tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/zero-calorie-sweeteners-52787/articlesZero-calorie sweeteners – The Conversation2022-01-05T13:45:41Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1725712022-01-05T13:45:41Z2022-01-05T13:45:41ZWhat’s the difference between sugar, other natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners? A food chemist explains sweet science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438548/original/file-20211220-15-4utuse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=349%2C445%2C4427%2C2663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sugar is just one of many flavor enhancers people and companies use to sweeten foods and beverages.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/food-service-tray-with-sugar-packets-salt-and-royalty-free-image/1000353706?adppopup=true">Marie LaFauci/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A quick walk down the drink aisle of any corner store reveals the incredible ingenuity of food scientists in search of sweet flavors. In some drinks you’ll find sugar. A diet soda might have an artificial or natural low-calorie sweetener. And found in nearly everything else is high fructose corn syrup, the king of U.S. sweetness.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://chemistry.richmond.edu/faculty/knolin/">chemist who studies compounds found in nature</a>, and I am also a lover of food. With confusing food labels claiming foods and beverages to be diet, zero-sugar or with “no artificial sweeteners,” it can be confusing to know exactly what you are consuming.</p>
<p>So what are these sweet molecules? How can cane sugar and artificial sweeteners produce such similar flavors? First, it is helpful to understand how taste buds work.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two girls licking lollipops." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438556/original/file-20211220-50043-nhxa2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">You perceive sweet flavors when certain molecules bind to the taste buds on your tongue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/two-girls-eating-lollipops-outdoors-royalty-free-image/724286183?adppopup=true">Bomin Jeong/EyeEm via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Taste buds and chemistry</h2>
<p>The “<a href="https://theconversation.com/that-neat-and-tidy-map-of-tastes-on-the-tongue-you-learned-in-school-is-all-wrong-44217">taste map</a>” – the idea that you taste different flavors on different parts of your tongue – is far from the truth. People are able to taste all flavors anywhere there are taste buds. So what’s a taste bud?</p>
<p>Taste buds are areas on your tongue that contain dozens of taste <a href="http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/pregastric/taste.html">receptor cells</a>. These cells can detect the five flavors – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. When you eat, food molecules are dissolved in saliva and then washed across the taste buds, where they bind to the different taste receptor cells. Only molecules with certain shapes can bind to certain receptors, and this produces the perception of different flavors. </p>
<p>Molecules that taste sweet bind to specific proteins on the taste receptor cells called <a href="https://teachmephysiology.com/biochemistry/molecules-and-signalling/g-protein/">G-proteins</a>. When a molecule binds these G-proteins, it triggers a series of signals that are sent to the brain where it is interpreted as sweet. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A diagram of a glucose molucule." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438560/original/file-20211220-23354-1etdb6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Glucose is the simplest of sugars and is a circle of carbon atoms with oxygen and hydrogen atoms attached to the ring.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alpha-D-Glucopyranose.svg#/media/File:Alpha-D-Glucopyranose.svg">NEUROtiker/WikimediaCommons</a></span>
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<h2>Natural sugars</h2>
<p>Natural sugars are types of carbohydrates known as <a href="https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/saccharide">saccharides</a> that are made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. You can imagine sugars as rings of carbon atoms with pairs of oxygen and hydrogen attached to the outside of the rings. The oxygen and hydrogen groups are what make sugar sticky to the touch. They behave like Velcro, sticking to the oxygen and hydrogen pairs on other sugar molecules.</p>
<p>The simplest sugars are single-molecule sugars called monosaccharides. You’ve probably heard of some of these. Glucose is the most basic sugar and is mostly made by plants. <a href="https://foodinsight.org/what-is-fructose/">Fructose</a> is a sugar from fruit. <a href="https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Biological_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Biological_Chemistry)/Carbohydrates/Monosaccharides/Galactose">Galactose</a> is a sugar in milk. </p>
