You’re probably familiar with the bright, multi-colored packets of sweetener placed on the table at restaurants, but do you actually know what they are? Oftentimes these packets are filled with artificial sweeteners that can have a wide range of pros and cons, depending on which you choose. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the research behind 8 non nutritive artificial sweeteners that the FDA has deemed, “generally recognized as safe” and analyze both sides of the argument so that you can make the best decisions for you, in addition to sharing tips on for sugar cravings and ways to sweeten your food more naturally.
Episode 29: Artificial Sweeteners -- Are They Safe?
Show Notes
You’re probably familiar with the bright, multi-colored packets of sweetener placed on the table at restaurants, but do you actually know what they are? Oftentimes these packets are filled with artificial sweeteners that can have a wide range of pros and cons, depending on which you choose. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the research behind 8 non nutritive artificial sweeteners that the FDA has deemed, “generally recognized as safe” and analyze both sides of the argument so that you can make the best decisions for you, in addition to sharing tips on for sugar cravings and ways to sweeten your food more naturally.
In this episode you’ll learn:
-About different names for artificial sweeteners like NNS (non-nutritive sweeteners) and NAS (non caloric artificial sweeteners or non caloric high intensity sweeteners)
-About neotame
-That artificial sweeteners have a more intense sweetness than table sugar
-Which 8 non-nutritive sweeteners the FDA lists as generally safe for human
-How the FDA determines an artificial sweetener as safe
-How randomized control trials and observational studies are executed
-About some different types of scientific trials and why certain ones are more reliable than others
-That artificial sweeteners have been shown in some studies to help with weight loss
-Why it’s so important to know who is funding a study and what their interests may be
-Why artificial sweeteners may be throwing off the balance of your body and metabolic processes
-About some negative effects of artificial sweeteners shown in rat studies
–How the brain how been shown to react to artificial sweeteners compared to sugar
-About how some artificial sweeteners may affect obesity and diabetes
-How artificial sweeteners play a role in cravings
-What metabolic disease is
-About Saccharin aka Sweet N Low and Aspartame and studies that have explored their possible link to cancer risk
-How artificial sweeteners have been shown to affect gut health in mice and humans
-That aspartame may affect cognitive function
-About the artificial sweetener acesulfame K and what some mice studies have shown
-Some studies on Sucralose aka Splenda and what they’ve found
-Why you may not want to bake with Sucralose aka Splenda or use it in high heat cooking
-About Saccharin aka Sweet N Low
-That neotame is a variation of aspartame
-Which artificial sweeteners are best if using in for high heat
-About the sneaky reason neotame often isn’t required to be labeled in products
-About steviol glycosides aka stevia
-Why stevia extract drops and powder are safer than the whole leaf itself
-About the sweetener Luo Han Guo aka monk fruit extract and how it’s made
-That Monk Fruit gets its sweet flavor from antioxidants called mogrosides
-About sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol and their possible benefits
-That sugar alcohols may actually have a prebiotic effect
-About some of Amanda and Chris’ favorite ways to sweeten food and drinks like maple syrup, honey, dates, and more
-Some benefits of using honey in moderation
-Tips for reducing sugar cravings
-That Glutamine may help with sugar cravings
-About personalized nutrition
-Why it’s so important to listen to your own body and adapt your diet accordingly
Resources:
Studies:
“Replacing caloric beverages with water or diet beverages for weight loss in adults: main results of the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22301929
“Sucrose compared with artificial sweeteners: different effects on ad libitum food intake and body weight after 10 wk of supplementation in overweight subjects.” 2002 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12324283
Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies” https://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/28/E929
“Low-calorie sweeteners and body weight and composition: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Low-calorie+sweeteners+and+body+weight+and+composition%3A+a+meta-analysis+of+randomized+controlled+trials+and+prospective+cohort+studies.
