, but not limited to: aspartame (blue), saccharin (pink), monk fruit extract (orange), sucralose (yellow), and stevia (green).

Here is a list of FDA approved artificial sweeteners. The administration does not consider sugar alcohols to be an artificial sweetener, though the two are often conflated in the food industry.

As seen in the attached images (excluding sugar alcohols), advantame is 20,000 times sweeter than sugar while acesulfame potassium and aspartame are just 200 times sweeter. Different food products call for different required intensities. For instance, a bread that would normally have 2g added sugar/serving may substitute with monk fruit (seen as luo han guo) as it is significantly less sweeter than alternatives. A diet donut, on the other hand, would require a much sweeter substitute, such as neotame or a sugar alcohol, perhaps.

List of artificial sweeteners:

"food additives"

aspartame
acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
sucralose
neotame
advantame
saccharin

"plant and fruit based sweeteners"

stevia
monk fruit
thaumatin

"sugar alcohols"

mannitol
sorbitol
xylitol
lactitol
isomalt
maltitol
hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH)

Sugar Alcohol Effect on Body

Though relative to sugar, all sugar alcohols have a lower glycemic index, they are not all one and the same. Maltitol, commonly used in gum, chocolate alternatives, and baked goods, have 2.4 calories/gram, spiking the blood sugar over a third as much as pure glucose. For reference, glucose (the purest form of sugar) has 4 calories/gram. On the other hand, erythritol has just 0.2 calories/gram, a value low enough to be categorized as "zero calories," with a glycemic index of nearly zero. It is most often found in protein bars, dessert alternatives, keto foods, and other diet foods - but in high amounts.

Because sugar alcohols are indigestible, it quite frankly goes in one end and out the other very quickly. Personally, I have IBS (Read more about the disorder here) and must always avoid any type of sugar alcohol for my digestive health. Though, everyone handles these sweeteners differently. After a painful and lengthy experimentation, I deduced each is death for my toilet; though my father never has any issue with foods heavy in artificial sweeteners. This anecdote just shows how individual the reaction to consuming these sugar substitutes can be.

Common Side Effects

More often than not, individuals do not notice any side effects from sugar substitutes. However, in high abundance, they can cause hormonal imbalances, leading to a slowed or quickened metabolism, inflammation, high blood sugar, an altered gut microbiome, and more. These symptoms directly affect one's day to day: mood, motivation, body composition, etc. Read more about the importance of nutrition here. More side effects include, but are not limited to, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, increased risk of cancer, increased appetite (and as a result, weight gain), headaches, and depression.

BEWARE: Consuming an excess of certain artificial sweeteners (especially higher calorie sugar alcohols) can lead to harmful side effects and even diabetes mellitus, a hormonal disorder commonly caused by consuming more sugar than the body's insulin can remove from the blood at a given time. Please consult a medical professional if you suffer from any of the above symptoms.

Is it good for me?

The bottom line is that, like most health-related topics, everyone handles it differently. For someone looking to lose weight in a sustainable way, artificial sweeteners provide an amazing means by which one can continue eating sweets without consuming sugar. Though, for others, it can cause more harm than good. If you are neither extreme, I recommend practicing balance, per my usual suggestion, and always reading the nutrition label to remain aware of what is in your foods. Stay healthy!

Written By: Siena

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