<p>Table sugar – or <a href="https://www.sugar.org/sugar/what-is-sugar/">sucrose</a>, which comes from sugar cane – is an example of a dissacharide, a compound made of two <a href="https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/monosaccharide">monosaccharides</a>. Sucrose is formed when a <a href="https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/ph/ph709_basiccellbiology/PH709_BasicCellBIology3.html">glucose molecule</a> and a <a href="https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/ph/ph709_basiccellbiology/PH709_BasicCellBIology3.html">fructose molecule</a> join together. Other common dissacharides are lactose from milk and maltose, which comes grains.</p>
<p>When these sugars are eaten, the body processes each of them slightly differently. But eventually they are broken down into molecules that your body converts into energy. The amount of energy from sugar – and all food – is measured in calories.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An aisle of soda." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438557/original/file-20211220-15-88xiit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">High fructose corn syrup is the main sweetener for many processed foods and drinks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sanibel-island-jerrys-foods-grocery-store-soda-aisle-news-photo/1189380097?adppopup=true">Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>High fructose corn syrup</h2>
<p>High fructose corn syrup is a staple of U.S. foods, and this hybrid sugar sweetener needs a category all on its own. <a href="https://foodinsight.org/what-is-high-fructose-corn-syrup/">High fructose corn syrup</a> is made from corn starch – the main carbohydrate found in corn. Corn starch is made of <a href="http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/basics/polysac.html">thousands of glucose molecules</a> bonded together. At an industrial scale, the starch is broken into individual glucose molecules using <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/high-fructose-corn-syrup-questions-and-answers">enzymes</a>. This glucose is then treated with a second enzyme to convert some of it into fructose. Generally, high fructose corn syrup is roughly <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/high-fructose-corn-syrup">42%-55% fructose</a>.</p>
<p>This blend is sweet and cheap to produce but has a high calorie content. As with other natural sugars, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sugar-isnt-just-empty-fattening-calories-its-making-us-sick-49788">too much high fructose corn syrup is bad for your health</a>. And since most processed foods and drinks are packed full of the stuff, it is easy to consume too much. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small green plant in a pot." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=993&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=993&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438561/original/file-20211220-23354-o8hpsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=993&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A chemical in the stevia plant also produces sweet flavors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stevia_rebaudiana_(potted_plant).jpg#/media/File:Stevia_rebaudiana_(potted_plant).jpg">Gabriela F. Ruellan/WikimediaCommons</a></span>
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<h2>Natural nonsugar sweeteners</h2>
<p>The second category of sweeteners could be defined as natural nonsugar sweeteners. These are food additives such as stevia and monk fruit, as well as natural sugar alcohols. These molecules aren’t sugars, but they can still bind to the sweet receptors and therefore taste sweet.</p>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2FNT.0000000000000094">Stevia</a> is a molecule that comes from the leaves of the <em>Stevia redaudiana</em> plant. It contains “sweet” molecules that are much larger than most sugars and have three glucose molecules attached to them. These molecules are 30 to 150 times sweeter than glucose itself. The sweet molecules from monk fruit are similar to stevia and 250 times sweeter than glucose. </p>
<p>The human body has a really hard time breaking down both stevia and monk fruit. So even though they’re both really sweet, you don’t get any calories from eating them.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ynhh.org/services/nutrition/sugar-alcohol.aspx">Sugar alcohols</a>, like sorbital, for example, are not as sweet as sucrose. They can be found in a variety of foods, including pineapples, mushrooms, carrots and seaweed, and are often added to diet drinks, sugar-free chewing gum and many other foods and drinks. Sugar alcohols are made of chains of carbon atoms instead of circles like normal sugars. While they are composed of the same atoms as the sugars, sugar alcohols are not absorbed well by the body so they are considered low-calorie sweeteners.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Packets of Splenda, Sweet'N Low and Equal." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438555/original/file-20211220-50538-tkxi4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Chemists have developed a number of lab-made chemicals that taste sweet and are sold as no-sugar sweeteners.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:No-Calorie-Sweetener-Packets.jpg#/media/File:No-Calorie-Sweetener-Packets.jpg">Evan Amos/WikimediaCommons</a></span>
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<h2>Artificial sweeteners</h2>
