The Sweet Truth About Sugar Substitutes: Healthy or Harmful?

It’s a fact: too much sugar in your diet is a bad thing, but that hasn’t stopped most of us from eating sugar in excess. The average person consumes 17 teaspoons (68 grams) of added sugar daily. That’s three times more than experts recommend, increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

But are artificial sugars and sugar substitutes the answer? These food additives help satisfy your sweet tooth without adding calories. However, their healthfulness is widely debated.

To help you cut through the confusion and make the best choice for your weight loss journey, let’s examine the facts.

Types of Sugar Substitutes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved using various sugar substitutes in products like diet soda, cereals, packaged snacks and desserts. They typically fall into one of two categories:

Artificial sugar substitutes are made from chemical sources. Common types include:

• Aspartame (Equal ®)
• Acelfuame K (Sunett ®)
• Saccharin (Sweet‘N Low ®)
• Sucralose (Splenda ®)

Natural sugar substitutes are made from plant sources and may contain minimal calories. These include:

• Stevia
• Monk Fruit
• Sugar Alcohols (mannitol, erythritol, sorbitol)

Each sugar substitute varies in sweetness and how the body digests it, adding complexity to their study.

Do Sugar Substitutes Help With Weight Loss?

Using sugar substitutes in place of high-sugar foods may help reduce calorie intake, leading to weight loss. However, only when used in moderation as part of an overall healthful diet.

Calorie-free sugar substitutes might seem like a great weight loss solution, but it’s not that simple. While they can cut calories, using them too much might backfire.

Some studies have found that frequent diet drink consumption could lead to weight gain. How? Critics say the intense sweetness might make you crave more sweet foods, leading to overeating.

On the other hand, a recent review of multiple studies found that swapping just one sugary drink with a diet version helped overweight people lose about four pounds on average. Plus, this review showed sugar substitute use did not affect appetite, cravings or calorie intake.

So, are sugar substitutes the secret to weight loss? No, but they might help a little if used occasionally as part of a balanced diet and active lifestyle.

Health Implications of Sugar Substitutes

While sugar substitutes may offer small but helpful benefits to your weight loss journey, are there any downsides? Let’s review some FAQs on the health impacts of using sugar substitutes.

Do sugar substitutes cause cancer?

The debate over a possible link between sugar substitutes like aspartame and cancer has flared up again, with the World Health Organization (WHO) recently listing aspartame as a possible carcinogen. Does this mean you should stop drinking diet soda?

First, it’s worth noting that many long-term studies have found no connection between cancer and sugar substitutes within recommended amounts.

For context, the WHO’s maximum recommended intake for aspartame would equal about 12 cans of diet soda daily for a 130-pound person – far more than most people would consume.

So why the concern? Some studies have noted that people who develop certain cancers also use sugar substitutes. However, these findings don’t mean that diet sodas cause cancer. Other lifestyle factors might be involved, or the observations could be due to chance or bias.

Ultimately, the WHO wants to encourage further monitoring and research on this topic.

In the meantime, both the WHO’s committee on food additives and the FDA have reassured that sugar substitutes are safe within currently recommended intake amounts. The main takeaway? Keep enjoying your diet beverages, but like anything else, moderation is key.

Do sugar substitutes increase the risk of developing diabetes?

Some studies have noticed that people who consume a lot of sugar substitutes seem to have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. But that doesn’t mean the sugar substitutes are to blame. People who end up with diabetes might just happen to enjoy diet soda more.

In fact, many controlled studies have found sugar substitutes have no impact on blood sugar control or insulin levels.

Furthermore, the American Diabetes Association says sugar substitutes are an acceptable replacement for sugar to control calorie and carbohydrate intake. However, they recommend reducing both sugar and sugar substitute intake as much as possible.

Do sugar substitutes impact your gut health?

Your gut is teaming with micro-organisms collectively known as your gut microbiome. The balance of this ecosystem affects everything from nutrient absorption to immunity. What you eat, sugar substitutes included, can quickly change this balance.

