The effects they studied included:Īfter an exhaustive examination of the most relevant studies, researchers concluded that: They sought to determine the effect of various NSSs on the health of adults and kids, including those who were overweight, obese, or at a healthy weight. Given all of these concerns, researchers in Europe took on the task of trying to assess the risks and benefits of various NSSs with an analysis of the best research available, including 56 previously published studies. Can a new study lay safety concerns to rest? There have been reports of headaches, learning difficulties, changes in the balance of bacteria in the intestinal tract, and other problems associated with NSS consumption. Saccharin's possible link to cancer led to a warning label as additional research suggested no increased cancer risk in humans, this warning was dropped in 2000. For example, cyclamate (which was often combined with saccharin) was banned from all US food and drink products due to concerns regarding cancer risk. In addition, research has raised questions regarding safety over the years. And of course, it's possible that people simply justify eating more high-calorie (and potentially less nutritious) foods because they've chosen diet sodas. How can this be? Researchers speculate that using NSSs may cause cravings for sweet foods, alter taste perception, or change how nutrients are absorbed. Another study found higher rates of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes among the highest consumers of diet soda. In fact, some studies (such as this one) found that people who often drank diet soda actually became obese more often than those who drank less diet soda or none. Are there downsides to non-sugar sweeteners?ĭespite the rationale above, the effectiveness of using NSSs to lose weight, avoid weight gain, or achieve other health benefits is unproven. As a result, non-caloric sweeteners long been a mainstay of dieters or anyone trying to limit caloric or sugar intake. Over time, such empty calories can add up to many pounds of weight gain. Although unproven, such assumptions seem reasonable: a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola contains nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar totaling 140 calories. We assume that over time, fewer calories will translate to less weight gain, more loss of excess weight, and lower risk of weight-related problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The reason these sweeteners exist is that people want to eat or drink sweet foods and drinks without the calories of sugar. Researchers take on artificial sweeteners And all four vary on their level of sweetness and aftertaste, which is likely why people often prefer one over another. Aspartame is a "nutritive sweetener" (adds some calories but far less than sugar).Īspartame comes with a warning to be used cautiously (or not at all) by people with a rare genetic disease (called phenylketonuria, or PKU) because they have trouble metabolizing it that's not true for the other sweeteners. How are they different? Stevia is considered a "natural non-caloric sweetener." Saccharin and sucralose are considered "non-nutritive sweeteners" (few or no calories). stevia-derived (green), including Truvia.aspartame (blue): examples include Nutrasweet and Equal.In the US, the most popular FDA-approved non-sugar sweeteners (NSSs) and their most common packaging color are: The marketers for artificial sweeteners have color-coded their products, but they differ in some important ways beyond their packaging. Artificial and other non-caloric sweeteners: The major players Whichever one you choose, know that scientists have probably studied it extensively. There's the blue one, the pink one, the yellow one, or the green one. When it comes to low-calorie sweeteners, you have a lot of choices.
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