Artificial sweeteners

[HLW]

I've seen it mentioned on these forums and elsewhere a few times that some sweeteners effect blood sugar levels, and that anything ending in 'ose' is a sugar and so will raise blood sugar levels, but I just read this:

"Sucralose is not recognized by the body as sugar or as a carbohydrate. It is not metabolized by the body for energy and does not affect blood glucose levels."
from this site: http://www.ific.org/publications/brochu ... ebroch.cfm

so I'm assuming sucralose is safe in terms of blood sugar? Are there any artificial sweeteners/sugar substitutes that do raise blood sugar levels? I'd just always assumed that some did, as I've heard people mention that some do a few times, but after reading that about sucralose I'm not sure.

Yes I know all sweeteners are bad and evil and raise insulin so you eat more food and get fat etc etc, but I'm sure drinking a diet soft drink would be less harmful to me as a diabetic than one with sugar in.

 

[Rick]

I don't know much about sweeteners, I never used sugar on cereals, in tea, etc. before I was diagnosed so it doesn't really effect me but I did and do continue to have the odd can of Pepsi Max every-so-often and I was very happy when they brought out Diet Sprite. I'm sure someone will answer with a chemical bonding structural analysis of how sugar substitutes are actually bad for your body but they don't alter your blood glucose.

 

[hanadr]

Sucralose, Sold as Splenda, is a chemically alterered sugar. The alteration prevents it's being recognised and metabolised by the body. However, it is still technically a member of the sugar family.
It doesn't affect BG unless you have the powder, which is bulked out with maltodextrin, when the active sugar effect is small. The good thing about Splenda is that it's stable during cooking, so you can bake with it and it won't change its flavour. All the info about it is on the carton.
If you look it up on the web, you'll find loads of websites making a fuss about the chlorine in the molecule. This is chemically bound and not available as gaseous chlorine. I have never found any evidence against Splenda, but there's loads of unscientific prejudice.
Does that answer?

 

[HLW]

diet drinks are the only sweetened things I have really (well except when I give up and eat chocolate or similar) so it was the sweeteners in those I was wondering about. They are ok then?

 

[Dennis]

Hi HLW,

Well, the good news is that the sweetener used in nearly all "diet" drinks contains zero carbs. But the bad news is that in practically every case it is aspartame that is used, which comes with a completely different list of health risks - hence the main diet drinks producers (coke & pepsi) desperately trying to find an alternative sweetener.

 

[hanadr]

I loathe Aspartame. It leaves me with a nasty aftertaste. Splenda is better. I carry little tubs of tabs in all my handbags and pockets. Although I drink tea unsweetened, I have never got to doing that with coffee. I don't drink any soft and fizzy stuff.

 

[kegstore]

Is Sorbitol still around? I remember that being quite popular for a while, until the alarming laxative effect it had took hold!

 

[Kim_C]

I drink Morrisons own diet lemonade which contains sucralose and use splenda in my tea and it hasn't had any impact on my BS. I love diet coke but stopped buying it because of the aspartame. I did read somewhere that coca cola are now using splenda in their diet coke in the US, but there are no plans to introduce it in the UK, sadly

 

[Dennis]

Hi Kegstore,

Yes, sorbitol is still widely used, mostly in "sugar-free" chewing gum and ice cream. Although it doesn't contain sugar, it is a sugar alcohol so contains carbs (as well as the laxative effect).