What are Artificial Sweeteners?

Artificial Sweeteners or Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) are a sugar substitute food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie or low-calorie sweetener. They can be 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar. These sweeteners don't contain calories or sugar, but they also don't have beneficial nutrients like vitamins, fiber, minerals or antioxidants. They are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as food additives. Six of these agents (aspartame, saccharine, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame-K, and stevia) have previously received a generally recognized as safe status from the United States Food and Drug Administration, and two more (Swingle fruit extract and advantame) have been added in the recent years to this ever growing list. They are claimed to promote weight loss and deemed safe for consumption by diabetics; however, there is inconclusive evidence to support most of their uses and some recent studies even hint that these earlier established benefits regarding NNS use might not be true. (Source)

How Do They Affect Our Bodies?

Insulin Response

Artificial sweeteners do not provide the calories or glucose that our bodies need, and they do not activate our bodies’ insulin production (Source).
- Glucose: A simple sugar that is an important energy source, and is naturally occurring in many foods.
- Insulin: Hormone that breaks down sugar into something our bodies can use.
This can lead to us needing to eat more calories in order to feel full.

Changing the Way We Perceive and Crave Sweetness

Our brains and bodies have different responses to artificial sweeteners and sugars because these substances are different from one another at the level of microscopic molecules.
Even though our brains and bodies process real and artificial sugars differently, sweetness of any kind increases the brain’s tolerance and desire for sweetness (Source).
That means that the more sweet things that you eat, the more you will have to eat in the future in order for your brain to know that something is sweet and contains the calories necessary for energy (Source).

Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad For You?

Answering that question should be an individual choice. Consuming artificial sweeteners can be enjoyable but doing so in excess (or as a replacement for sugar entirely) is dangerous, because of the differences in how our brains and bodies process these two substances, and the potential negative health consequences of over-consuming either one. Over-consumption of artificial sugars alters the body’s ability to process real sugar, through changes in the gut microbiota and insulin levels. (Source). Science is emerging as these ingredients are being studied more. Read over the information and make an informed decision whether artificial sweeteners are something you feel comfortable consuming.

Common Artificial Sweeteners

Sucralose (E955)

Common/Brand Names: Splenda