Are sweeteners so good and which ones are better to use?

What are sweeteners and why are they needed

Artificial substitutesArtificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes sugars are synthetic substances that taste sweet. Some of them are hundreds, if not thousands of times sweeter than granulated sugar.

Their key plus is very low calorie content. For example, one can of soda (330 milliliters) containsArtificial sweeteners: sugar ‑ free, but at what cost? about 150 kilocalories, and almost all of them from sugar. In the same amount of a drink with artificial sweeteners, there are about zero calories.

Therefore, sweetened products are often marketed as dietary products. Reducing caloric intake, they help control weight and, as a result, reduce the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Are sugar substitutes really bad?

This version appearedArtificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes in the 1970s. Then scientists researched one of the artificial sweeteners - saccharin. They concluded that laboratory rats who consume it are more likely to suffer from bladder cancer. For this reason, a warning has appeared on the saccharin packaging that it may be hazardous to health.

Since then, however, sweeteners have been researched many times from all angles. Convincing evidence that they can cause crayfish or other problems, no more were found. On the contrary.

As a result, the saccharin warning label was removed in 2000Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States.

In fact, the only complaint that is made to sweeteners today is that they can stimulate or alter appetite. For example, this is manifested in the fact that a person begins to eat more: "After all, due to diet soda, I have reduced the number of calories, which means I can afford a large piece of the pie." Or another situation: getting used to sweetened food, people refuse fruits and vegetables - those seem tasteless. But this is more of a psychological problem. Sugar substitutes, as such, do not directly harm health.

However, here it is necessary to make a remark. Scientists guarantee the safety of only those sweeteners that have been tested in the relevant services. And only if you use sweeteners in accordance with the instructions: no more than the amount indicated on the package.

What are the best sweeteners to use

All artificial sweeteners are subject to mandatory safety checks before being released into food or on supermarket shelves. In the EU, the procedure is carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in the USA - by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This applies to both completely artificial sweeteners obtained by a purely chemical method, and created on the basis of natural ingredients - natural sugar or containing it. plants.

Here are popular sweeteners that are approved in both Europe and the United States. Choose according to your taste. It is only best to first consult with your supervising therapist. This is especially important ifArtificial Sweeteners: Good or Bad? you have diabetes, metabolic disorders, or allergies to certain foods. Certified sweeteners can do harm in rare cases, but it's not worth the risk.

Plant-based sugar substitutes

Stevia

This sweetener is made on the basis of a purified extract of the stems of the plant of the same name. Stevia is about 200 times sweeterStevia: Side Effects, Benefits, and More - Healthline regular sugar. This means that if you are used to drinking tea with one spoonful of sand, you can put the substitute 200 times less - the dose at the tip of a knife.

There is evidence that stevia reducesEffects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels level insulin and blood sugar, and also makes you feel full. The minus of the sweetener is a specific "herbal" flavor that not everyone likes.

Sorbitol

This substance belongsWhat Is Sorbitol? to a special type of carbohydrates - sugar alcohols. Sorbitol is found in a variety of berries and fruits such as blackberries and apples. It is about 60% less sweet than sugar, but its calories are almost half as much.

Compared to granulated sugar, sorbitol has two advantages at once. Firstly, it, like other sugar alcohols, is not karyogenic - that is, it does not destroy tooth enamel. Secondly, the substance has a low glycemic index and almost does not increase blood glucose levels. But there are side effects: in some people, the sweetener can cause flatulence and diarrhea.

Erythritol

Also a sugar alcohol, with the same benefits as sorbitol. It is slightly less sweet than sugar. Unlike sorbitol, erythritol has a caloric value close to zero, and it has no side effects like flatulence. It is sometimes used in combination with stevia, as this sweetener can neutralize its specific flavor.

Artificial sugar substitutes

Aspartame

The most popular artificial sweetener in the world and therefore the most demonizedAspartame and its effects on health. It is 180-200 times sweeter than sugar, has a minimum calorie content and has been conclusively proven to be absolutely safe in dosageAdditional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States up to 50 mg / kg body weight for everyone. The only exceptions are people with a rare metabolic disorder - phenylketonuria.

Advantam

In 20 thousandAdditional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States times sweeter than sugar. Unlike aspartame, which decomposes at high temperatures, Advantam is thermally stable, and therefore can be used in baking too. The permissible daily dose is up to 32.8 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.

Saccharin

200-700 timesAdditional Information about High ‑ Intensity Sweeteners sweeter than sugar. And like most artificial sweeteners, it has virtually zero calories. The FDA has established a safe dosage for saccharin of 15 mg per kg of body weight per day.

However, if you have allergy for sulfonamides - a class of compounds to which saccharin belongs, this product should be discarded.

Sucralose

600 times sweeter than sugar. Calorie-free, suitable for baking. According to current dataAdditional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States FDA, the sweetener is safe at doses up to 5 mg per kg of body weight per day.

However, there is little researchSucralose decreases insulin sensitivity in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled trialwhich shows that sucralose can reduce insulin sensitivity. Scientists are still studying the mechanism and possible consequences of this.

Acesulfame potassium

200 times sweeter Sahara, zero calorie content. The safety of acesulfame potassium at a dosage of less than 15 mg per kg of body weight per day has been confirmed by more than 90 studies.