The Scary Truth About Sugar Substitutes
#SugarBalancedLiving
Are artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet, Sugar Twin, and other lesser-known brands actually good for you? There's a lot of controversy surrounding the pros and cons of artificial sweeteners. A lot of the time they're celebrated for their low calorie content and supposed benefits when compared to sugar, but it turns out there's more to consider when jumping on the artificial sweetener bandwagon. In this post, we cover the details behind sweeteners like sugar alcohols, aspartame, stevia and more.
From cereal to coffee, tea, cookies, and even candies, you'll find a sugar-free option to satisfy your sweet-tooth craving if you look hard enough. Often, you'll find these sugar-free foods and drinks have been sweetened by some artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet, Sugar Twin, and other lesser-known brands.
Diet sodas, diet foods, and sugar-free edibles are everywhere, and because the aforementioned sweeteners have gained widespread acceptance, few people worry about the health effects of consuming artificial sweeteners. A majority of people has probably consumed an artificial sweetener at least once in their lifetime. I mean, artificial sweeteners are lower-calorie, aren‘t refined sugars, and are approved by the FDA, so they have to be good for you, right?
Artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes are often pushed as a way to literally have your cake and eat it too. But the thing is, artificial sweeteners are sugar-free, but at what cost?
While foods and drinks like sugar-free toffee squares and diet sodas are labeled for the health-conscious or diet consumer, once you look beyond their calorie-free and sugar-free appeal, you'll find concerning evidence that lurks behind these 'miracle' sugar substitutes.
After years of the diet industry telling us to avoid fats and opt for "fat-free" sugar-filled alternatives, the nutrition world is finally waking up to the fact that they had it all wrong.
However, with this new realization of the dangers of sugar consumption and the importance of eating healthy fats, people have begun to confuse healthy sugar-free alternatives, thanks to the tricky diet and health industry. Beware, you may look to sugar substitutes to satisfy your sweet tooth when cutting down on sugar, but some of those sweeteners might be doing you more harm than the sugar you are avoiding!
Today we're going to learn all about artificial sweetener‘s very notable downsides, what to avoid, and if you read all the way to the end of this article, I‘ll share the safest sugar-free natural sweetener.
What Is An Artificial Sweetener?
If you were to look up a general definition of what artificial sweeteners are, you'd see that artificial sweeteners are basically sugar substitutes which are defined as: a food additive that replicates (or attempts to replicate) the sweet flavor like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than other sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie or low-calorie sweetener.
Some sugar substitutes are produced naturally and some synthetically. Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes, but come from a variety of different sources including naturally occurring substances, such as herbs.
Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are much, much more intensly sweeter than regular sugar. But because of their little to no calorie appeal, artificial sweeteners can be very attractive alternatives to sugar.
Why Do People Use Artificial Sweeteners?!
Right now you might be thinking: if artificial sweeteners are dangerous, why would stores and companies sell them to the public? Well, you may have a slight point in a way. This is what makes this subject such a big problem.
Ever since they were first introduced to the public, artificial sweeteners have always been, and continue to be, riddled with controversy and misconceptions, with the biggest reason behind this having to do with the research behind these additives.
So, before we get into the cons and even risks of using artificial sweeteners, let's first understand how and why people use artificial sweeteners in the first place.
Artificial sweeteners have been marketed very cleverly. With health-conscious consumers beginning to wake up to the many dangers of sugar, artificial sweeteners seem like an easy and neat way to avoid many of the problems we encounter from consuming sugar, namely carbs, calories, and glycemic response (aka negative effects on your blood sugar) and still enjoy the sweet treats we know and love.
Basically, for those who need to keep tight control over their blood glucose levels like diabetics, or want to trim their intake of carbs and calories and as a result their pant sizes, artificial sweeteners can offer an alternative to going without sweets. It's a miracle, right? After all, artificial sweeteners seem to have all of the sweet and none of the negative consequences... problem solved.
While cutting back on added sugar and refined carbs is one of the healthiest choices we can make to our modern-day western diets, which are far too high in sugar (which in and of itself has led to giant increases in metabolic and insulin-related diseases and conditions like heart problems, obesity, and type 2 diabetes), sadly, sweet or not, artificial sweeteners aren’t sugar minus the downsides.
