Over and over again, we hear that an excess of added sugar in our diet can put us at risk for developing health problems like heart disease, chronic inflammation, metabolism changes and dental issues. Our love of sweet foods has driven the production of sugar alternatives and we are now inundated with options. But what are the best and healthiest sugar substitutes? And how do these compare to natural sugar when it comes to our health? Here, nutrition scientists and registered dietitians explain the different types of sugar substitutes and what you need to know to protect your health.
Artificial Sweeteners
Examples: acesulfame K, aspartame, neotame, saccharinn, sucralose
Some name brands: Equal, Splenda, Sugarly Sweet, SweetN Low
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic chemicals added to foods so that our tastebuds perceive a sweet taste without adding any calories to our diet. They are 200 to 600 times sweeter than sugar, says Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., nutrition scientist at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. That means such a tiny amount is needed to sweeten things up that theres virtually no caloric impact. If you think about those little yellow, blue and pink packages of sweetener in a coffee shop, most of that is filler, explains Gardner. If they just put in the sweetener, you'd rip it open and say, Ah, they forgot to put it in here!
Sounds like the magical solution weve all been waiting for, right? Not so fast. One 2019 study found that women who consume a lot of artificial sweeteners have a higher risk of stroke. Other research on animals shows a link between artificial-sweetener intake and obesity and diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are tricky in that they trick the brain into thinking that you had sugar but ultimately your body knows that you did not eat it so what ends up happening is that you're likely to end up craving more sugar! says Laura Iu, R.D.N., certified intuitive eating counselor and owner of Laura Iu Nutrition. On top of that, theres the issue of psychological compensation, according to Gardner. For instance, you might have an afternoon snack that contains an artificial sweetener and then give yourself permission to have a sugary dessert after dinner because you didnt treat yourself to it earlier.
My biggest problem with all the sugar substitutes has been that people put sugar in crappy food, says Gardner. Did it make it a tiny bit healthier? Sure, but it didnt make it a healthy food. He says the simplest example is Coke versus Diet Coke. Theres nothing of nutritional value in either option, but the diet version lacks sugar and calories. At the end of the day, I would say Diet Coke is better than Coke, but water would be best of all, says Gardner. You might slightly reduce your overall caloric and sugar intakes if you make the switch to Diet Coke, but it wont put you on the fast track to better health unless you make other dietary changes as well.
Natural Non-Nutritive Sugar Substitutes
Examples: allulose, malt, monk fruit, stevia, yacon syrup
Some name brands: It's Just! Monk Fruit Extract, Organic Traditions Yacon Syrup, PureVia, Sweet Leaf, Truvia, Wholesome Allulose
This category of sweeteners is similar in that theyre essentially zero-calorie, but because they are derived from plants and other foods, theyre not technically artificial. Some research even suggests that natural sugar substitutes might help people with diabetes manage the condition better than artificial sweeteners.
For messaging purposes, I'm a little worried about things like stevia and monk fruit, says Gardner. Someone might think, Oh I wasn't going to switch from sugar because artificial sweeteners sound bad, but this is natural. Now the cookie or cake I had has a natural sugar substitute so I have a license to have more. Plus, as Gardner points out, unless youre sprinkling actual stevia leaf on your food, the naturally-derived sweetener still undergoes a chemical extraction process so its not completely natural and ultimately youre still eating a cookie or cake thats likely packed with refined grains.
You also have to consider what these sugar alternatives mean for our long-term relationship to sugar. The same parts of your brain light up when you have cocaine and when you have sugar and you don't even have to eat it. You can look at it, or you can know you're going to have a cookie and those parts in your brain fire, says Gardner. So one of the challenges is if, if it's another reason to have something sweet, then you have now perpetuated this addiction to sweet taste.
Some options: erythritol, xylitol
Some name brands: Sweet Natural Natural Birch, Swerve
Sugar alcohols can be found naturally in some produce or created in a lab. Theyre often used in packaged foods to add bulk or moisture or change the general texture (as well as provide sweetness). Some brands of sugar alternatives (like Purecane and Better Body Foods Monk Fruit Blend) combine a sugar alcohol with a natural non-nutritive sugar substitute.
The sugar alcohol that most people are familiar with is xylitol. When used in chewing gum, xylitol makes it taste just as sweet and they've done studies that show it actually really helps for not getting cavities from sugar, says Gardner. It doesn't act like a sugar, but it tastes like a sugar. However, it's actually not quite as sweet as sugar, and you have to have more grams of xylitol than sugar to be as sweet, and it has calories. The result? We cant call it non-nutritive, meaning it doesn't provide any nutrients. The other thing worth noting is that research shows some sugar alcohols like xylitol can cause digestive issues in some people.
Some options: agave, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses
Some name brands: Bobs Red Mill Organic Coconut Sugar, Grandmas Original Molasses, Madhava Organic Amber Honey, Organic Agave in the Raw, Runamok Maple Syrup
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These are just sugar by another name. A gram of sugar is a gram of sugar, says Iu. Your body really does not discriminate between the different regular sugars like white sugar, brown sugar, honey and molasses. Only your taste buds can tell the difference. Some may hit your bloodstream faster than others (giving them a higher glycemic index), but they have similar effects on your overall health.
However, its important to note that theres a difference between the naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables and the added sugars that are found in many packaged foods. Research has shown that consistently high intakes of added sugars reduces the proportion of beneficial bacterial in the gut while decreasing the diversity of gut bacteria, says Maya Feller, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., owner of Maya Feller Nutrition. Additionally, when you regularly provide your body with an excess of sugar, it struggles to keep up and you end up with too much in your bloodstream. In the case of elevated blood sugars, the body is under consistent stress, says Feller. This can negatively impact the heart, eyes and vascular system increasing the risk of developing additional metabolic conditions.
Sugar substitutes can be helpful if youre aiming to reduce your intake of sugar and calories. However, in order to avoid to avoid weight gain and other health complications, you have to make sure youre not using zero-calorie sweeteners as an excuse to eat more unhealthy foods. At the end of the day, its also not necessary to cut out sugar completely. If you pick a sugar that is not very satisfying, it's very likely that this will increase your craving for a different type, or even more sugar, than if you were to just eat the type you wanted, says Iu. I work within an intuitive eating framework and a lot of my clients come to me afraid of eating sugar, but what always ends up happening is that when they allow these foods into their life they are less likely to binge on it!
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Sugar Substitutes: The Truth About Natural Sugar Alternatives - GoodHousekeeping.com
