Natural and artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute

What is an artificial sweetener?

Artificial sweeteners are substitutes for sugar which is from chemicals. Herbs, sugar, and other natural things are used to make it. Artificial sweeteners are so much sweeter than sugar that they are also called “intense sweeteners.”

Artificial sweeteners can be a good substitute for sugar because they have almost no calories. You only need a small amount of artificial sweetener compared to how much sugar you would usually use.

Types of sweeteners

There are two main types of sweeteners: natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are sugar substitutes which made from chemicals and have very few or no calories. Natural sweeteners are made from different kinds of trees, fruits, and plants. 

1. Artificial sweeteners

1. Sucralose

Sucralose, an artificial sweetener made from sucrose, is very popular (sugar). It doesn’t have any calories, unlike sucrose. Even though sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar, it tastes very much like sugar.

2. Saccharin

Saccharin is a sugar substitute that has no calories but is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. It’s used in drinks, processed foods, and some medicines, like chewable aspirin.

3. Aspartame

It is 200 times sweeter than sugar but tastes the same. Most of the time, aspartame is used in drinks, cereals, dairy products, and desserts. You won’t find this artificial sweetener in baked goods, though. Because it loses its sweetness when heated (so don’t use homemade baked goods).

4. Advantame

It is a sweetener made from aspartame that is relatively new. But it is 70 to 120 times sweeter than aspartame and 20,000 to 37,000 times sweeter than sugar. It has made more intense artificial sweeteners.

Unlike aspartame, advantame can be heated and is used in cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

5. Acesulfame potassium

The artificial sweetener is acesulfame potassium. This sugar substitute is 200 times sweeter than regular sugar. It tastes strong and bitter, like saccharin. It mixes with artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame. Many different foods and drinks contain acesulfame potassium. Also read – Acesulfame potassium side effects.

6. Neotame

Neotame tastes 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. This sweetener with no calories is able to mask bitter tastes. Its uses with other prevalent artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium.

Neotame has found in a lot of chewing gum, dairy products, and baked goods.

2. Natural sweeteners

1. Stevia

Stevia is a sweetener that has few calories. It comes from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. There are several sweet chemicals in stevia leaves. Stevioside and Rebaudioside A are the main ones. Both are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. So, stevia is very sweet, but it has almost no calories.

2. Erythritol

Erythritol is another type of sweetener with low calories. It is a sugar alcohol that comes from some fruits. But powdered erythritol is most likely made in a factory.

Erythritol tastes very much like sugar, though it can have a mildly unpleasant taste.

3. Xylitol

It is a natural sweetener, which tastes sweet like sugar. Xylitol seems to help with dental health in some aspects, like lowering the risk of cavities and tooth decay.

4. Yacon syrup

Yacon syrup is another unusual natural sweetener. It has a lot of fructooligosaccharides, which are soluble fibres that feed the healthy bacteria in your gut. Don’t eat too much at once, though, as that can cause gastrointestinal problems.

5. Monk fruit sweetener

Monk fruit is a kind of fruit that grows naturally in Southeast Asia. It is often used to make a natural sweetener from monk fruit extract.

It doesn’t have any calories or carbs, so it may help better control blood sugar. Mogrosides are antioxidant compounds found in monk fruit it helps to reduce inflammation.

Artificial sweetener benefits 

Artificial sweeteners can help people who have diabetes or are overweight. They also help keep teeth from getting decay.

Artificial sweeteners can use in the following health conditions:

1. Useful in diabetes:

People with diabetes mellitus can eat a wide variety of foods by using artificial sweeteners in place of sugars. As they have difficulty keeping their blood sugar levels under control, an alternative to sucrose can help them better control the amount of sugar in their bodies.

2. Helps in obesity:

White cane sugar gives “empty calories” because it gives you energy but has no other nutritional value. People who have a high body mass index (BMI) can cut down on the amount of sugar they eat by using sugar substitutes instead of natural sugar. Cutting down on calories can help people lose weight.

3. Dental care:

Sugars and carbohydrates tend to stick to tooth enamel, which causes a certain layer to form over the teeth. Bacteria eat the sugar and turn it into acid. This causes teeth to break down. Most artificial sweeteners are good for your teeth and help prevent tooth decay to a certain extent.

Artificial sweeteners side effects

1. Have sour after taste

No wonder these products improve the flavour of the food, but there is something which leaves a sour aftertaste which is distinctly unpleasant for some individuals.

2. Health problems

It reveals that consumption of these sweeteners can potentiate the risk of cancer in an individual.

“Saccharin sodium contains a warning label that states that they are potentially unsafe to consume”.

3. It can cause weight gain

Although these products are low-calorie solutions, their presence in some individuals can cause weight gain, which is mainly due to overconsumption of these sweeteners.

Since these products trigger cravings for other sweet foods, we end up consuming large amounts of sugar in our diet.

4. Affect the digestive system

These are artificial manufacturing products, which do not come from any natural sources. Our body does not know how to metabolize them.

These Artificial products sometimes aggregate in the gastrointestinal tract and cause severe symptoms.

Adverse effects like- loose stools, bloating, and gas-related pain can cause common side effects of regular consumption of artificial sweeteners.

5. Chemical consumption

These artificial products are great substitutes for natural sugars which are chemicals.

They carry an increased risk of disease development like cancer and several other neurological problems. They can even raise cholesterol levels by changing liver functions.

6. It will change the metabolic rate

The artificial sugar substitutes possess an increased risk of metabolic complications if consumed regularly.

Problems that may arise with the regular consumption of artificial substituted sugars like metabolic syndrome and several heart diseases. It changes the gut bacteria and makes it harder for the body to handle glucose, which the body can’t completely break down these artificial products.

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