Of course, artificial sweeteners don't have the same downsides as sugar, but they do have their own downsides. And depending on circumstance and how they affect you, you may even find that those downsides are just as bad as the downsides associated with added sugars.
What Exactly Is The Problem With Artificial Sweetners?!
Alrighty, now we have the information we need to understand what they are and why there would be a widespan acceptance of artificial sweeteners even with the possible risk, let's start breaking down what makes artificial sweeteners in general 'not so sweet' and then we'll break it down even more and get into the failings of various specific artificial sweeteners brands that we all know and love!
It seems like an obvious conclusion... avoiding sugar and opting for diet food and drinks instead would have heart-healthy benefits. But this simply isn't true.
According to data shared by Healthline, new research has shown both those who consumed artificially sweetened beverages and those who drank regular sugar-sweetened beverages were both at elevated risk for coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular issues — while the study couldn’t show a connection proving that sweeteners directly caused disease, there was a scary association.
One of the biggest struggles we have when pinpointing exactly what's wrong with artificial sweeteners is that many artificial sweeteners have a history of questionable research and some artificial sweeteners simply don’t have any reliable long-term studies. Furthermore, often the only big studies available were being funded by the artificial sweetener manufacturers themselves, or in many other cases, there are just too many studies that conflict with one another.
When we talk about artificial sweeteners in general, we see that the most commonly reported problems with them are that they cause us to not only crave more but also eat more, can lead to abnormal pancreas functioning and insulin levels, and may cause digestive malfunctions.
Even though we can't taste the difference between sugar and artificial sweeteners, our brains and bodies can react differently to the variance.
Like I mentioned earlier artificial sweeteners are highly concentrated sweetness – and scientists have found evidence suggesting that some people even prefer the taste of artificial sugars over real ones. However, data suggests that your brain has a greater activation in response to real sugar rather than a common artificial sweetener like saccharin especially when someone is hungry.
When we consume sugar, our brain releases a set of chemicals such as dopamine (our happy hormone) which is what makes it feel so good when you eat when you are hungry, or snack on a cookie!
Sugar and Your Brain
Neurologically speaking, consuming sugar activates our reward pathways, which explains why we like the taste of sugar so much. Artificial sweeteners only partially activate reward pathways, because while they are sweet, helping to activate the happy hormones, they don't have the calories that we need for energy. This is harmful because artificial sweetener only semi-activating reward pathways causes us to overeat to feel satisfied, and make us crave even more sweetness later on.
Furthermore, although our brains and bodies process real and artificial sugars differently, a large amount of sweetness of any kind increases our brain’s tolerance for sweetness. Meaning you'll crave more calories and sugar because the brain has become tolerant to sweetness, which can lead to over-eating.
In a study conducted with rats, present research showed that intake of non-caloric sweeteners reduces the effectiveness of learned associations between sweet tastes and postingestive caloric outcomes (Experiment 1) and that interfering with this association may impair the ability of rats to regulate their intake of sweet, but not nonsweet, high-fat and high-calorie food (Experiment 2).
Additionally, while we may opt for artificial sweeteners because they don't spike our blood sugar levels, this may be a curse in disguise. Because artificial sweeteners do not increase blood sugar levels or insulin production, like real sugars do, they give the pancreas nearly nothing to respond to. This means that a regular consumption of artificial sweeteners may lead to abnormal pancreas functioning and insulin levels, and other metabolism-related malfunctions such as increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Your gut flora also reacts differently to artificial sweeteners than to real sugar.
Research conducted on mice has shown that the consumption of some artificial sweeteners led to changes in the gut microbiota that decreased the ability of the mice to digest sugars. This change in the microbiota is worrying because it can change the amount of nutrients our bodies can take out of the food we eat.
In another study, researchers fed healthy mice either water, water containing sugar (either glucose or sucrose), or water containing an artificial sweetener. Interestingly, the mice consuming artificial sweeteners developed glucose intolerance, but mice consuming sugar or plain water did not develop glucose intolerance. The researchers used three different types of artificial sweeteners: saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame, and each of these products led to marked glucose intolerance, with saccharin exerting the most pronounced effect.
