What Are Sugar Substitutes? 

Artificial sweeteners are sugar substitutes with little to no calories and much stronger sweetness compared to simple sugar.¹ They are also known as non-nutritive sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners can often be found in baked goods, soft drinks, candies, canned foods, and other foods and beverages often labeled as “diet” or “sugar-free”.²

There are currently 6 types of artificial sweeteners approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food products:

• Aspartame
• Sucralose
• Saccharin
• Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K)
• Advantame
• Neotame

Are Sugar Substitutes Good for Diabetes?

Sugar substitutes such as artificial sweeteners have been an interest to the public as they promise the sweetness of sugar without its calories.³ They can be used to enhance both taste and texture. Consumers found artificial sweeteners to potentially be helpful in reducing caloric intake, losing weight, and reducing sugar consumption.⁴ However, more recent research is showing that the previously believed benefits of artificial sweeteners may not be true.

The World Health Organization recently issued a new guideline recommending against the use of artificial sweeteners to control body weight or to reduce risk of diseases.⁵ This review comes after examining evidence showing that artificial sweeteners are not beneficial in losing weight but that its long-term consumption may actually increase body mass index as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). For instance, a large prospective study found that those who reported consuming high amounts of artificial sweeteners had an increased risk of developing T2DM when compared to those who reported not consuming artificial sweeteners.¹⁰ The reason behind this association is still being understood. The authors of the study postulate that artificial sweeteners may disturb lipid and glucose metabolism[SL1] , lower insulin [SL2] secretion, decrease pancreatic b-cell sensitivity, and promote an inflammatory environment, cumulatively leading to an increased risk of T2DM. Additionally, recent meta-analyses are also finding that consumption of artificially sweetened beverages is linked to increased risk of metabolic syndrome.^6,7 Metabolic syndrome is characterized by high blood pressure, high blood glucose levels, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels, and low high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and is known to be associated with T2DM and other health problems.^8,9