‘Tis the Season for Sugar Substitutes

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The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and the urge to bake a cozy late-night treat is stronger than ever. When I think of Fall, I immediately conjure up dozens of ideas for a homemade treat: apple crisp, banana bread, pumpkin cookies. Anything with a touch of apple, pumpkin, or anything cinnamon is usually a win for me.

With a sweet treat of course comes sugar. During the colder months, many individuals worry about sugar consumption and weight gain due to the amount of busy holidays lined up, since these holidays usually bring large social meals, and of course, a hoard of delicious desserts. 


Some individuals try to cut down their sugar consumption by replacing real sugar with lower calorie or non-nutritive sweeteners, such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. These low-calorie sweeteners have become some of the most common food additives in regular and functional products. The use of these sweeteners seems to be at an all-time high with around 140 million Americans currently consuming sugar substitutes, whether that’s from home-cooking or from artificially sweetened products.

The real question is are these low-calorie sugar substitutes even better than consuming actual sugar? What are the long term-effects and potential benefits to consuming them over regular sugar?


The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) has since put forth a factcheck sheet that discusses the short-term and long term effects and benefits of utilizing low-and -no calorie sweeteners (LNCS). To summarize it, the AND has stated that utilizing LNCS may reduce overall added sugar intake and may support weight management when they are used to replace regular sugar. Long-term effects are not as promising, as long-term use of LCNS may actually increase the risk of obesity, T2DM, CVD and overall mortality. It is recommended that LNCS should be used as a transitional strategy to reduce overall added sugar intake, not as a formal replacement (especially those with metabolic risks. The main goal should be to reduce overall added sugar intake with water or unsweetened beverages rather than relying on a heavy usage of LNCS.

While LNCS can be utilized in moderation and may help reduce overall energy intake and aid in weight management, like every other food, they should not be consumed in excess. It is especially important to not utilize these sweeteners in children under the age of 5, as there is insufficient evidence on what the long-term health and developmental effects are. 


In regards to the holiday season, it may just be more beneficial to utilize regular sugar depending on individual health conditions. LNCS have their place in confectionaries, but it may not be worth it to use them in every dessert. The main goal would be to cut down the amount of sweet baked goods and enjoy them in moderation if there are worries of an overconsumption of added sugar.



References:

 -  https://www.musc.edu/content-hub/News/2023/05/22/confused-about-sweeteners-after-new-recommendation-musc-dietitian-has-answers

- https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/practice-trends/nutrition-fact-check-low-and-no-calorie-sweeteners


- NB


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