Is Your Favorite Artificial Sweetener Bad For You?
Now we have a general idea of what effects an artificial sweetener can have on your body, let's now narrow down and get a little bit more specific about the risks of the most frequently used artificial sweeteners, to help you better understand what it is you’re actually putting into your body and whether you are choosing the best option for your health.
These sweeteners we'll be taking a look at are:
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett) 200 times sweeter than regular sugar
Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal) 200 times sweeter than regular sugar
Sucralose (Splenda) 600 times sweeter than regular sugar
Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low) 700 times sweeter than regular sugar
Neotame (Newtame) 13,000 times sweeter than regular sugar
Stevia (Stevia) 200-300 times sweeter than regular sugar
All of these artificial sweeteners we're about to talk about have been shown to have the effects we talked about above like causing you to crave more sugary foods and drinks, leading to changes in the gut microbiota, increasing your brain’s tolerance for sweetness, etc. I'm going to expand on the possible effects and help you identify the most common artificial sweetners.
1. Aspartame & Neotame (Found in: Equal, NutraSweet, Diet Coke, Sugar Twin Diet Pepsi)
Aspartame is probably the most widely used, yet hotly debated, sweetener on the market. The safety of this sweetener is under serious investigation. It's been accused of causing a whole host of different diseases and conditions from brain tumors to Parkinson's disease.
However, luckily, apsartame is one of the most heavily researched artificial sweeteners. While aspartame has been found to be safe by the regulatory agencies of 90 countries, since its approval in 1974, both FDA scientists and independent scientists have raised concerns about possible health effects and shortcomings in the science submitted to the FDA by the manufacturer, G.D. Searle.
Specifically pertaining to aspartame ingestion, it was reported to the FDA that consumption can cause a range of acute, chronic and potentially toxic effects, including:
• MS
• lupus
• seizures
• fibromyalgia
• depression
• memory loss
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain
• menstrual changes
• vision problems
• confusion
Another possible downside to aspartame is that, since aspartame is made up of only two amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine, with a methanol group on the end, it‘s not heat stable, and its amino acids may break down in high pH conditions, making it unsuitable for cooking and baking applications (as heat breaks down the chemical bonds).
Through hydrolysis (the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water) aspartame may produce methanol which is known to be highly toxic to humans, as it can metabolize within the body into the harmful compound, formaldehyde.
Additionally, the amino acid "phenylalanine" found in aspartame is known to be dangerous for people who suffer from the genetic condition called “phenylketonuria”, as they're unable to metabolize phenylalanine. This molecule can also be an issue for people with certain liver conditions or blood disorders. Also, it's important to note that "phenylalanine" can become a neurotoxin in anyone's body when in the presence of certain other of the body’s amino acids.
However, unless you suffer from phenylketonuria, liver conditions, or blood disorders, the safety board decided that it was unlikely a human would consume the amount of aspartame needed to trigger these health problems. And when talking about aspartame's lack of stability and high pH conditions, the stability can be improved with the addition of fat or maltodextrin, which most store-bought foods include.
But, in my researched opinion, there is too much conflicting information on this sweetener and while results may be controversial, I would prefer to err on the side of caution and avoid this sweetener or be sure to only consume a very small amount of it, as the risks are still very real and symptoms have been reported.
Alright, now let’s talk about neotame!
Neotame is based on aspartame but while the other sweeteners range from 200-700 times sweeter than sugar, neotame comes in at 13,000 times sweeter!
Neotame has been shown to share some of the same possible toxic properties with aspartame, and may even be worse, but it’s hard to say for sure just yet—since neotame is still considered the “new kid on the block.”
Neotame was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for general use in 2002, but it’s still not widely used in manufacturing and remains one of the most controversial sweeteners. More data is definitely needed to determine the long-term effects of neotame on the human body.
I would highly recommend just staying completely away from this sweetener, especially since, while both neotame and aspartame convert to formaldehyde when metabolized, the effects of neotame may be even worse because it includes 3-dimethylbutyl—one of the world’s most hazardous chemicals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
2. Acesulfame Potassium & Saccharin (Found in Sunett, Sweet One, Sweet Twin, Sweet N' Low, Necta Sweet)
Saccharin is also one of the oldest sugar substitutes in our modern food supply and was used during the two world wars when there were sugar shortages. It's heat stable which makes it okay for use in cooking, but it has been banned by some countries after lab tests indicated it could cause bladder cancer. However, it's still available in products and to buy in the United States.
In the United States before 2000, if a product contained saccharine they were required to carry a warning about potential hazard to your health. After some evidence has pointed out that the mechanism by which it caused cancer in rats doesn't exist in humans and inconclusive retesting, the labeling was repealed.
The fact that saccharin is still banned in some countries and the evidence on it is “inconclusive”, which means we still aren’t sure about the effects on humans, is concerning. Even with the insubstantial link between saccharin and bladder cancer, reports of headaches, skin irritation, respiratory problems, digestive discomfort, and even muscle dysfunction, still leave saccharin looking suspect.
Alright... acesulfame potassium...
Acesulfame potassium also known as Ace K is also another heat stable, calorie-free sweetener that is usually blended with other artificial sweeteners because it has one of the most authentic sugar tastes.
However, some concern has arisen about the fact that the carcinogen methylene chloride is used as a solvent in the manufacturing process, but levels are supposedly so low after the manufacturing process is over that they're undetectable.
Long-term exposure to methylene chloride can cause headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver effects, kidney effects, visual disturbances, and cancer in humans.
Some studies have shown ace K may be able to prompt insulin secretion, resulting in hypoglycemia. Some conflicting human studies have found that acesulfame potassium doesn't raise blood sugar or insulin, but studies on long-term use are lacking. Honestly, its risk-free health effects are dubious at best.
And while companies have released studies touting its safety, 92 percent of studies funded independently indicate the aspartame's adverse effects.
3. Sucralose (Found In Splenda, sugarless chewing gum, light yogurt, ice cream)
Sucralose is made out of sugar but is 600 times sweeter because it is instead created by replacing three of its hydrogen-oxygen groups on a sucrose molecule with chlorine atoms. This process also leads sucralose to contain far fewer (effectively so unimportant as to be not worth considering, in regular serving sizes) calories. And unlike many artificial sweeteners, it’s also heat-stable, which makes it ideal for home cooking.
Sucralose was first created in 1976 and approved for general use in 1999. However, there have been some concerns about sucralose. Sucralose is made through the chlorinization of sucrose. Chlorine is toxic, and some even claim that it is a carcinogen. Although, more research is needed for concrete evidence about the carcinogenic effects of sucralose.
However new studies suggest that it may have some effects on your metabolism. For some people, it may raise blood sugar and insulin levels.
One study found that if you consume sucralose, the risk of developing diabetes is strong with the daily consumption of diet soda being associated with a 36 percent greater risk of metabolic syndrome and a 67 percent greater risk of type 2 diabetes in the study.
Researchers even evaluated this occurrence with human subjects. Seventeen obese individuals who were insulin-sensitive took oral glucose tolerance tests after consuming either sucralose or water. This revealed that there was not only an increase in peak plasma glucose concentrations after consuming sucralose, but also that there was a 23 percent decrease in insulin sensitivity, which prevents glucose absorption in cells.
That means sucralose is among the unexpected diabetes triggers.
It may also damage the bacterial environment in your gut, but this needs to be studied in humans.
To answer the common question concerning sucralose and digestion and whether or not sucralose causes bloating? It certainly can, as it’s been linked to inflammatory conditions that affect your digestive system. And does sucralose make you poop? Well, it can increase inflammation and cause IBS symptoms in some serious cases.
Some people have reported side effects from consuming sucralose including headaches, abdominal cramping, weight gain, mood alteration, and fatigue and sucralose has been criticized by some as possibly causing long-term health problems, such as chronic immunological and neurological disorders.
More studies are needed, but for now, I'd just say it's definitely suspect, because why risk it?! If you are uncertain about the health effects of sucralose it is best just to avoid this product.
4. Sugar Alcohols (Various Types)
Sugar alcohols in general is a term for a class of polyols which are mainly a class of sugar derivatives where the alcohol is formed from the fermentation of the carbohydrate.
