What are artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes?

Sugar substitutes are lab-created products that contain few or no calories yet have greater sweetness compared to sugar. For example, Sucralose is 600x sweeter tasting than sugar! You can learn more here.

Are they ok?

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a guidelines on the use of sugar substitutes here. In short, the WHO does not recommend using sugar substitutes for weight loss or chronic disease prevention. Although using sugar substitutes reduces calories, research does not support benefits. Consuming sugar substitutes may result in changes in perception of sweetness (making you want more sweet things) and could make you more hungry.

“When looking at observational cohort studies, long-term use of NSS-containing beverages was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and early death in adults. A higher intake of NSS, either in beverages or added to foods, was also associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The WHO noted that “reverse causation” may have contributed to the positive association: participants with the highest intakes of NSS tended to have a higher body mass index and obesity or metabolic risk factors, and therefore may have already been predisposed to chronic disease (for which they were choosing NSS as a health measure). No association was found with intakes of NSS-containing beverages and cancer or cancer deaths.

Based on these findings, WHO advised that people work to lower the overall sweetness in the diet starting early in life, as NSS do not provide nutritional value.”

That said, short-term usage, or usage in moderation, may be helpful.

The Harvard Chan School notes the following: “Based on statistical modeling, it was estimated that replacing one serving of sugar-sweetened beverage with an artificially sweetened beverage was associated with a 4% lower risk of total mortality, 5% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality, and 4% lower risk of cancer-related mortality.”

There have been previous concerns of sugar substitutes leading to negative health risks like bladder cancer. These risks are more closely monitored now, but unknown health risks may still be possible

In short:

“Artificial sweeteners can be a short-term way to help some people lessen their use of sugar and lose or manage weight. In general, sugar substitutes are safe for healthy adults.

But be aware of how sugar substitutes affect your food and drink choices. These ingredients may get your tastebuds used to sweetness. And that can make drinking enough water a challenge.

Products made with sugar substitutes also may give you the wrong message about processed foods. A snack labeled low sugar or no sugar may not be the most nutritious choice. Whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, usually have the best mix of nutrients for the body.

But artificial sweeteners can help some people enjoy sweetness without excess calories. And if used in moderation, artificial sweeteners can be part of a healthy diet.” - Mayo Clinic

And lastly, sometimes it is best to enjoy your favourite things, in moderate, and without guilt.