Are artificial sweeteners good?

[vinirvin]

Is artificial sweeteners are good for us? like astpartame and sukralose?

 

[mentat]

There is debate about the health effects of artificial sweeteners. However, they do make blood sugars easier to control compared to sugar. Some sweeteners do increase blood sugar, but not as much as sugar does.

 

[Mep]

I used to use artificial sweeteners a lot when I was first diagnosed and now I don't. The only artificial sweetened thing I have is the mints and gum I keep on hand for my throat. I switched to a LoGicane sugar if I want to use sugar in anything as it is a slow release sugar and doesn't absorb as quickly as they other stuff. I'm doing a colonsocopy prep today though and I noticed it has aspartame in the mix I have to drink. ugh. No wonder it makes you go. lol. So I can't always avoid artificial sweeteners, but I keep them to a minimum. I'd rather have the normal stuff than artificial things. There has been studies done showing it can increase your blood sugar as well.

 

[jonbvn]

From the studies I have read it is clear that artificial sweetners do not increase BG levels directly. However, some claim that they encourage you to eat sweet things that may increase it.

I drink a lot of diet coke after exercise every day and my BG levels are good (halved Hba1c result).

 

[Tophat1900]

My preferred sweetener is Stevia, there are different types on the market. I have used xylitol on rare occasions, but I don't really like it's gastric effect...lol

. Some don't like Stevia, but I think it is a better choice then aspartame or splenda.

There seems to be evidence to support the range of stevia's anti diabetic effects.

Some fun light reading for those interested.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845826/

 

[Kristin251]

Is it bad if I think nothing artificial is GOOD?

 

[Robbity]

I don't believe that either sugar or sweeteners are necessarily good for us, but sometimes sweeteners may be a reasonably acceptable compromise to keep us away from scoffing "real" carby, BG raising, sugary stuff. But it's really up to us as individuals to decide what is acceptable to us or not.

When (as a T2) I decided to eat a low carb diet I'd sworn off all things sweet. But eventually having quite a sweet tooth and enjoying baking I decided that if I was to keep away from all high carb/sugary foods long term I'd have to compromise with alternative sweeteners. After some research I decided that I could safely use erythritol and stevia as being "diabetic safe": neither raise glucose levels, contain any calories, cause wind or other gastric upsets, come from reasonably "natural" plant sources, and tend not to leave any unpleasant after taste. My body seems to be able to distinguish between these and the genuine sugary carbohydrates - on the rare occasions it (usually incorrectly!) feels my levels are too low it does insist I need real sugar and not either of my sweet cheats. The rest of the time though I don't ever feel the need for the genuine article.

Xylitol is apparently another acceptable alternative and it's supposedly good for baking, but is a huge NO for me as it's extremely dangerous to dogs and can kill them even in small doses (though it is safe to use if you keep other pets).

Robbity

 

[Juicyj]

Personally I don't think they are good for us, too much controversy with them for my liking (no smoke without fire!), I do have them very occasionally in say a diet drink but I certainly don't bake/consume them if I can help it.

I also believe our taste buds do well without any of the sweet stuff, I can go days without sugar/sweeteners, I still have other forms of sugar in lactose or fructose but in general avoid all sweet stuff.

 

[Tabbyjoolz]

On the rare occasion I use them, I opt for the Truvia brand, which is a combination of stevia and erythritol, tastes almost like sugar and does not spike me. Sometimes I like a half teaspoonful in coffee with cream, and it's great for baking. I used Truvia in a fabulous low-carb cheesecake I made at Christmas, which was devoured by sugar lovers who would normally turn their noses up at Truvia in tea or coffee.

Some sweeteners - and granulated Splenda is a good/bad example - have maltodextrin mixed in with them. Maltodextrin is a fancy word for sugar. It's worth looking up all the other fancy names for sugar too before going on a sweetener quest.

 

[noblehead]

Is artificial sweeteners are good for us? like astpartame and sukralose?

Certainly not good for us just the same as sugar isn't, but sweeteners kept in moderation shouldn't be too harmful (unless you have an adverse reaction to them).