
While many people use artificial sweeteners to lose weight and reduce calorie consumption, a study has revealed that artificial sweeteners may increase sugar cravings and boost your appetite. Simply substituting sugary beverages with diet alternatives may not result in the improved health benefits you seek.
One observational research revealed that diet soda intake leads to a 36 percent increased risk of metabolic syndrome and a 67 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Because of some of the possible health hazards, the use of artificial sweeteners has been contentious. However, some of these sugar replacements are a fantastic way to cut back on the sweet stuff while still providing some health advantages.
Types of Artificial Sugar
Sucralose (Splenda)

A scientist at a British University misheard instructions for evaluating a chemical and discovered a sweet substance, which became known as sucralose. Sucralose is a zero-calorie artificial sweetener, and the most common sucralose-based product is Splenda.
Sucralose is synthesized from sugar by a multi-step chemical process in which three hydrogen-oxygen groups are substituted with chlorine atoms. Splenda products were developed by Tate & Lyle and Johnson & Johnson. It launched in the United States in 1999 and is now one of the country’s most popular sweeteners.
Disadvantages of sucralose
Can negatively affect your gut health
The beneficial bacteria in your stomach are critical to your overall health. They may enhance digestion, boost immunological function, and lower your risk of a variety of ailments.
Surprisingly, one rat research discovered that sucralose may be harmful to these germs. After 12 weeks, rats fed the sweetener had 47–80% fewer anaerobes (bacteria that do not require oxygen) in their stomachs.
Beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria decreased drastically, and the dangerous bacteria remained the same. Upon the trial’s completion, the gut microbes did not return to normal.
Baking with it may be harmful
Another disadvantage of this artificial sweetener is that it appears to break down and interact with other substances at high temperatures. Heating sucralose with glycerol, a component present in fat molecules, created hazardous compounds known as chloropropanols, which increase the risk of cancer.
Saccharin (Sweet n’ Low)

Saccharin is one of the market’s oldest artificial sweeteners. However, it was not popular as a sugar substitute until the 1960s and 1970s. Saccharin became a popular sugar replacement since it contains no calories or carbohydrates.
It is 300–400 times sweeter than conventional sugar, thus a tiny amount is all you need to acquire a sweet flavor. It can, however, leave an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. As a result, saccharin is frequently combined with other low or zero-calorie sweeteners.
Pros and Cons of Saccharin
Saccharin is generally regarded as safe for human intake by most health agencies. However, saccharin cannot be digested by humans, thus it remains in your body unaltered. Nonetheless, there is considerable concern regarding their possible harmful consequences on human health.
According to a recent study, the use of saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame may disturb the balance of microorganisms in the stomach. Researchers found that changes in gut bacteria lead to an increased risk of illnesses such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer.
In one 11-week trial, mice fed aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin on a regular basis had abnormally high blood sugar levels. This implies glucose intolerance and, as a result, an increased risk of metabolic illness. However, antibiotics eliminated the gut bacteria, and the mice’s blood glucose levels reverted to normal.
Researchers conducted the same experiment on a group of healthy individuals who ingested the maximum prescribed dose of saccharin every day for five days. Seven people were a part of the study and four tested positive for abnormally high blood sugar levels. They also had alterations in their gut microbes however the other participants’ gut microbes did not alter.
Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, according to scientists, may promote the growth of a type of bacterium that is better at converting food into energy. This means that there are more calories accessible from meals, raising the risk of obesity.
Acesulfame (Sunnett or Sweet One)

Acesulfame potassium, often known as Ace-K, is another type of artificial sweetener. It is up to 200 times sweeter than table sugar, and it has a sour connotation. Soft drinks, protein shakes, drink mixes, frozen desserts, baked foods, candy, gum, and tabletop sweeteners all contain Ace-K. Ace-K’s use in soft drinks was permitted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998, boosting consumer exposure to the component.
According to recent research, there is a relationship between Ace-K and cancer. There is also evidence that acetoacetate, a compound produced by the body when it breaks down Ace-K, might cause thyroid impairment in experimental animals. Finally, the research found that prolonged Ace-K usage in male rats leads to probable alterations in brain function over a 40-week period.
These findings raise major concerns for researchers and regular sweetener consumers.
Aspartame (Equal)

NutraSweet and Equal are two brands that contain aspartame. Aspartame is commonly utilized in packaged goods, particularly those branded as “diet” foods.
Aspartic acid and phenylalanine are the active components in aspartame. Both are amino acids that occur naturally. Your body produces aspartic acid, while phenylalanine is an important amino acid obtained from the diet.
The human body breaks down part of the aspartame into methanol.
Too much aspartame is not good for the body because it breaks down into methanol. Aspartame was the most common source of methanol in the American diet in 2014. Methanol is poisonous in high concentrations, but lesser amounts may be dangerous when mixed with free methanol due to increased absorption.
Some foods include free methanol naturally, and it is also produced when aspartame is cooked. Regular use of free methanol may pose a risk since it degrades in the body into formaldehyde, a recognized carcinogen, and neurotoxin.
Neotame

