Artificial Sweeteners & Sugar Substitutes

The Facts are NOT so Sweet

It can be hard to make sense of all of the advice you read and hear about artificial sweeteners. While some research suggests that replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners can help with calorie reduction and weight loss, other studies have found that the use of artificial sweeteners can lead to many negative health outcomes and should be avoided. In this article, we will help you understand the facts on this confusing topic.

What are Artificial Sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes that are much sweeter than sugar. They “trick” our taste buds into tasting a similar sweet flavor that we get when we eat sugar. You can use far less artificial sweetener compared to the amount of sugar for the same amount of sweetness, and they add virtually no calories. Even those advertised as “all-natural” are highly-processed food additives.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers the following artificial sweeteners to be “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS):

GENERIC NAME BRAND NAME
Aspartame Equal®, NutraSweet®, Sugar Twin®
Acesulfame-K Sunett®, Sweet One®
Saccharin Sweet’N Low®, Sweet Twin®, Necta Sweet®
Sucralose Splenda®
Neotame NewTame®
Advantame No brand names
Steviol glycosides Truvia®, Pure Via®

*** Note: Steviol glycosides are highly purified extracts of the stevia plant and are approved by the FDA. However, the FDA does NOT consider stevia leaf and crude stevia as GRAS, and these are not approved for use in food and beverages in the United States.

Are there benefits of artificial sweeteners?

We all know that we should limit the amount of added sugar we consume in the foods we eat and beverages we drink. The higher your intake of sugar, the higher your risk for serious health problems such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many other chronic health conditions. In 2018, the American Heart Association advised that short-term replacement of sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soft drinks, sweet tea, sports drinks, etc.) with artificially-sweetened versions of these drinks may be an effective strategy for calorie reduction and weight loss for some adults.

What are the risks of artificial sweeteners?

There is growing evidence to suggest negative health effects related to the use of artificial sweeteners including increased risk of:

Increased inflammation
Metabolic syndrome and obesity
Diabetes
Vascular events, such as stroke
Dementia

What does Health by Design recommend?

Without question, we know that limiting sugar, especially added sugar, AND limiting artificial sweeteners will lead to the best outcomes for your health and wellness.

Limit total sugar to no more than 50 grams per day (this includes fruit sugars and dairy sugars), with no more than half (25 grams) coming from added sugars. For reference, 1 tsp of sugar = 4g sugar. We also like myfitnesspal to track sugars in foods.
If you are going to sweeten your food or beverage, choose real, food-based sweetener that tastes best to you, such as granulated sugar or another natural sweetener such as honey, maple syrup, molasses, monk fruit, dates, beets, brown sugar, or raw sugar
If you choose to utilize artificial sweetener packets, limit to 3 or less packets a day.
Because current food labeling practices make it difficult to track the amount of artificial sweeteners in food, we recommend no more than 1 artificially sweetened food or drink per day.
If you drink sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages, make it your goal to switch to healthier options. Water is always the best choice for when you reach for something to drink, and most people should aim for eight 8-oz. glasses of water per day. Many sparkling waters offer a great alternative to regular and diet soda, but be sure to read the label and choose one with no artificial sweeteners or added sugars. Other options for non-artificially sweetened and non-caloric beverages include unsweet tea, herbal tea, and unsweetened coffee.

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