Sugar Substitutes

What are sugar substitutes?

Unlike natural sugar, which provides calories and energy, sugar substitutes give very few, if any, calories and no energy to the body. These sweeteners do not break down in the body, and they do not raise blood sugar levels. Sugar substitutes are also called no-calorie or artificial sweeteners.

What are the benefits of sugar substitutes?

If you are diabetic, eating real sugar can quickly raise your blood sugar. People who have diabetes are at risk for serious problems if they do not keep their blood sugar under control. For example, their eyes, kidneys, hearts, and nerves can be damaged. Sugar substitutes allow people who have diabetes to enjoy sweet-tasting foods and drinks without raising their blood sugar levels.

For everyone, eating large amounts of sugar adds extra calories. This can cause weight gain. Sugar substitutes allow you to have sweets with fewer calories. They offer the sweetness of sugar without the calories. They can help lower the calories in your diet and limit weight gain from sweets. Also, diet drinks sweetened with sugar substitutes do not cause cavities in your teeth like sugary drinks can.

What sugar substitutes are safe?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved these 5 sugar substitutes:

• Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal) is the most studied of the sweeteners. It is 200 times sweeter than the same amount of sugar. Aspartame has about as many calories as sugar, but it is used in such small amounts for the same amount of sweetness that it can still be considered essentially calorie free.

  In 2005, a European research foundation published the results of a study that concluded that long-term use of aspartame caused certain types of cancer in rats. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated in 2006 that the study's conclusion was not supported by the data. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stands by its position on the safety of aspartame, following a review of the Italian study that linked the artificial sweetener to cancer.

  People with a rare genetic condition called PKU (phenylketonuria) should avoid aspartame. Some others may be sensitive to aspartame, but most people can use it without worry.

  The FDA has set the acceptable daily intake, or ADI, at about 50 milligrams (mg) per kilogram of body weight. This equals about 100 packets of the sweetener, or 20 cans of aspartame-sweetened soft drinks, per day. The average amount of aspartame eaten or drunk by adults in the US is just one tenth of this amount.

  Aspartame tends to lose sweetness in high heat, so it is rarely used for cooking.

• Saccharine (Sweet 'N Low, Sweet Twin, or Necta Sweet) is the oldest sugar substitute. It is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories. It was discovered in 1879 and was used during sugar shortages during both World Wars. However, in the 1970s some studies found it might cause bladder cancer in rats when given at very high concentrations. Congress required a warning label until 2002, when the warning was dropped because studies found no cancer risk for people eating normal amounts. Saccharine is more stable than aspartame at high temperatures, so it can be used for baking.
• Acesulfame potassium (Sunett or Sweet One) is 200 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories. It is often combined with other sweeteners and used in diet sodas, baked goods, frozen desserts, and candy. It is stable at high temperatures and can be used for baking and cooking. It is very sweet, so only small amounts are needed.
• Sucralose (Splenda) is 600 times sweeter than sugar and is just slightly different from sugar chemically. Your body cannot absorb this sweetener so it does not add any calories to your diet. It has a long shelf life, is heat stable, and can be used in baking and cooking or as a tabletop sweetener. You can buy products that are half Splenda and half real sugar for better baking results. Splenda is considered safe even when eaten in large amounts.
• Neotame is heat stable and much sweeter than other no-calorie sweeteners. It is used by food manufacturers to sweeten many popular products, such as baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, and frozen desserts. It is often blended with other no-calorie sweeteners and natural sugar products.

Other no-calorie sweeteners may be available in the US soon. Sweeteners such as Alitame and cyclamate are currently waiting for FDA approval. Alitame could be used as a sweetener in a wide variety of products. Cyclamate can be used as a tabletop sweetener, in diet beverages and other low-calorie foods, and as a flavor enhancer.

Sweeteners are often mixed together to enhance flavor, "mouth-feel," or shelf life. For example, Pepsi One is now sweetened with a combination of sucralose and acesulfame.

Although using sugar substitutes makes it easier to decrease the amount of sugar in your diet, removing sugar from your diet is not the total solution to controlling your weight or blood sugar. Weight loss, as well as good diabetes management, also depends on reducing the total calories you eat and increasing your level of physical activity.

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