Sugar alcohols found in many drinks and foods labeled as “sugar-free” or “no sugar added” like mannitol, xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, and maltitol can cause some scary gastrointestinal side effects, like bloating, gas, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Your body cannot digest most sugar alcohols so they travel to the large intestine where they are metabolized by your gut bacteria.
For example, xylitol. The laxative effect of xylitol is so definite that in fact, it’s actually a part of the chemical formation of some over-the-counter laxatives.
The Healthier Sugar Substitute Choice: Stevia
Does all this depressing news about your favorite artificial sweeteners mean the end of all of your sugar-free healthy baking? Luckily, no.
For those days when you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, there is an option: Stevia, a herb native to Central and South America that is somewhat unique among sugar substitutes as it‘s not technically an “artificial” sweetener since this substitute is extracted from a plant but is still 'technically' a processed food because it's extracted.
Stevia is heat stable, has no bitter aftertaste, zero calories, zero carbohydrates, and seemingly none of the nasty side effects of artificial sweeteners.
Not to say stevia isn’t good, but it’s always nice to cover everything and have a little natural disclaimer. Stevia was banned from being sold in the European Union because of evidence from small animal tests that, in high doses, stevia increases the risk of certain cancers as well as male infertility.
However, supporters insist stevia is not only natural but also safe and the few human studies that were done seemed to vindicate the sweetener and The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer watchdog group, regards it as safe while still recommending further studies.
Personally, I'd say though, with the evidence I've seen and researched - stevia is probably the best option for substituting refined sugar for a natural sweetener in tea, coffee, cereal, and cake recipes – especially if you want it to actually be sugar-free.
Just be sure to note that because it tastes so sweet it should be used in moderation too, to avoid sugar cravings.
Also, be sure to read the labels carefully, and make sure it’s pure 100% stevia. Since most stevia products at the store contain one or more additives or cheaper sweeteners like erythritol or xylitol, in order to bulk up the product-stevia products. So, be sure to read the label and make sure to avoid those products.
Liquid stevia products may also be in a base of alcohol, so be sure to opt for an alcohol-free variety.
Sweetleaf stevia vanilla crème sweet drops is my favorite brand because it’s pure and doesn't have any nasty after taste (no, this isn’t sponsored, just my opinion). You can usually find it in health food stores or online.
The Bottom Line: Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad For You?
I hope this overview of artificial sweeteners has given you some oversight and answered some of your questions about them.
As you've probably concluded there is a lot of conflicting information and a ton of other studies and things that can be said about the different artificial sweeteners. But while we are constantly learning more, the information we've just been through should be a good start for understanding the risks, pros, and cons of artificial sweeteners.
We simply do not know enough about the long-term consumption of artificial sweeteners after a period of years and what we do know is risky.
What I know is that consuming artificial sweeteners should never be done in 'excess' and shouldn't be used as a replacement for sugar entirely, it could be dangerous. Over-consumption of artificial sugars can alter the body’s ability to process real sugar, and that can lead to negative health outcomes. So if you continue to use artificial sweeteners, moderation is important, but in many cases, honestly, you're better off just cutting back on sugar without replacing it with something artificial.
Choose fresh fruit over candy instead of some artificially sweetened version. Pure stevia-sweetened is the best alternative if wanna opt for a sugar-free version of something. And again if you do decide to keep indulging in artificial sweeteners, enjoy them in moderation, and in-frequently.
No matter what you decide after reading this though, the bottom line is that our western diets include far too much sugar and refined carbs and that needs to change. So I just wanted to say before you go, that even with all this craziness of deciding on sweeteners, I'm really proud that you’re still taking the steps forward for reducing sugar in your life, and create a sugar balanced lifestyle.
I know that sugar’s obsessive pull, including endless cravings, can make cutting down on high blood sugar level spiking and high fructose foods/drinks feel impossible, but you can defeat it.
You ARE strong and you can bust those nasty cravings and negative eating habits and live a happy healthy lifestyle without sugar controlling your diet. I’m so excited for you to start cutting down on sugar and getting your balance, that I've even put together some complete and really useful steps on cutting back sugar!
Learn my ‘essential’ steps to help you crush that frustrating and annoying sugar craving once and for all. This guide + worksheets will allow you to learn exactly how to live with a positive and not overly restricted sugar-balanced diet.