Artificial sweeteners: sugar-free, but at what cost?

Summer is here and for some that means hitting the gym and watching what you eat.  Often this means eating more “sugar free” and “low calorie” snacks to try to reduce the amount of calories you’re consuming. 

Although these foods can contain sugar substitutes like sugar alcohols which are lower in sugar or artificial sweeteners that contain no calories. These may sound good, but can actually cause digestive symptoms such as bloating or diarrhea and may cause you to actually crave sugar instead of avoiding it. 

In this article I will look at the different types of sugar and how they affect your body, and you might just decide that normal sugar, when eaten in moderation, isn’t that bad!

Is sugar bad for us?

Firstly, we are genetically programmed to like sugar. In nature when something is sweet then it generally isn’t poisonous so back in the hunter gathering days when we forged for foods, sweet foods were safe. We still have this memory that sweet is okay, which is why we find it so hard to avoid.

Secondly we actually need carbohydrates to fuel our body and mind, it’s the type of sugar we eat that’s important. Sugar is one type of carbohydrate, as is fiber and starch, and although carbohydrates are essential macronutrients (nutrients the body uses in large amounts), sugar is not. 

Carbohydrates give the body its most immediate source of fuel.  It is stored in the body in two forms, glucose and glycogen. Glucose is blood sugar, the brain’s preferred source of fuel which is transported via the blood all around your body. Glycogen is a lot of these glucose molecules put together and stored in the liver and muscle fibers. Glycogen gives our muscles the energy to move and perform, as they are the muscles fuel.

How does our body process different types of sugar?

The brain is the most energy demanding organ in your body, It uses half of all the sugar that your body needs but it is the only part of the body that can’t store sugar. Because of this the brain needs to be drip fed, so it can perform all its functions properly. 

Sugar comes in the form of complex carbohydrates or refined sugar.  When you eat refined sugar it has already been broken down so is very easily absorbed and so goes straight into your bloodstream and up to your brain.  As the brain can’t store this extra sugar (glucose) it sends signals to the pancreas to release insulin to get rid of it and store it for later use in your liver and muscles. This means your brain is left with none of the sugar and so you end up feeling tired, grumpy and it’s hard to concentrate.  

To combat this you need to eat complex carbohydrates as they are slowly absorbed by the body allowing for a constant flow to the brain which helps to keep your blood sugar levels even. This helps to calm your nerves and promotes clear thinking, most crimes are committed by people in a hyperglycemic state!  Types of complex carbs to eat are whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegetables.  

Refined Sugar is an umbrella term for many types of simple carbohydrates, including white table sugar, which is also called sucrose and is the most common sweetener used in sweet desserts and baked goods.  

White sugar contains no fiber, proteins, fats or enzymes.  When you eat it your body must borrow nutrients from healthy cells to metabolize the sugar.  It is for this reason it is termed empty or negative calories as it depletes your body’s precious reserves.  Calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are taken from various parts of your body in order to do this.

Sweeteners like fruit juice, honey, molasses and maple syrup contain natural sugar and have some nutritional benefits. Fruit has fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Even raw honey and maple syrup can contain antioxidants and minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium.

What happens when we have too much sugar?

Too much added sugar in your diet can lead to health problems including high blood sugar, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, dental issues such as cavities, increased triglycerides, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.  

White sugar also ignites the pleasure/reward centers in your brain like other substances such as cocaine so it is very addictive. Unfortunately in order to get the same feeling you need to take more and more of it, which can lead to over consumption.

This is why sugar substitutes are being used more than ever before, as they taste sweet but don’t contain sugar, they have fewer calories than sugar, and some have no calories at all. Foods labeled “sugar-free,” “keto,” “low carb” or “diet” often contain sugar substitutes, which fall into three categories: sugar alcohols, novel sweeteners and artificial sweeteners.

The history of sugar substitutes

Those of you who have read one of my blogs before, know I am interested in the history of food chemicals and how they have made their way into our diets and have become socially accepted. 

Saccharin, the first Artificial sweetener was discovered by accident in 1897 when a university researcher was looking for uses for coal tar derivatives. The story goes he forgot to wash his hands before lunch, (this appears to have happened with other sweetener discoveries as well), and tasted something sweet on his fingers that he figured out was benzoic sulfide that was 300 times sweeter than sugar. 