<p>The third way to make something sweet is to add <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs13197-011-0571-1">artificial sweeteners</a>. These chemicals are produced in labs and factories and are not found in nature. Like all things that taste sweet, they do so because they can bind to certain receptors in taste buds. </p>
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<p>So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states">approved six artificial sweeteners</a>. The most well known are probably saccharin, aspartame and sucralose – better known as Splenda. Artificial sweeteners all have different chemical formulas. Some resemble natural sugars while others are radically different. They are usually many times sweeter than sugar – saccharin is an incredible 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar – and some of them are hard for the body to break down.</p>
<p>While a sweet dessert may be a simple pleasure for many, the chemistry of how your taste buds perceive sweetness is not so simple. Only molecules with the perfect combination of atoms taste sweet, but bodies deal with each of these molecules differently when it comes to calories. </p>
<p></p><hr> <p></p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439239/original/file-20220103-48418-1p7tcpi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>This article is part of a series examining sugar’s effects on human health and culture. <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/sugar-2022-114641">You can read the articles on theconversation.com.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172571/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristine Nolin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Just because something is sweet doesn’t necessarily mean it is sugary. There are a number of molecules that taste sweet. To understand how and why takes a little bit of chemistry.Kristine Nolin, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of RichmondLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/961812018-05-17T10:42:12Z2018-05-17T10:42:12ZDiet soda may be hurting your diet<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218510/original/file-20180510-34027-134a0es.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Coca-Cola is the world's most popular carbonated soft drink. The original is made with sugar, but the others contain artificial sweeteners that are now linked to a rise in obesity and diabetes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/230138068?src=NUy_997g4GskZiRl7oIRGQ-1-80&size=huge_jpg">By Chones/shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Artificial sweeteners are everywhere, but the jury is still out on whether these chemicals are harmless. Also called non-nutritive sweeteners, these can be synthetic – such as saccharin and aspartame – or naturally derived, such as steviol, which comes from the Stevia plant. To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved <a href="https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm397725.htm">six types of artificial and two types of natural non-nutritive sweeteners</a> for use in food. </p>
<p>That’s been great news for those working hard to curb their sugar consumption. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.111.030833">Aspartame</a>, for example, is found in more than 6,000 foods worldwide, and about 5,000-5,500 tons are consumed every year in the United States alone. </p>
<p>The American Diabetes Association – the most well-respected professional group focusing on diabetes – <a href="http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices/what-can-i-drink.html">officially recommends diet soda as an alternative</a> to sugar-sweetened beverages. To date, seven U.S. municipalities have imposed a sugary beverage tax to discourage consumption.</p>
<p>However, recent medical studies suggest that policymakers eager to implement a soda tax may also want to include diet drinks because these sweeteners may be contributing to chronic diabetes and cardiovascular diseases as well.</p>
<h2>Why are these sweeteners calorie-free?</h2>
<p>The key to these virtually calorie-free sweeteners is that they are not broken down during digestion into natural sugars like glucose, fructose and galactose, which are then either used for energy or converted into fat. </p>
<p>Non-nutritive sweeteners have different byproducts that are not converted into calories. Aspartame, for example, undergoes a different metabolic process that doesn’t yield simple sugars. Others such as saccharin and sucralose are not broken down at all, but instead are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and excreted in the urine. </p>
<p>Theoretically, these sweeteners should be a “better” choice than sugar for diabetics. Glucose stimulates release of insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body no longer responds as well to insulin as it should, leading to higher levels of glucose in the blood that damages the nerves, kidneys, blood vessels and heart. Since non-nutritive sweeteners aren’t actually sugar, they should sidestep this problem.</p>
<h2>Artificial sweeteners, your brain and your microbiome</h2>
<p>However, there is growing evidence over the last decade that these sweeteners can alter healthy metabolic processes in other ways, specifically in the gut. </p>
