Are Artificial Sweeteners A Good Alternative?
What are artificial sweeteners?
As more and more people are trying to cut back on sugar consumption, the search for natural substitutes and artificial sweeteners is on the rise.
Artificial sweeteners are sugar alternatives that have been synthesized, and they can range from natural sweeteners like molasses and honey to other plant extracts like stevia.
Some artificial sweeteners, on the other hand, are derived from natural sources but are transformed synthetically to increase sweetness.
Why are artificial sweeteners used?
Artificial sweeteners, on the other hand, are frequently utilised commercially and even by consumers because they are considerably sweeter than sugar and hence require fewer quantities.
Artificial sweeteners, contribute almost no calories to our diet. An appealing alternative to traditional sugar, alternative sweeteners in your morning coffee seems like a sensible switch – but is it?
Saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame are a few examples of artificial sweeteners. Almost all packaged foods and beverages, even those branded as diet items, include them. Aspartame, a sugar replacement, is also available for personal use.
Are artificial sweeteners actually safe for your body?
Despite the fact that these artificial sweeteners have no calories, long-term usage has been related to some negative health effects, raising questions about their validity as a sugar substitute.
When compared to sugar, aspartame, which is over 200 times sweeter than conventional sugar, is less toxic than saccharin, which is roughly 700 times sweeter [1] [2].
Despite the fact that most of the health risks linked with aspartame have been demonstrated to be unfounded, aspartame is detrimental to people who suffer from phenylketonuria [3] [4] [5] [6].
Aspartame, on the other hand, has been shown to aid weight loss and can be used to manage type 2 diabetes [6].].
Saccharin, on the other hand, has already been established as a less safe alternative to sugar, as compared to aspartame, and preliminary studies have shown that it can be linked to multiple conditions like the reduced function of the kidney and the liver [7].
It has also been linked to high blood sugar levels and obesity, although further research needs to be conducted [7].
However, recent research has found that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin alter the gut microbiota, resulting in glucose intolerance [8].
Conclusion
Therefore, although generally considered safe for consumption, artificial sweeteners can be harmful to our health, especially in excess, and research is still ongoing in regards to their safety, benefits, and adverse effects on our health. Does this mean that we should eliminate sugar entirely from our diets and use artificial sweeteners instead? Not quite.
With this in mind, it is recommended that we avoid these sugar substitutes and limit our overall consumption of sweeteners by reducing our intake of natural sugar.
How do we at Laumière tackle this:
That is why Laumière's gourmet food baskets are a perfect alternative for anyone attempting to eat well, as they are made from hand-picked all-natural products that are blended to provide tasty and healthy snacks, with no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
So get a basket for yourself or give one as a gift to someone special to enjoy an exceptional munching experience like no other.
References
1.https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information- about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states
- Bandyopadhyay, A., Ghoshal, S., & Mukherjee, A. (2008). Genotoxicity testing of low-calorie sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame-K, and saccharin. Drug and chemical toxicology, 31(4), 447-457.
- Lim, U., Subar, A. F., Mouw, T., Hartge, P., Morton, L. M., Stolzenberg-Solomon, R., ... & Schatzkin, A. (2006). Consumption of aspartame-containing beverages and incidence of hematopoietic and brain malignancies. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers, 15(9), 1654-1659.
- Marinovich, M., Galli, C. L., Bosetti, C., Gallus, S., & La Vecchia, C. (2013). Aspartame, low-calorie sweeteners and disease: regulatory safety and epidemiological issues. Food and chemical toxicology, 60, 109-115.
- Lean, M. E., & Hankey, C. R. (2004). Aspartame and its effects on health.
- Renwick, A. G., & Nordmann, H. (2007). First European conference on aspartame: Putting safety and benefits into perspective. Synopsis of presentations and conclusions. Food and chemical toxicology, 45(7), 1308-1313.
- Azeez, O. H., Alkass, S. Y., & Persike, D. S. (2019). Long-term saccharin consumption and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hepatic dysfunction, and renal impairment in rats. Medicina, 55(10), 681.
- Suez, J., Korem, T., Zeevi, D., Zilberman-Schapira, G., Thaiss, C. A., Maza, O., Israeli, D., Zmora, N., Gilad, S., Weinberger, A., Kuperman, Y., Harmelin, A., Kolodkin-Gal, I., Shapiro, H., Halpern, Z., Segal, E., & Elinav, E. (2014). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature, 514(7521), 181–186.
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