Health Topics for Nutrition

Sugar Substitutes

Most Americans have a relentless sweet tooth. In fact, most Americans eat the equivalent of 20 teaspoons of sugar each day. Yet, most are also concerned about their weight. Consuming large amounts of sugar adds extra calories, which can cause weight gain. They want their sweets, but without all the extra calories from sugar.

Are artificial sweeteners a better option than sugar? Artificial sweeteners offer the sweetness of sugar without the calories. Smaller quantities of sugar substitutes are needed to create the same sweetness as sugar. This is why there is a lower calorie count for substitutes than real sugar.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these 5 low- calorie sweeteners:

• Saccharin is 300 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in diet soft drinks and baked goods. It is also used as a tabletop sweetener in restaurants.
• Aspartame is 180 to 200 times sweeter than sugar. Most consumers recognize it by the name "Nutrasweet." It is also a tabletop sweetener and used in beverages, breakfast cereals, desserts, and chewing gum. Although the taste of Nutrasweet is well accepted, some people experience side effects that include nausea, burning with urination, and headaches. Infants, children, or adults with phenylketonuria should never consume the product, as it will increase the phenylalanine in their blood to dangerously high levels.
• Acesulfame-K (called "Sunette") is 200 times sweeter than sugar and has no calories. It is used in dry mixes and in chewing gum. Unlike aspartame, acesulfame-K is heat stable and can be used in baked goods, frozen desserts, candies, and beverages.
• Sucralose (Splenda) is 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, frozen dairy desserts, fruit juices, and gelatins.
• Neotame is 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. It was approved in 2002 for use in baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, gelatins and puddings, confections and frostings, jams and jellies, and processed fruits and fruit juices.

As with any food, it is important that sugar substitutes be consumed in moderation and only as part of an overall healthy diet. Be sensible about using artificial sweeteners. For example, do not put them in milk or other nutritious beverages. Removing sugar from your diet is not the total solution to weight management. Weight loss depends on reducing the total amount and kinds of calories consumed and/or increasing caloric expenditure through physical activity.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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