<p>Long-term use of these sweeteners has <a href="https://doi.org/10.2337/dc08-1799">been associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes</a>. Sweeteners, such as saccharin, have been shown to <a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/nature13793">change the type and function of the gut microbiome</a>, the community of microorganisms that live in the intestine. Aspartame <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2016-0346">decreases the activity of a gut enzyme</a> that is normally protective against Type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, this response may be exacerbated by the “mismatch” between the body perceiving something as tasting sweet and the expected associated calories. The greater the discrepancy between the sweetness and actual caloric content, the <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.018">greater the metabolic dysregulation</a>.</p>
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<p>Sweeteners have also been shown to change brain activity associated with eating sweet foods. A functional MRI exam, which studies brain activity by measuring blood flow, has shown that sucralose, compared to regular sugar, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.12.001">decreases activity in the amygdala</a>, a part of the brain involved with taste perception and the experience of eating. </p>
<p>Another study revealed that longer-term and higher diet soda consumption are linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.05.006">lower activity in the brain’s “caudate head,”</a> a region that mediates the reward pathway and is necessary for generating a feeling of satisfaction. Researchers have hypothesized that this decreased activity could lead a diet soda drinker to compensate for the lack of pleasure they now derive from the food by increasing their consumption of all foods, not just soda. </p>
<p>Together these cellular and brain studies may explain why people who consume sweeteners still have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167241">higher risk of obesity</a> than individuals who don’t consume these products. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.161390">As this debate on the pros and cons of these sugar substitutes rages on</a>, we must view these behavioral studies with a grain of salt (or sugar) because many diet soda drinkers – or any health-conscious individual who consumes zero-calorie sweeteners – already has the risk factors for obesity, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease. Those who are already overweight or obese may turn toward low-calorie drinks, making it look as though the diet sodas are causing their weight gain.</p>
<p>This same group may also be less likely to moderate their consumption. For example, those people may think that having a diet soda multiple times a week is much healthier than drinking one case of soda with sugar.</p>
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<p>These findings signal that consumers and health practitioners all need to check our assumptions about the health benefits of these products. Sweeteners are everywhere, from beverages to salad dressing, from cookies to yogurt, and we must recognize that there is no guarantee that these chemicals won’t increase the burden of metabolic diseases in the future. </p>
<p>As a physician of internal medicine specializing in general prevention and public health, I would like to be able to tell my patients what the true risks and benefits are if they drink diet soda instead of water. </p>
<p>Legislators considering soda taxes to encourage better dietary habits perhaps should think about including foods with non-nutritive sweeteners. Of course, there is an argument to be made for being realistic and pursuing the lesser of two evils. But even if the negative consequences of sugar substitutes doesn’t sway our tax policy – for now – at least the medical community should be honest with the public about what they stand to lose or gain, consuming these foods. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/las-bebidas-light-pueden-perjudicar-tu-dieta-98534"><em>Leer en español</em></a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96181/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eunice Zhang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mounting evidence suggests that artificial sweeteners are linked to chronic health problems like obesity and diabetes. Should there be a tax on these foods?Eunice Zhang, Clinical Instructor, University of California, Los AngelesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/953142018-04-23T11:54:45Z2018-04-23T11:54:45ZArtificial sweeteners linked to diabetes and obesity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215908/original/file-20180423-133876-1y79zs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C38%2C998%2C624&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/97352366?src=Xz2aWr1ZNrer_09w80dfcA-1-57&size=medium_jpg">MSPhotographic/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many countries have introduced a <a href="https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2017/12/20/Sugar-taxes-The-global-picture-in-2017">sugar tax</a> in order to improve the health of their citizens.
