Sweeteners: a sweet or sour aftertaste?
Are sweeteners more sour than sweet?
Are sweeteners really a healthier alternative than sugar, or is their aftertaste more sour than sweet?
Traditionally used for their low-calorie sweetness in thousands of foods and drinks, sweeteners have received a lot of negative press over the years due to their suggested role in causing diseases in later life such as cancer.
As sweeteners are so regularly used in food manufacturing, you may have already consumed sweeteners in your much loved food and drink products.
However, it isn’t as easy as looking for the word '‘sweetener’ on labels when trying to spot them. They are likely to be labelled as the below examples which are little trickier to identify:
Acesulfame K
Aspartame
Saccharin
Sorbitol
Sucralose
Stevia
Xylitol
Concerns regarding the link between consumption of sweeteners and cancer is a common debate. However, international organisations such as Cancer Research UK and US National Cancer Institute have ruled this out and all sweeteners in the EU go under strict safety assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
EFSA have stated that artificial sweeteners are not harmful within daily limits and this is much more than most people can have on one day. For example, in relation to aspartame, the daily limit is equal to 12 cans of diet soft drink.
So, according to the experts, sweeteners are safe to consume but does that mean they’re a healthy option?
Benefits of sweeteners
Sweeteners provide a convenient alternative to sugar. In particular, excess consumption of added sugar has been linked to increase risk of a variety of chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Sweeteners may actually help to control blood sugar levels as well as reduce our overall calorie intake. This means they can be a useful solution to help someone control their calorie intake and subsequently help manage their weight. Sweeteners are also appealing to people living with diabetes to help control blood sugar levels.
In addition, some sugar alcohols may inhibit bacteria and help prevent tooth decay whereas sugar can contribute to acid production in the mouth and is related to adhesion of foods to the surface of the teeth which may increase carcinogenity.
The watch outs
It should be noted that sweeteners do not make foods automatically ‘healthier’.
What if the question we really should be asking is whether we should be aiming to wean ourselves off of sweet tasting foods all together?
In fact, some research has suggested that the use of artificial sweeteners may trigger an increase in appetite and therefore could contribute to weight gain and obesity.
What should the take home message be for for consumers and manufacturers?
Research into sweeteners is inconsistent as it’s difficult to show casual effect in research trials looking at the impact of food and its nutrients. This is because everyone responds to foods differently and there is variety between individuals diets which can skew the results. For example, in a recent study by Debras et al, 2022, higher consumers of artificial sweeteners consumed more sugary drinks in general, which is linked to cardiovascular disease.
The research looking into whether intake of sweeteners causes type 2 diabetes is not strong enough to change the recommendation.
More research is also needed to investigate the impact of sweeteners on glucose metabolism, appetite control and the gut microbiota, as well as the link between sweetener consumption and cardiovascular disease.
A combination of sweeteners is often used in products, which makes it hard to pinpoint the effects of one sweetener.
If comparing sweeteners to sugar, the lack of impact on blood sugars and low calories can be very beneficial for an individual wanting to control their blood glucose and maintain a healthy weight.
However, sweeteners should be seen as a ‘stepping stone’ to help people reduce sugar intake.
In summary:
Substituting sweeteners for sugar can be a useful short-term stepping stone to reduce calorie intake and control weight and is recommended alongside a healthy diet.
Unfortunately, sweeteners are not a one size fits all and healthcare professionals should assess patients on an individual basis to provide tailored advice around sugar and sweetener consumption.
Ultimately, a life without sugar can be seen as a dull one, so we must find a balance. However, best practice is to advise unsweetened options where possible such as plain yogurt and water, and adding natural flavours such as herbs e.g. mint or fruit e.g. berries.
References:
NHS, 2019. Available online: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/are-sweeteners-safe/
Cancer Research, 2021. Available online: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths/do-artificial-sweeteners-cause-cancer
Rippe JM, Angelopoulos TJ. Added sugars and risk factors for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Int J Obes (Lond). 2016 Mar;40 Suppl 1:S22-7. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2016.10. PMID: 27001643. Available online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27001643/
EFSA, 2011. Available online: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2229
Debras C, Chazelas E, Sellem L, Porcher R, Druesne-Pecollo N, Esseddik Y et al. Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort BMJ 2022; 378 :e071204 doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-071204. Available online: https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2022-071204