By 1907 saccharin was already commonly used in canned goods and soft drinks but most Americans had no idea it was in their food. It was nearly banned for possibly being toxic but because President Roosevelt Dr had prescribed it for his weight loss he allowed it to stay. 

But it did eventually get banned in 1912 but that was reversed during world war 1 as sugar became rationed due to its cost and scarcity. Saccharin then went from being a controversial chemical to the ‘healthy’ sugar substitute that the University school of nutrition distributed a pamphlet saying it was perfectly safe. 

The next artificial sweetener on the block was called cyclamate and that coincided with the diet soft drink boom of the 1950s. It was what was found in the pink sweet ‘N low packets and sweetened Diet Pepsi. It is 30 to 50 times sweeter than sugar and has zero calories and is only a 10th of the cost of table sugar. By 1968 Americans were consuming more than 17 million pounds of it a year. That was until it was proven to cause bladder cancer in rats, which promptly got it banned and saccharin came back in favor.   

10 years later, Aspartame was discovered in a very familiar lick of the fingers kind of way and was immediately a favorite due to the lack of bitter after taste the other artificial sweeteners had had. By 1977 the American FDA was discussing banning saccharin and so the company that owned aspartame began funding hundreds of safety studies to ensure it would be able to replace it.  In 1980 a board of inquiry decided that aspartame would be banned as well as it may induce brain tumors. A new group of scientists was then brought in to review it and they voted to continue the ban until the head of the board at the time voted as well making the vote go in the favor of Aspartame. He ended up resigning two years later as he was accused of accepting money from some of the corporations he was supposed to be regulating. 

Aspartame was branded Nutrasweet  and it replaced more than a billion pounds of sugar during the 80’s. Diet coke was made with it and launched during this time.

The next artificial sweetener to rise in popularity was Sucralose, which is branded as Splenda. It  was created when scientists bonded sucrose molecules with chlorine creating a product that is 600 times sweeter than sugar. The difference with this artificial sweetener is it is partially metabolized by the body so it contains calories but for the first time is heat stable so it can be baked making its way into millions of packed foods and the most consumed artificial sweetener in the market, for now.

If those facts don’t make you wary of artificial sweeteners they are also considered a neural toxin and linked with headaches, migraines, anxiety and obesity! 

The issues with artificial sweeteners

So, artificial sweeteners can actually increase your appetite. When you eat artificial sweeteners they interfere with the natural ability of your body to use sweet taste and viscosity to gauge caloric content of food and beverages. When you substitute artificial sweetener for real sugar, the body learns it can no longer use its sense of taste to measure calories and so the body may be fooled into thinking a product sweetened with sugar has no calories in it and you end up overeating.

Also, just because the label says it’s ‘sugar free’, it doesn’t mean it won’t contain other foods that can raise your blood sugar like white flour in cake or cookies, which is a simple carbohydrate.  

Artificial sweeteners can also cause an increase in the desire for sweet food as they are several hundred times sweeter than sugar itself, promoting a ‘sweet tooth’ effect resulting in sugar cravings. There are studies that show that artificial sweeteners raise insulin levels because the body prepares for sugar intake when receiving the message “sweet” from the tongue. If this “sweet” message is sent by an artificial sweetener instead of sugar, due to the precautionary insulin output, the blood sugar levels decrease, leading to cravings. 

Studies also have shown that there is a correlation between artificial sweeteners and headaches. Like many sensitivities, one serving may not affect you at first, it’s when the body constantly consumes it and you get a loading dose in your body that you then start to see symptoms.  

Aspartame is also believed to affect your serotonin and dopamine levels. Some migraine medications contain compounds that increase your dopamine levels which reduce your migraine symptoms.  After eating aspartame it can cause dopamine levels in your body to drop causing a headache or migraine. (2)

It is important to note that glutamate is a byproduct of aspartame, which is also known to trigger headaches in some people. You can read our my blog post all about MSG and glutamates HERE.

Artificial sweeteners have also been associated with anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression and many other neurophysiological issues. This is because they are neurotoxins that disrupt the functioning of the nervous system and can inhibit the transport of dopamine and serotonin precursors to the brain and may increase levels of excitatory neurotransmitters creating anxiety. (3)

They have also been found to cause inflammation and disrupt the all important gut microbiome!

What about sugar alcohols?

