Home > Are Artificial or Non-Caloric Sweeteners a Real Concern?

What are artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals used to sweeten foods and beverages. They taste sweet because they are recognized by the sweetness receptors on your tongue. They provide virtually zero calories, as your body can’t break them down.

People often refer to them as “intense sweeteners” because they provide a taste similar to that of table sugar but up to several thousand times sweeter.

Although some sweeteners contain calories, the amount needed to sweeten products is so small that you end up consuming almost no calories.

How do artificial sweeteners work?

Artificial sweetener molecules are similar enough to sugar molecules to fit on the sweetness receptor.

However, they are generally too different from sugar for your body to break them down into calories. This is how they provide a sweet taste without the added calories.

Only a minority of artificial sweeteners have a structure that your body can break down into calories. Given that only very small amounts of artificial sweeteners are needed to make foods taste sweet, you consume virtually no calories.

Common artificial sweeteners:

The following artificial sweeteners are allowed for use:

• Aspartame: aspartame is 200 times sweeter than table sugar
• Acesulfame potassium: Also known as acesulfame K, it’s 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It’s suited for cooking and baking.
• Advantame: This sweetener is 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking and baking
• Aspartame-acesulfame salt: it’s 350 times sweeter than table sugar
• Neotame: this sweetener is 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking and baking.
• Saccharin: saccharin is 700 times sweeter than table sugar.
• Sucralose: Sucralose is 600 times sweeter table sugar. It is suited for cooking, baking, and mixing with acidic foods.

Artificial sweeteners, appetite, and weight:

Artificial sweeteners are popular among individuals who are trying to lose weight. However, their effects on appetite and weight vary among studies.

Effects on appetite:

Some people believe that artificial sweeteners might increase appetite and promote weight gain. The idea is that artificial sweeteners may be unable to activate the food reward pathway needed to make you feel satisfied after eating.

Given that they taste sweet but lack the calories found in other sweet-tasting foods, they’re thought to confuse the brain into still feeling hungry. Additionally, some scientists think you’d need to eat more of an artificially sweetened food, compared with the sugar-sweetened version, to feel full.

Effects on weight:

Regarding weight management, some observational studies report a link between consuming artificially sweetened beverages and obesity. These studies also show that replacing regular soft drinks with sugar-free versions can decrease body mass index (BMI).

What’s more, choosing artificially sweetened foods instead of those with added sugar may reduce the number of daily calories you consume. Artificially sweetened drinks can be an easy alternative for those who regularly consume soft drinks and want to decrease their sugar consumption.

Safety and side effects:

Artificial sweeteners are generally considered safe for human consumption. They are carefully tested and regulated by international authorities to make sure they are safe to eat and drink.

some people should avoid consuming them. For example, individuals with the rare metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, which is found in aspartame. Thus, those with PKU should avoid aspartame. Some people are allergic to sulfonamides — the class of compounds to which saccharin belongs. For them, saccharin may lead to breathing difficulties, rashes, or diarrhea.

As per the WHO guidelines, recommending people not to rely on artificial sweeteners for weight loss and concluding that artificial sweeteners do not contribute enough to body fat reduction in the long term to justify the potential risks.

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