Neotame comes from aspartame and is a novel artificial sweetener. It contains no calories and is 7000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Neotame comprises phenylalanine, aspartic acid, methanol, and 3-di-methyl butyl, a neurotoxin that is on the EPA’s list of the most dangerous substances. 3-di-methyl butyl is especially dangerous to the body because it causes cells to die quickly. Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and neotame, are not a dieter’s best friend since they interfere with the release of hormones that help control your metabolisms, such as insulin and leptin.
Stevia (Truvia or Pure Via)

Stevia comes from a plant called Stevia rebaudiana, which is a member of the chrysanthemum family, a subgroup of the ragweed family. Stevia has a faint, licorice-like, somewhat bitter flavor. The flavor, like with most non-nutritive sweeteners, is a big disadvantage. Some individuals appreciate it, while others find it repulsive.
Some people may experience digestive issues as a result of stevia products containing sugar alcohols, such as bloating and diarrhea. Also, sweeteners that contain dextrose or maltodextrin must be avoided by diabetics, even if stevia is considered safe.
Dextrose is a kind of glucose, whereas maltodextrin is a type of starch. These components provide only a few carbohydrates and calories. Sugar alcohols may also contribute to a modest increase in carbohydrate content.
If you just take stevia sometimes, it may not be sufficient to affect your blood sugar. However, if you consume it throughout the day, the carbohydrates pile up.
According to a 2019 study, there is a relationship between nonnutritive sweeteners, such as stevia, and disturbance in good gut flora. Nonnutritive sweeteners, according to the same research, may cause glucose intolerance and metabolic problems.
How your body reacts to artificial sweetener
When you consume ordinary sugar, your blood delivers it to your cells, where it is either converted into energy or stored for later use. Sugar is stored as glycogen (the body’s sugar storage form) or converted into fatty acids and deposited in fat cells.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of artificial sweeteners are man-made compounds that the human body was not meant to handle. However, certain artificial sweeteners are not absorbed by our systems. Sugar alcohols such as xylitol and sorbitol, for example, are not absorbed. They linger in the GI system, causing gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
When ingested, the body recognizes the artificial sweetener as a foreign substance or poison. Artificial sweeteners flow directly to our liver rather than to other cells in our bodies. The liver then needs to get rid of them, just like your liver does when you consume alcohol.
How safe are artificial sweeteners
Sugar substitutes approved by the FDA are considered safe in the amounts that individuals regularly consume or drink.
Each non-nutritive sweetener permitted for general use in the United States has an acceptable daily intake (ADI) limit specified by the FDA (including pregnant and lactating women). Based on regular consumption levels of low-calorie foods and beverages, it is difficult for the ordinary consumer to surpass the ADI.
There is an exception in the case of aspartame consumption (NutraSweet). This is for persons who have phenylketonuria (PKU), a condition in which the body lacks the enzyme that breaks down the amino acid phenylalanine. Meals containing phenylalanine can cause buildup in the body and cause harm to the brain and central nervous system. Because aspartame converts to phenylalanine and aspartic acid in the digestive tract, patients with PKU should avoid aspartame-containing foods and beverages.
Although the FDA states that sweeteners are safe, the consequences of sweeteners are unclear. In general, they provide little nutritional benefit. Dietary recommendations for their intake vary from one health authority to the next and are frequently inconclusive. Following the advice of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines scientific committee to “limit added sugars in the diet and replace them with healthy choices, such as swapping water for sugar-sweetened soda, rather than non-nutritive sweeteners,” one cannot go wrong.
Benefits of Artificial Sweetener

- Sweetness without sugar: One of the primary benefits of artificial sweeteners is the ability to impart sweetness to dishes without adding actual sugar.
- Calorie control: Sugar substitutes have far fewer calories than genuine sugar. Most of them do not have zero calories, but they have so few that makers may write “No Calories” on the label.
- Artificial sweeteners can act as a “bridge” for people who are changing their dietary habits. It enables people to wean themselves off of actual sugar gradually and finally eliminate sweetened meals and beverages.
- Diabetics and pre-diabetics: Because artificial sweeteners do not impact blood sugar in the same way as real sugar does, they are good for those who have diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Disadvantages of Artificial Sweeteners
Link to diseases: Numerous research has investigated the relationship between artificial sweeteners and numerous disorders. Artificial sweeteners are now classified as GRAS by the FDA (Generally Regarded as Safe). However, further study may result in the removal of some artificial sweeteners from this list and their prohibition in the United States.
Ingestion of synthetic chemicals: Except for sugar alcohols and stevia, most artificial sweeteners are man-made substances that do not exist naturally. This demonstrates that the human body was not equipped physiologically to manage these substances.
Sugar cravings may increase: Artificial sweeteners may not fulfill your sugar cravings because they are not made from real sugar. This might lead to binging in order to fulfill these urges.
Conclusion
Ultimately, artificial sweeteners must be consumed with caution. Although they can help you consume less sugar, they can cause you to crave more sugar because it is not sugar. Also, non-natural sweeteners can affect stomach microbes. It is up to you to decide what sweeteners you want to ingest.