Sugar alcohols are also used in many processed foods. They’re not as sweet as artificial sweeteners, and they add texture and taste to foods like chewing gum and hard candies. Sugar alcohols occur naturally in some types of fruit, the highest being cherries and plums. They are sweet tasting carbohydrates that when manufactured are used as a substitute to table sugar but also as a humectant which is used to keep food moist and preserve it. 

The most common sugar substitutes are sorbitol E420, mannitol E421, isomalt E965,  Erythritol E 968, and xylitol E697. Since they can have a laxative effect, they must state this on the food packaging.

Sorbitol is the most common sweetener in “sugar free” products and is the sugar alcohol of fructose. It  can cause osmotic diarrhea when eaten in large amounts. (20-50g).  Some people have an sorbitol intolerance where the small intestine is unable to utilize the sorbitol absorbed through food. When it moves down to the large intestine it is broken down by bacteria which causes a fermentation process that releases gasses resulting in stomach pain, bloating, headaches, tiredness, and diarrhea.  It is often mistaken for IBS and can be diagnosed with a hydrogen breath test. Fructose intolerance and hereditary fructose intolerance may also be present, as sorbitol is very similar to fructose as they have the same transport and metabolic pathway. (1)

People with a sorbitol intolerance need to avoid Apricots, plums, peaches, cherries, dried fruit, ready made vege mixes, cruciferous vegetables, low sugar and low calorie sweets and diet products, sugar free drinks, juice from fruits, certain medications, ready baked goods, even bread – check for the label E420. Most sugar free chewing gums also contain sorbitol and can create extra bloating since you often swallow excess air when chewing it. 

Similarly, individuals who have diabetes should avoid maltitol, because despite being used in low-carb products like candies and chocolate, maltitol is well-known to spike blood glucose levels.

Erythritol may produce a very sharp taste and a sensation resembling a sore throat. 

Due to the effect that sugar alcohols have on the gut, it is recommended that people who have IBS and other digestive issues should avoid them. 

Novel sweeteners; these so-called ‘natural’ sweeteners

Novel sweeteners are derived from natural sources and are the newest group on the market. They are sometimes called “plant-derived non caloric sweeteners”. They are not a significant source of calories or sugar, so they don’t lead to weight gain or blood sugar spikes. They are usually less processed and are more similar to their natural sources compared to artificial sweeteners but are still chemically made and can cause reactions in some people. Examples are Stevia, Allulose, Monk fruit, and Tagatose.

Stevia is the most recognised and used in the food industry. It is derived from a plant, but it is more similar to artificial sweeteners as the stevia that appears on supermarket shelves is purified, highly processed and, many times, cut with fillers or other sugar substitutes. 

Stevia has also been found to trigger allergic reactions in people who are also allergic to ragweed pollen because the pollen and sweetener have similar proteins. Stevia is part of the same plant family which is known to cause various allergic reactions including respiratory allergy from pollen exposure, (ragweed), contact dermatitis from plant proteins (chrysanthemum) and food allergies (sunflower seed).

Other novel sweeteners include allulose, which is naturally occurring sugar found in raisins, figs, wheat, maple syrup and molasses. Chemically it is similar to fructose but not absorbed by the body so has no calories.  It may cause bloating and digestive symptoms in some people.

Also tagatose, which can be naturally found in fruit (although it’s usually produced from lactose, a dairy sugar), it provides only 1.5 calories per gram, and it’s almost as sweet as sucrose. 

Monk fruit extract is a zero-calorie sweetener extracted from a small, green, melon-like fruit; the extract is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar.

Natural Allergy Treatment

At Health & Wellness Australia & Auckland (HWA), we use a technique called muscle testing (or kinesiology) to help identify reactions to food additives like sugar substitutes.

Following testing, you can work with your qualified Naturopath to address the reactions to these sugar substitutes using a natural allergy treatment called Positive Association Technique (PAT).

We have clinics located all over Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand, and help thousands of people manage their hay fever each year.

To find out more about how we can help you, get in touch!

• Call us on 1300 853 023 / 09 479 5997 (NZ) to chat to our friendly staff
• Send us your question HERE
• Request a Free PAT Information E-PACK HERE

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Please note that this blog post contains general information only. Always consult your health care professional before changing your diet, starting new supplements or regarding any medical condition.