As a result, food and drink companies are changing their products to include low and zero-calorie sweeteners instead of sugar. However, there is <a href="https://theconversation.com/artificial-sweeteners-may-make-you-fat-93452">growing evidence</a> that sweeteners may have health consequences of their own. </p>
<p>New <a href="https://plan.core-apps.com/eb2018/abstract/382e0c7eb95d6e76976fbc663612d58a">research</a> from the US, presented at the annual Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, found a link with consuming artificial sweeteners and changes in blood markers linked with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in rats. Does this mean we need to ditch sweeteners as well as sugar?</p>
<p>Sweeteners are generally “non-nutritive” substances meaning we can’t use them for energy. Some of these compounds are entirely synthetic chemicals, produced to mimic the taste of sugar. These include saccharin, sucralose and aspartame. Others sweeteners are refined from chemicals found in plants, such as stevia and xylitol. Collectively, sweeteners are being <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170110101625.htm">consumed in increasing amounts</a> with most diet or low-calorie food and drink containing some form of non-nutritive sweetener.</p>
<h2>Combating or fuelling the obesity crisis?</h2>
<p>Artificially sweetened foods and drinks have become popular largely due to the <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/">growing worldwide obesity crisis</a>. As sugar contains four calories per gram, sweet foods and drinks are normally highly calorific. In principle, by removing these calories we reduce energy intake and this helps to prevent weight gain. </p>
<p>Increasingly, however, evidence suggests that consuming artificially sweetened products might be associated with an <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/484566">increased risk of being overweight or obese</a>, although this is controversial. If true, it suggests that using sweeteners is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2008.284">fuelling, not fighting obesity</a>. Research has suggested that consuming lots of artificial sweeteners scrambles the bacteria in our gut, causing them to make our bodies <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793">less tolerant to glucose</a>, the main building-block of sugar. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/artificial-sweeteners-may-make-you-fat-93452">Artificial sweeteners may make you fat</a>
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<p>The new research, from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University, looked at some biological effects of sweeteners in rats and in cell cultures. They wanted to know if artificial sweeteners affect how food is used and stored. These are called metabolic changes and the research combined many different aspects of metabolism to build an overall picture. </p>
<p>The team also looked at the impact of sweeteners on blood vessel health by studying how these substances affect the cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels. </p>
<p>The scientists gave rats food that was high in either sugar (glucose or fructose) or calorie-free artificial sweeteners (aspartame or acesulfame potassium). After three weeks they saw significant negative changes in both groups of rats. These changes included the concentrations of blood lipids (fats). </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215920/original/file-20180423-133853-1930vzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Artificial sweeteners change how the body processes fat.</span>
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<p>They also found that acesulfame potassium, in particular, accumulated in the blood and harmed the cells that line blood vessels. The study authors state that these changes are “linked to obesity and diabetes”. These results suggest that consuming sweeteners change how the body processes fat and gets its energy at a cellular level.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-evidence-that-low-calorie-sweeteners-are-bad-for-your-health-81037">More evidence that low-calorie sweeteners are bad for your health</a>
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<h2>Limit your intake</h2>
<p>What does this mean for the average consumer of artificial sweeteners? As the study was performed in animals and not humans it would be wrong to draw firm conclusions about what might happen in people. The findings of the study do, however, add to the growing body of research that suggests that sweeteners are not benign alternatives to sugar. </p>
<p>The European Food Safety Authority suggests <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/sweeteners">a daily limit to most artificial sweeteners</a> of around five milligrams per kilogram of body weight, per day. With so many foods including artificial sweeteners now, it is relatively easy to reach this limit. </p>
<p>It is important to note that not all sweeteners are equal. This recent study focused on artificial sweeteners, like most of the research that has identified negative effects. Some sweeteners are associated with health benefits. </p>
<p>Stevia, for example, has been shown to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20370653">improve blood pressure and glucose tolerance</a> while xylitol has been shown to help <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5320817/">prevent tooth decay</a>. This means that choosing the type of sweetener that you use may be more important than choosing a sweetener over sugar.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coke-life-lands-a-blow-against-sugar-but-its-worthy-credentials-could-still-be-trouble-31208">Coke Life lands a blow against sugar, but its worthy credentials could still be trouble</a>
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<p>It is likely that the best advice is the blandest: everything in moderation. There is no such thing as good or bad food, only good or bad amounts. Maybe avoid consuming too much of either sugar or sweetener, especially in drinks.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95314/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Brown previously received funding from an independent food manufacturer to consult on their use of non-nutritive sweeteners</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Conner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new study in rats adds to the evidence that artificial sweeteners may be bad for your health.James Brown, Senior Lecturer in Biology and Biomedical Science, Aston UniversityAlex Conner, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.