It’s estimated that American adults are consuming a shocking 17 teaspoons of added sugar (68 grams) a day, which is pretty concerning since diets high in added sugar are linked to a higher risk of heart disease, weight gain, obesity, and even chronic inflammation. For a 2,000-calorie diet, the recommendation is to keep added sugar to less than 10% of your total calories, which comes out to about 200 calories or 50 grams (around 12.5 teaspoons) of added sugar per day. To help with this, artificial and natural sweeteners have been introduced as “healthier” alternatives to sugar, often found in products labeled as “sugar-free” or “diet.” These sweeteners are especially popular with people trying to lose weight, manage their blood sugar, or just reduce their sugar intake for health reasons. There’s a wide variety of both artificial and natural sweeteners, each with its own unique properties and potential effects on your health. Read on to learn what they’re all about.
Artificial sweeteners: The low-calorie option
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes that are much sweeter than regular sugar but with few or no calories. That’s why they’re often called “nonnutritive sweeteners,” and you’ll find them primarily in “diet” or “sugar-free” products. Here are some of the most common:
Aspartame: Aspartame is one of the most well-known and widely used artificial sweeteners. It’s about 200 times sweeter than sugar and is commonly found in diet sodas and sugar-free candy. Even though it has the same calories as sugar per gram, its intense sweetness means that just a tiny bit is needed to sweeten foods. While it’s generally considered safe by organizations like the FDA and CDC, there have been concerns about potential health risks over the years. Some studies have even looked into links between aspartame and conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, though there’s no conclusive evidence that aspartame directly causes these issues.
Sucralose: Sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sugar and is used in many food and drink products, from baked goods to soft drinks and chewing gum. It’s popular because it’s heat-stable, meaning it doesn’t lose its sweetness when you cook or bake with it. It also has a similar texture to sugar, so it’s easy to use in recipes.
Saccharin: Saccharin, roughly 200 times sweeter than sugar, is a zero-calorie sweetener found in a variety of foods like salad dressings, baked goods, candy, and gum. Some people think saccharin has a metallic or bitter aftertaste, so manufacturers often blend it with other sweeteners like aspartame to mask that flavor.
Allulose: Allulose is a rare, naturally occurring sugar found in small amounts in foods like raisins, figs, and molasses, but it can also be manufactured. It’s about 70% as sweet as regular sugar and has a similar texture. Since your body doesn’t metabolize allulose in the same way it does sugar, it doesn’t spike your blood sugar or insulin levels and is very low in calories.
Natural sweeteners: From nature, but still sugar
While natural sweeteners do come from sources like plants and fruits, it’s important to bust a common myth: many of them still contain calories and can affect your blood sugar just like regular sugar. Here are a few familiar faces in the natural sweetener world:
Honey: Honey is a thick, sweet liquid made by bees from flower nectar. It has a mild floral flavor and is often used in food and drinks as a natural sweetener. Unlike many artificial sweeteners, honey does contain calories. In fact, it’s more calorie-dense than sugar: one tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, while a tablespoon of sugar has 48 calories.
Maple syrup: Maple syrup is a sweet, amber-colored syrup made from the sap of maple trees. It has a slightly nutty flavor and is often used in homemade dressings, desserts, and baked goods. Like honey, maple syrup is calorie-dense, with one tablespoon containing 52 calories.
Molasses: Molasses is a dark, thick syrup with a rich, sweet, and slightly bitter taste. It’s a byproduct of sugar production, made by boiling sugar cane or beet juice to concentrate the sugars. Molasses is often used in cooking and baking to add depth of flavor. One tablespoon of molasses has 58 calories.
Agave nectar: Agave nectar, also known as agave syrup, comes from the sap of the agave plant. With a mild, sweet flavor, it’s often used as a vegan alternative to honey. It has a syrupy consistency and is commonly used in baking and cooking. One tablespoon of agave syrup contains 63 calories.
Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar is a granulated, caramel-colored sweetener made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. It has a slightly sweet, caramel-like taste and is used as a plant-based alternative to refined sugar. One tablespoon of coconut sugar has 45 calories.
Stevia: Stevia is a sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. It’s about 300 times sweeter than sugar and is used in a wide range of food and beverage products, including soft drinks, baked goods, and dietary supplements. Stevia has become very popular because, unlike the other natural sweeteners listed here, it contains no calories or carbs. It’s also considered a natural sweetener since it doesn’t have a chemical structure like artificial sweeteners.
Monk fruit extract: Monk fruit is a small fruit native to southern China and northern Thailand. Monk fruit extract is made by concentrating the sweet compounds from the fruit. It’s about 150 times sweeter than sugar and is used as a natural sweetener in soft drinks, baked goods, and dietary supplements. Like stevia, monk fruit extract has no calories or carbs.
Key differences: Artificial vs. Natural
Artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners have one thing in common: they both serve as sugar alternatives to sweeten foods and beverages. But there are several notable differences between them. One major difference is how they’re made. Artificial sweeteners are created through a chemical process, where different compounds are combined to produce a substance that tastes sweet. In contrast, natural sweeteners are derived or extracted from natural sources. Another difference lies in their sweetness levels. Artificial sweeteners are typically much sweeter than sugar. Natural sweeteners, on the other hand, can vary in sweetness, but they’re generally not as intensely sweet as their artificial counterparts. A key difference between artificial and natural sweeteners is their potential health impact. While artificial sweeteners are generally considered safe, they’ve been the subject of controversy. Many studies have raised concerns that artificial sweeteners and their chemical additives could pose health risks, such as an increased likelihood of obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular issues. Natural sweeteners, being less processed, tend to offer more nutritional benefits. Though they do contain sugar and calories, many provide beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. For example, honey is known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties and is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids and polyphenols. Agave nectar has antimicrobial benefits and supports gut health with its prebiotic activity. Monk fruit extract contains amino acids and vitamins like C, B1, and B2, while maple syrup boasts up to 24 different antioxidants.
A word of caution: Sweeteners and weight gain
Whether you prefer an artificial or natural sweetener, it’s good to keep in mind that added sugars, no matter the source, don’t offer much in terms of health benefits. In fact, some research hints at a possible connection between artificial sweeteners and weight gain. One long-term study followed over 3,600 adults for seven to eight years and found that those who regularly drank more than 21 artificially sweetened beverages a week had nearly double the risk of being overweight or obese compared to those who didn’t use artificial sweeteners. Interestingly, people who were dieting were more likely to use these sweeteners, and also had the highest weight gain. Their average BMI increased by 2.00 kg/m², compared to 1.23 kg/m² in non-dieters. That said, this doesn’t prove that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain directly, other lifestyle factors could also play a role. For people with diabetes, there’s still no strong evidence that sugar substitutes help with blood sugar control, weight loss, or long-term heart and metabolic health. Instead of stressing over which type of sugar to use, it’s more helpful to simply reduce your total added sugar intake overall. Try to keep it under 10% of your daily calories and be mindful of sneaky sugar sources like sauces, breads, condiments, salad dressings, dried fruits, fruit juices, granola bars, and flavored yogurts.
Moderation is key
The bottom line? There’s actually no real health benefit to consuming any type of added sugar. Instead of focusing on finding the “perfect” sweetener, it’s best to limit your overall intake of all added sugars. This means paying extra attention to food labels, as added sugars can be hidden in many processed foods, including sauces, bread, condiments, and even seemingly healthy options like yogurt and granola bars.
References: 1. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/added-sugars.html 2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1819573 3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6959843/ 4. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481/full 5. https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/food-composition/sweeteners