Are Artificial Sweeteners Sabotaging Your Health?

We’ve all encountered artificial sweeteners at some point, haven’t we? Whether you’re stirring one into your morning coffee, sipping a Coke Zero, or squinting at those little pink packets stacked on restaurant tables, they’re hard to miss. Opinions on them tend to be, well, extreme. You can either be a sugar rebel and think it’s the best thing since water, because who needs that when you can make anything sweet and not think twice about gaining a pound or two or three. That, or you glance at people who have it as if they were just caught red-handed doing something wrong. There’s simply no grey area between the two.

So, what’s the real story here? In today’s edition, we’re diving into what they are, how to handle them without risk, and whether you should even be letting them into your diet, with an extra special word from our team dietitian!

What Are Artificial Sugars, Really?

By definition artificial sugars are, “Nonnutritive sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners, are alternatives that contain zero or very low amounts of carbohydrates or energy.”- USDA. By nonnutritive they mean that they don’t contribute a large number of calories. Stemming from this definition we can define two subgroups that comply with this definition.

First up, sugar alcohols. Don’t freak out, these aren’t liquors for your sweet tooth. These naturally occurring compounds are less calorific than sugar. A few of the most popular sugar alcohols that we have in our food supply are sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol. Xylitol probably rings a bell from the pack of spearmint gum that you have sitting in your car. Yet regardless of their weird names, they are actually completely natural and are commonly found in fruits and other plants. On average they clock in at around 2.4kcal/gram, making them a decent option if you’re looking to cut back on sugar without swearing off sweets, at least not yet. That said, before you add them to everything and anything, take note of their laxative effect when taken in large quantities. Who knew, it may not be the coffee, but the fistful of xylitol that sends you running to the throne.

Now the big guns: artificial sweeteners. Picture a mad scientist, hunched over beakers, concocting these in a lab that looks straight out breaking bad. These are made by combining specific nutritional components like amino acids, as is the case with aspartame. Aspartame is brought into existence by combining phenylalanine and aspartic acid, creating a chemical behemoth that’s your ticket to being the best house on a Halloween trick-or-treat route. If you’re brave enough, take a guess on how much sweeter these are than sugar. The correct answer is anywhere from 200 to 20,000 times sweeter! And no, that’s not a typo, and hopefully, nor is it your reading glasses messing with you. The big boy standing at 20,000 times sweeter than sugar is advantame.

But ask anyone and they’ll tell you it sounds like bogus. How can something be that sweet? (Aside from a mustang, of course). How can anyone even tolerate a whole packet of something 20,000 times sweeter than sugar? The truth is that our taste buds aren’t all that sensitive to sugar. This means that for something to taste sweet, you need a whole lot of sugar. What artificial sweeteners do is trick your tastebuds into thinking that there is a lot more sugar than there actually is. So much so that most of the pink sugar packets are actually fillers, with an itty-bitty amount of sweetener. That’s how strong it is.

Are They Safe? 

Anyone with a decently sized brain in their skull would think something 20,000 times sweeter than sugar is a no-go for their health. However, the answer isn’t a straight yes, they’re bad for you, it’s more like a maybe. The problem is that there is no definitive answer (sound familiar? You should get used to it, that’s science for you), and there are conflicting opinions from many institutions like the FDA, WHO, etc. Truth be told, the FDA has a history of approving products that have the potential to be harmful and taking a dangerously large amount of time to ban substances that have been proven to be detrimental. BPA being a stellar example. Although both the EFSA and the WHO have walked back on their previous stamp of approval on aspartame, the FDA remains unbothered, even with its supposed causation to cancer. If you want our take, we think that it’s a huge mistake. If we aren’t a million percent sure that it’s safe, let's not keep it in our food until we know for sure.

Do note however that although the FDA has a questionable track history at best, there is no casualty that artificial sweeteners directly cause cancer. Mostly due to the fact that scientists don’t know what exactly seems to positively correlate it with cancer. But like we said, we shouldn’t leave something as important as our health to chance.

When Should You Use Them?

This is where every healthcare professional has their own opinion, and why some say that science is more art than science. Yes, none are wrong, but that’s because there is no defined ‘right’ answer yet. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have indicators on its safety. As always, we never leave you with uncertainty, so here are the recommendations from our team dietitian.

Adrian, OmniBlue’s Team Dietitians says -

“If you are trying to lose weight and haven’t been able to kick the habit of eating too many sweets, I would say that artificial sweeteners are a great choice. This is in part due to my belief that the health risks from being overweight or obese out way the risks from artificial sugars. They can be a great tool to calm the craving helping you stick to a diet regimen. That being said, when you get to your healthy body weight and you have curbed your appetite for sweetness, switching to regular old sugar would be a good idea. It’s not mandatory! If you are happy leading a sugarless life (I sure am) then go right ahead. But when it comes to sweetening your morning coffee, it won’t be an issue, and it will be healthier for you to have sugar. In almost any other situation, assuming you have a moderate and reasonable sugar intake there should be no reason to switch from real sugar. So, order real coca-cola, put brown sugar in your coffee, honey in your tea and relax, because in a healthy and balanced life you can fit a little bit of the good stuff as well.”

Before We Go, A Word on Hurricane Helene

Now, before we wrap up this week’s newsletter, we want to send our thoughts and support to everyone in the path of Hurricane Helene. This storm is a force to be reckoned with, and its impact is devastating. Please stay safe, stay informed, and take every precaution you can. The balance between preparedness and panic is difficult, but much like with our health, it’s always better to be cautious than to underestimate the risks.

Stay safe out there, and we’ll see you next week!