Elevate Your Health Colorado Life Is Sweet: Pros and cons of common sweeteners

Little girls may be made of sugar and spice and everything nice, but is everything that’s sweet, so nice? Research has shown that sugar contributes to diabetes and obesity, and a new study links reduced consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks such as soda, fruit drinks, and lemonade with improved blood pressure.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting your sugar intake to an average of 100 calories per day for most women and 150 per day for men. For more answers to your sugar questions, visit the American Heart Association’s website at heart.org and search “questions about sugar.”

So what about other options? Here’s a short and sweet look at sweeteners:

• Sugar
  • Pros – White sugar is derived from sugar cane and the sugar beet, while brown is white sugar with molasses. Brown sugar has a higher water content, and thus slightly fewer calories. Sugar tastes good, bakes well, and converts to energy quickly. On balance, Kaiser Permanente Health Works Manager Deb Lemke, MS, RD, suggests sugar in moderation. “I happen to like sugar. I’m not going to tell people to stop eating it. Just don’t overeat it,” she says.
  • Cons – With 60 calories per tablespoon, sugar is calorie-dense and lacks nutrients. And that sugar high you get will be quickly followed by a crash. Also, too much sugar leads to bacteria formation and cavities.
• High fructose corn syrup
  • Pros – High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) extends the shelf life of foods. It is also cheaper than sugar, which is why natural or organic sodas will cost more than Coca-Cola, which uses HFCS.
  • Cons – Excess sugar consumption is linked to various health concerns, and HFCS is quickly becoming the most common sweetener in our food supply. A recent study out of Britain suggests that it may even cause fat cells in children to multiply. Again, Lemke urges limiting foods that use high fructose corn syrup and examining other factors that may contribute to obesity.
• Honey
  • Pros – Honey is sweeter than sugar, so less is more. It also has throat-soothing properties, minor antioxidant and digestive benefits, and has been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared with other types of sweeteners.
  • Cons – At 64 calories per tablespoon, honey is slightly more calorie-dense than sugar.
• Sucralose(Splenda^®)
  • Pros – “Sucralose is considered the safest artificial sweetener on the market,” Lemke says. “After numerous studies it has been shown to not have side effects.” Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar yet non-caloric and works well with cooking and baking.
  • Cons – “Splenda has a slight chemical taste,” Lemke says, adding that this is true of all artificial sweeteners. Splenda contains bulking agents dextrose and maltodextrin, which are derived from starches such as corn or wheat.
• Aspartame(NutraSweet^®, Equal^®)
  • Pros – Aspartame is only needed in very small amounts. “It has 200 times the sweetness of sugar,” Lemke says.  It is considered safe by the FDA, except for people with phenylketonuria, or PKU.
  • Cons – It doesn’t break down well in the cooking or baking process, so it’s mainly useful for sweetening drinks and sprinkling on cereal or berries.
• Saccharin(Sweet ‘N Low^®, Sugar Twin ^®)
  • Pros – Saccharin contains no calories and does not raise blood sugar levels.
  • Cons – Research studies during the early 1970s linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer. While saccharin was “de-listed” from the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens in 2000, Lemke steers clear. “I like to err on the side of caution,” she says.
• Stevia
  • Pros – Stevia is a sweet herb, not an artificial sweetener, which is a major pro for some consumers. Stevia-based sweeteners, such as PureVia^® and Truvia^® hold a GRAS, or “Generally Recognized as Safe,” rating from the FDA.
  • Cons – Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and young children should avoid stevia. Lemke notes that research studies on stevia are very minimal and its safety has not been established.

Sweet Endings

Watching your waistline and desserts can go hand in hand. Here are a few “sweet” options when eating out – or when entertaining at home:

• Chocolate mousse 
• Gelato 
• Sorbet 
• Mini desserts 
•  Angel food cake with strawberries and blueberries

Find more healthy eating tips and recipes at kp.org/nutrition.