“Does low-energy sweetener consumption affect energy intake and body weight? A systematic review, including meta-analyses, of the evidence from human and animal studies” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4786736/pdf/ijo2015177a.pdf
“The effects of water and non‐nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss during a 12‐week weight loss treatment program” 2014 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.20737
“A review of the effectiveness of aspartame in helping with weight control” 2006 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2006.00564.x
“Replacing caloric beverages with water or diet beverages for weight loss in adults: main results of the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial.” 2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22301929
“Sweetness and food preference.” 2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22573785
Less secretion of hormones that regulate satiation and glucose balance
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22561130
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20060008
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15111986/
Two studies used MRI scans to measure the brain’s reaction to different solutions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583859
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22178008
“Artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute: Are they really safe?” 2016 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4899993/
“Non-nutritive sweeteners: evidence for benefit vs. risk.” 2014 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24345988
“Artificially sweetened beverages–do they influence cardiometabolic risk?” 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24190652
“Non-nutritive sweeteners: review and update.” 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23845273
“Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements.” 2103 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2385026
“Low-calorie sweetener use and energy balance: Results from experimental studies in animals, and large-scale prospective studies in humans.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27129676
“Low-calorie sweetener use and energy balance: Results from experimental studies in animals, and large-scale prospective studies in humans.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27129676
“Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Weight Management and Chronic Disease: A Review.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29570245
“Effect of the artificial sweetener, sucralose, on gastric emptying and incretin hormone release in healthy subjects.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19221011
“Effect of the artificial sweetener, sucralose, on small intestinal glucose absorption in healthy human subjects.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20420761
“Effects of oral ingestion of sucralose on gut hormone response and appetite in healthy normal-weight subjects.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21245879
“Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements.” 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23850261
“Artificially sweetened beverages–do they influence cardiometabolic risk? 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24190652
“Aspartame, low-calorie sweeteners and disease: regulatory safety and epidemiological issues.” 2103 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23891579
“Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies” https://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/28/E929
“First Experimental Demonstration of the Multipotential Carcinogenic Effects of Aspartame Administered in the Feed to Sprague-Dawley Rats” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392232/
“NTP report on the toxicology studies of aspartame in genetically modified and N2-deficient mice and carcinogenicity studies of aspartame in genetically modified mice (feed studies).” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18685711
“Consumption of aspartame-containing beverages and incidence of hematopoietic and brain malignancies.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16985027
“Aspartame, low-calorie sweeteners and disease: regulatory safety and epidemiological issues.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23891579
Aspartame and Risk of Cancer: A Meta-analytic Review 2013 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263431436_Aspartame_and_Risk_of_Cancer_A_Meta-analytic_Review
“EFSA’s toxicological assessment of aspartame: was it even-handedly trying to identify possible unreliable positives and unreliable negatives?” https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-019-0355-z
“Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer” https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/artificial-sweeteners-fact-sheet
Nature – “Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota.” https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiTy7vMsITpAhWgHTQIHaF7BGAQFjABegQIBRAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgenie.weizmann.ac.il%2Fpubs%2F2014_nature.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3BmRT9_sSZe59U1zmUtYF
“Neurobehavioral Effects of Aspartame Consumption” 2017 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5617129/
“Neurophysiological symptoms and aspartame: What is the connection?” 2018 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28198207
“The artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium affects the gut microbiome and body weight gain in CD-1 mice.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5464538/
“There are several studies in rodents showing altered gut bacteria: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5522834/pdf/fphys-08-00487.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28587159
When heated, Splenda was found to degrade and release harmful chloropropanols at high temperatures: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24219506
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eq/v34n4/a02v34n4.pdf
2013 Study – Steviol Glycoside, as well as stevioside and rebaudioside A (similar sweeteners) are not genotoxic. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512007533?via%3Dihub
According to a 2009 study, monk fruit gets its sweetness from antioxidants. The study found monk fruit extract has the potential to be a low-glycemic natural sweetener. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21351724
A 2013 study concluded that mogrosides may help reduce oxidative stress. Now it’s not certain if the monk fruit sweetener has the same benefits but the study shows monk fruit’s potential https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3854338/
Long term human study on xylitol found no adverse effects other than GI distress, which dissipated after a couple months https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0308814685901177
The GI distress mostly comes from fermentation of the SAs by gut bacteria, which can cause gas and bloating
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24336061
http://archive.diabetes.ca/files/SugarAlcohols–Wolever–CJDDecember2002.pdf
Doesn’t seem to bring about the possible metabolic confusion we discussed earlier, but lacking studies
http://archive.diabetes.ca/files/SugarAlcohols–Wolever–CJDDecember2002.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22832597
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21765599
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21434778
A few studies indicate that sugar alcohols may have a prebiotic effect. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4076932
“Intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks and risk of preterm delivery: a prospective cohort study in 59,334 Danish pregnant women.” 2010 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20592133
“Association between intake of artificially sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages and preterm delivery: a large prospective cohort study.” 2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854404
“Aspartame, low-calorie sweeteners and disease: regulatory safety and epidemiological issues.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23891579
Additional Studies/Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737213/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691518308780
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670679/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=sucralose+metabolism+and+pharmacokinetics+in+ma
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/74/11/670/2281652
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6017827/
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/74/11/670/2281652
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4899993/
- Connect with with Amanda here: @MeowMeix | MeowMeix.com
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