Unfortunately, some research shows these innocuous sounding sugar swap-ins can have a detrimental impact on your health. On the bright side, other research shows that artificial sweeteners don't create bad side effects in the consumer, especially if you're generally healthy in the first place. We tapped nutritionists and gastroenterologists to dive into the potential side effects of consuming artificial sweeteners. Read on to learn more about the potential side effects of artificial sweeteners — and be sure to share this story with all your Diet Coke-sipping friends. Research about the potential side effects of artificial sweeteners are mixed, but if you're healthy, usage might be okay. Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal) is approved for use in food as a nutritive sweetener. Aspartame contains calories, but because it is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar, consumers are likely to use much less of it," says Daghigh. "It loses its sweetness when heated, so it typically isn't used in baked goods. People with a rare congenital disease known as phenylketonuria (PKU) have a difficult time metabolizing phenylalanine, a component of aspartame, and should avoid aspartame." For more on specific sweeteners, read about every added sweetener ranked by nutrition! Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad For You And Should You Avoid Them? Acesulfame Potassium – Acesulfame potassium (also called acelsufame-K), is another type of low-calorie sweetener suitable for diabetes sufferers. The sweetener can be used in cooking because of its ability to resist heat. Sweet One and Swiss Sweet are both based around this sweetener. The main ingredient of Sweetex is sodium sacchari, the solid form of the non-nutritive sweetener saccharin.

To be cautious, ADI’s are set at 100 times less than the smallest amount that may cause health concerns, so it is extremely difficult for most people to reach the ADI. It is personal choice if you decide to use sweeteners or not, but using a variety of brands can ensure you do not exceed an acceptable intake for any one sweetener. However, carbonated drinks are associated with dental erosion due to their acid content, regardless of whether they contain sugar, lower calorie sweeteners or no calorie sweeteners.

What types of artificial sweetener are suitable for diabetics?

Saccharin is several hundred times sweeter than table sugar but unlike the latter, it has no calories. It typically used to sweeten hot and cold drinks, rather than baked goods or other foods. Is Sweetex suitable for people with diabetes? Studies have suggested an association between the use of non-nutritive sweeteners and health outcomes (such as body weight, diabetes, cancer, and oral health). However, in a recent comprehensive systematic BMJ review, a broad range of health outcomes were investigated to determine a possible association with non-nutritive sweetener use in a generally healthy population," explains Farzaneh Daghigh, PhD from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "There was no convincing evidence that non-nutritive sweeteners had any effect in adults on eating behavior, cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, mood, behavior or cognition. This study found a slight benefit in promoting weight loss and improving fasting blood glucose levels, but only in small studies and over short periods of time. Potential harms from the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners could not be excluded." Artificial sweeteners can impact your brain. The charity, Diabetes UK, takes the approach that low-calorie artificial sweeteners can be included as part of the diabetic diet, as long as the food they are eaten with does not itself contain high fat or calorie content.

The researchers believe longer studies should now take place to identify if the blood sugar spikes from sweeteners can cause health problems. And not necessarily for the better. "Because artificial sweeteners have many times the intensity of sweet flavor in comparison to natural sugars, you and your taste buds become accustomed to super sweet things," shares Tanya Freirich, MS, RD, CDN, CDE, nutritionist for Sweet Nova, an all-natural food company. "Those who consume artificial sweeteners may be become accustomed to ultra-sweet flavors. This may change their tastes and decrease their enjoyment of naturally sweet foods like fresh fruit as well as healthy foods that may be slightly bitter like whole grains or vegetables." Artificial sweeteners may impact your gut health. Experiment by reducing the sugar added to recipes. Most cakes will work with the sugar cut in half.Evidence from short term trials on drinks sweetened with no calorie sweeteners show that when they are consumed instead of sugary drinks, they can support lowering of energy intake and weight gain. There is no evidence sweeteners stimulate appetite in humans. As part of the evaluation process, the government sets an acceptable daily intake (ADI), which is the maximum amount considered safe to consume each day over the course of your lifetime. It’s well known that added sugars have a harmful effect on our health, in particular, because consuming too much of them can lead to excess weight, which can harm our heart and circulatory system. This has led to artificial sweeteners being used as a sugar alternative in many foods and drinks. However, past studies have been divided over whether artificial sweeteners themselves might have a harmful effect on our cardiovascular health. Glucose tolerance tests were also administered at nine points throughout the study, with the aim to measure how effectively the body was regulating blood sugar levels after consuming glucose.

By wearing continuous blood glucose monitors (CGMs), the participant’s blood sugar levels could be monitored throughout the study, including a week before and after the experiment took place. It was noted that the blood metabolite changes in the saccharin and sucralose groups were similar to those in people with diabetes or vascular diseases. Sweeteners can be added to a diabetic meal plan instead of exchanged. Explore low calorie sweeteners: Naturally derived from the Stevia plant. Heat stable so can be used in cooking and baking. Can have a bitter aftertaste. Some stevia based sweeteners are blended with other sweetening ingredients (to offset this aftertaste), but be aware that some added ingredients may have blood glucose raising properties. Sweeteners are closely regulated by government bodies such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to ensure safety. As part of this approval process an acceptable daily intake level (ADI) is set. The ADI is the estimated amount per kilogram of body weight that a person can consume on average, every day, over a lifetime without risk.The FDA regulates the safety of sugar substitutes with a goal of making sure that the amounts generally used are not harmful for the general population. FDA sets an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for each type of sugar substitute which is the amount a person could consume daily over their lifetime without negative effects," explains Grieger. Researchers at John Hopkins University in Maryland studied the effect of four sugar substitutes on the blood sugar of 120 healthy adults. None of the participants consumed low-calorie sweeteners six months before the trial started. Whether they are a helpful addition to our diets depends on your reasons for using them. They are certainly better for our teeth, and for people with diabetes they can provide a sweet taste without affecting blood glucose levels. Regularly eating or drinking foods and drinks with artificial sweeteners is linked with a greater risk of heart and circulatory diseases, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal.