The Bitterness of Artificial Sweeteners

Are artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose, really that bad for you? As with everything, there’s more to the nutritional story than the fact that they provide sugary sweetness with zero calories.

Diet Coke

A widely cited 2014 study in the journal Nature demonstrated aspartame, saccharin and sucralose can trigger abnormal blood sugar levels via changes in the gut microbiome. The study provides compelling evidence that gut bacteria can be disrupted by these chemicals leading to glucose intolerance. More specifically, the study demonstrated that these common sweeteners increased the ability of E. coli and E. faecalis bacteria to attach, invade and kill cells in the gut lining. 

Artificial sweeteners are often recommended for those with diabetes or people trying to lose weight by cutting calories, however studies have found no evidence that the low-calorie sweeteners aspartame and sucralose were effective for weight management. Researchers found a link between increased body weight and waist circumference with regular intake of artificial sweeteners, and evidence suggested those who consume sweeteners are at greater risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. 

Dr. David Perlmutter writes about the risks of artificial sweeteners in his book, Drop Acid, suggesting that consuming artificially sweetened “diet” drinks can heighten the risk of diabetes via dysbiosis. Some studies show a doubling of the risk for people who drink two diet beverages a day. He also speaks about a scientific journal article published in 2017, revealing numerous other risks– people who drank one or more artificially sweetened drinks per day had almost 3 times the risk of stroke and 3 times the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Whether non-nutritive sweeteners are safe or not depends– the FDA ruled out cancer risk, however those studies were done with far smaller amounts of diet soda than consumed by the average person, 24 oz a day. In addition, multiple studies have found association of increased cancer and artificial sweetner use, but not causation.  Again, the amount studied varies significantly. 

Let’s talk about some healthy options for sugar substitutes. Allulose is a sugar that resembles fructose, but it has little to no effect on blood glucose or insulin levels. The body absorbs allulose but does not metabolize it into glucose, so it is virtually calorie-free. Stevia and Monkfruit are natural, calorie-free  options that come from plants.  It’s important to note that like all things, use caution to avoid overusing these substitutes as they can cause gas and bloating in some individuals. Allulose, Stevia, and monk fruit sweeteners are all great no-calorie alternatives to sugar if you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth without the extra calories! 

Speaking of sweets, check out the Chocolate Avocado Pudding recipe to try a delicious dessert made with monkfruit!


References:

Gardener H, Rundek T, Markert M, Wright CB, Elkind MSV, Sacco RL. Diet soft drink consumption is associated with an increased risk of vascular events in the Northern Manhattan Study. J Gen Intern Med2012;27:1120-6. doi:10.1007/s11606-011-1968-2 pmid:22282311

Perlmutter, D. (2022). Drop acid. HodderStoughton. 

Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Kamensky V, Manson JE, et al. Artificially sweetened beverages and stroke, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative. Stroke2019;50:555-62. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.118.023100 pmid:30802187

Suez, J., Korem, T., Zeevi, D., Zilberman-Schapira, G., Thaiss, C. A., Maza, O., Israeli, D., Zmora, N., Gilad, S., Weinberger, A., Kuperman, Y., Harmelin, A., Kolodkin-Gal, I., Shapiro, H., Halpern, Z., Segal, E., & Elinav, E. (2014). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature, 514(7521), 181–186. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13793 

Vyas A, Rubenstein L, Robinson J, et al. Diet drink consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events: a report from the Women’s Health Initiative. J Gen Intern Med2015;30:462-8. doi:10.1007/s11606-014-3098-0 pmid:25515135

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