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Stevia and Artificial Sweeteners, Good Choices for Your Health?
Artificial Sweeteners and Type 2 Diabetes
Aggregate data from meta-analyses, systematic reviews, clinical studies, and observational studies have not shown a strong and clear link between artificial sweetener consumption and the development of type 2 diabetes. However, several observational studies have shown a positive relationship between these two variables. No specific artificial sweetener appears to be more strongly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes than the others. A hypothesis to explain this is that ingesting artificial sweeteners could lead to the release of insulin from the pancreas, which would be mistaken for glucose because of its sweet taste. This would increase insulin levels in the blood, ultimately leading to decreased receptor activity due to insulin resistance.
Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Microbiome
Several artificial sweeteners including saccharin, sucralose and stevia have been identified as potentially affecting the composition of the gut microbiota. Saccharin ingestion could affect glucose tolerance and promote gut dysbiosis. However, further studies are needed to clarify these preliminary observations, to determine whether the changes observed in the gut microbiome in animals are present in humans, and to investigate the effects of artificial sweeteners for which no evidence is available so far.
Artificial Sweeteners and Water Pollution
Artificial sweeteners have been identified as emerging environmental pollutants. They are resistant to wastewater treatment processes and are therefore continuously introduced into aquatic environments. Several environmental studies have confirmed the high presence of acesulfame-K, saccharin and sucralose in the water cycle. High concentrations of these sweeteners can be found in surface water, groundwater aquifers and drinking water.
In Conclusion
Currently, there is still no consensus regarding the health consequences of artificial sweetener consumption, as they have not been fully studied and the available studies are contradictory. High consumption of artificial sweeteners has been associated with potential adverse health effects including an increased risk of cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
In light of these studies, it would be prudent to avoid excessive consumption of artificial sweeteners. To do this, you would need to change your eating habits over the long term. Here are some tips to help reduce your intake of added sugars and artificial sweeteners:
- Train your taste buds to a less sweet taste by gradually reducing the addition of sugar and artificial sweeteners to beverages and foods
- Include a source of protein and fiber at every meal and snack to promote satiety and limit large fluctuations in blood sugar levels that can increase sugar cravings
- Limit ultra-processed foods and instead choose whole foods with little or no added sugars
- Flavour your water with natural flavours such as fruit
- Eat fruit as a snack or dessert
SOSCuisine.com offers weekly meal plans based on the Mediterranean diet, customizable according to each person’s allergies, intolerances and preferences. Subscribing to these meal plans is a simple and effective way to gradually adopt a varied and balanced diet with little or no processed foods. We also offer individual consultations with experienced Registered Dietitians.
Sources
1) Montez et Rios-Leyvraz (2022). Health effects of the use of non-sugar sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Health Organization; 202 pages.
2) Mooradian, Smith et Tokuda (2017) The role of artificial and natural sweeteners in reducing the consumption of table sugar: A narrative review. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN; 18:1e8.
3) Fowler et al. (2008) Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain. Obes (Silver Spring);16:1894e900.
4) Burke et Small (2015). Physiological mechanisms by which non-nutritive sweeteners may impact body weight and metabolism. Physiol Behav;152(Pt B):381e8.
5) Yang (2010). Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings. Yale J Biol Med;83:101e8.
6) Witcowski et al. (2023) The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk. Nature Medicine; 29:710–18.
7) Debras et al. (2022) Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Sante ́ population-based cohort study. PLoS Med 19(3): e1003950.
8) Manavalan, Shubrook et Young (2021) Consumption of Non-nutritive Sweeteners and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes: What Do We Know, and Not? Current Diabetes reports; 21:53.
9) Ruiz-Ojeda et al. (2019) Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials. Adv Nutr;10:S31–S48.
10) Harpaz et al. (2018) Measuring Artificial Sweeteners Toxicity Using a Bioluminescent Bacterial Panel. Molecules;23: 2454.
Author
Kathryn holds a Bachelor Degree in Nutrition as well as a Bachelor and a Master Degree in Kinesiology, all from Laval University. She is a Registered Dietitian and active member of the Ordre professionnel des Diététistes Nutritionnistes du Québec (ODNQ) and of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She holds the Monash University's certification for the FODMAP diet and IBS, and has considerable clinical experience in that area. She is also an accomplished athlete, having ran track and cross-country at a national level. Kathryn specializes in sports nutrition, weight loss, diabetes, as well as heart and gastrointestinal health.
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