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No proven evidence sugar substitutes are unsafe

In a recent LifePharm Connection eNewsletter article, we learned that global sugar consumption has turned into a worldwide health epidemic. In particular, the effects excessive sugar can have on your health leads to diseases such as liver, heart and pancreatic damage. But cutting down your sugar intake can be difficult—this is where the benefits of sugar substitutes come in. Unfortunately, the ongoing debate on the alleged health risks makes many people leery to use artificial sweeteners. Are they safe? Do they assist in weight loss or make us gain weight instead? Here’s what we know.

Sugar substitutes don’t cause your blood sugar to rise the way sucrose does, have little to no calories and don’t cause tooth decay or cavities. Sounds like a sweet deal, right? Unfortunately, just as quickly as sugar substitutes hit the market, studies began linking them to everything from weight gain to cancer.

The facts are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has deemed sugar substitutes “safe food additives” and the National Cancer Institute confirms they don’t cause cancer. Information on any long-term health consequences is still up for debate. And while there is no solid evidence that sugar substitutes are dangerous to our health, they don’t necessarily aid in weight loss either.

No Link to Weight Gain or Health Risks
The outcome of studies stating sugar substitutes have caused weight gain in humans is false. The reality is people who used sugar substitutes in those studies “rewarded” themselves by consuming additional calories later on in the day, leading to weight gain. Registered dietician Alexandra Kaplan Corwin says artificial sweeteners “don’t contain calories, but you have to make sure you’re not letting yourself think you can eat more because you had a diet soda instead of a regular one.”

Regarding studies on lab rats and mice leading to health conditions such as urinary bladder cancer and brain tumors, follow-up studies have found no cancer risk in humans or been able to replicate the original studies with the same outcome for people. Clinical dietician Kristi King surmises, “It seems like the amount of sweeteners you’d have to consume on a daily basis over your lifetime would have to be enormous to have any kind of detrimental side effect.”

Natural or Artificial—Use in Moderation
Bottom line: a healthy diet low in sugar is always recommended for optimum health. However, sugar substitutes can be used as a safe alternative to natural sugar when used in moderation. Also, sugar substitutes have never been shown to increase the risk of other diseases.

Here are some health tips on natural sugar and sugar substitutes:

• Naturally occurring sugars in fruit and dairy can still be part of a healthy diet, especially when consumed in moderation.
• Instead of adding sugar or sugar substitutes to oatmeal or cereal, try adding fresh fruit.
• For yogurt, baked goods or coffee, spices such as cinnamon, vanilla powder, cocoa powder or nutmeg can be used in place of sugar or artificial sweeteners.
• To avoid sugary beverages, try drinking seltzer or water flavored with mint leaves or fruit slices.
• Juices labeled “100 percent juice” contain vitamins and minerals found in fruit. Don’t confuse them with products labeled “fruit flavored.”
• Fresh fruit or canned fruit packed in water is a healthier alternative to canned fruit packed in syrup.

The FDA has also set an “acceptable daily intake” (ADI) for each sweetener, showing the amount they feel is safe to have each day. It is measured in milligrams per pound of body weight per day. These amounts, listed in the table below, are higher than the amount most people usually consume in a day.

*FDA-established acceptable daily intake (ADI) limit per pound of body weight
Chart adapted from Mayo Clinic