For example, one study showed that saccharin and sucralose negatively affected blood sugar regulation by altering the gut microbiome, while stevia interfered with cell communication. Conversely, sugar alcohols have been found to promote the growth of healthy bacteria.

But these findings are just the tip of the iceberg, and more research is needed to fully understand the effects of sugar substitutes on our gut health.

What is The Best Way To Use Them?

Health agencies agree that using sugar substitutes in moderation is a safe way to cut calories from harmful sugars and potentially aid weight management. Each option has its benefits and risks, making no type significantly healthier than the other.

What matters more for your health is the amount you use rather than the specific sugar substitute you choose. Ultimately, sugar substitutes should not be a significant part of your diet, so consider where you can minimize them in your daily food choices.

Low Sugar and Low-Calorie Alternatives

What are some low-sugar and low-calorie options for reducing or skipping sugar substitutes? Try these ideas:

• Add mint, cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder or vanilla extract to coffee and tea.
• Flavor sparkling or flat water with fruit, lime or lemon juice.
• Use balsamic vinegar to flavor salads or cut vegetables instead of sweet salad dressings.
• Use unsweetened applesauce in baked goods in place of sugar.
• Freeze fruits like bananas, berries and grapes for a sweet snack.
• Create a healthy pudding by combining unsweetened almond milk with chia seeds and berries.

Do Nutrisystem Foods Contain Sugar Substitutes?

As part of Nutrisystem’s commitment to food quality, no artificial sweeteners are used in their foods. Certain foods contain natural sugar alternatives like stevia, monk fruit and sugar alcohols. Complete ingredient statements for each product are available to review online to help you choose options that best meet your health goals.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.). Added Sugars. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/added-sugars.html
• Fowler SP, Williams K, Resendez RG, Hunt KJ, Hazuda HP, Stern MP. Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(8):1894-1900. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.284
• Toews I, Lohner S, Küllenberg de Gaudry D, Sommer H, Meerpohl JJ. Association between intake of non-sugar sweeteners and health outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and observational studies [published correction appears in BMJ. 2019 Jan 15;364:l156]. BMJ. 2019;364:k4718. Published 2019 Jan 2. doi:10.1136/bmj.k4718
• Mishra A, Ahmed K, Froghi S, Dasgupta P. Systematic review of the relationship between artificial sweetener consumption and cancer in humans: analysis of 599,741 participants. Int J Clin Pract. 2015;69(12):1418-1426. doi:10.1111/ijcp.12703
• Gallus S, Scotti L, Negri E, et al. Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies. Ann Oncol. 2007;18(1):40-44. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdl346
• Debras C, Chazelas E, Srour B, et al. Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study. PLoS Med. 2022;19(3):e1003950. Published 2022 Mar 24. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003950
• World Health Organization (WHO). (July 14, 2023). Aspartame Hazard and Risk Assessment Results Released. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released#:~:text=JECFA%20concluded%20that%20the%20data,within%20this%20limit%20per%20day.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (n.d.). Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food
• Debras C, Deschasaux-Tanguy M, Chazelas E, et al. Artificial Sweeteners and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in the Prospective NutriNet-Santé Cohort [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jul 25]. Diabetes Care. 2023;dc230206. doi:10.2337/dc23-0206
• Nichol AD, Holle MJ, An R. Glycemic impact of non-nutritive sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2018;72(6):796-804. doi:10.1038/s41430-018-0170-6
• Orku SE, Suyen G, Bas M. The effect of regular consumption of four low- or no-calorie sweeteners on glycemic response in healthy women: A randomized controlled trial. Nutrition. 2023;106:111885. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2022.111885
• American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 5. Facilitating Behavior Change and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Suppl 1):S60-S82. doi:10.2337/dc22-S005
• Suez J, Cohen Y, Valdés-Mas R, et al. Personalized microbiome-driven effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on human glucose tolerance. Cell. 2022;185(18):3307-3328.e19. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.016
• Ruiz-Ojeda FJ, Plaza-Díaz J, Sáez-Lara MJ, Gil A. Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials [published correction appears in Adv Nutr. 2020 Mar 1;11(2):468]. Adv Nutr. 2019;10(suppl_1):S31-S48. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy037