Sugar vs. artificial sweeteners: Which one you should choose (based on your health goals) - CNET

If you love sweet foods and drinks but try to keep your sugar intake low, you've probably used one alternative sweetener or another.

In this guide to alternative sweeteners and sugar, I examine the available science on the pros and cons of sugar substitutes, and how they stack up to the real thing.

Splenda is one of the best known artificial sweeteners.

Before diving into sugar versus sugar alternatives, it's helpful to know what alternative sweeteners actually are -- there are three types of alternative sweeteners, all with their own uses, benefits and drawbacks. .

Artificial sweeteners are what most people typically think of when considering sugar alternatives: Splenda (sucralose), Sweet'N Low (saccharin), Equal (aspartame) and Sweet One (acesulfame K).

These sweeteners can be 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) and they have zero calories, which is why they're called non-nutritive sweeteners.

They're called sugar alcohols because their chemical structure resembles both sugar and alcohol, but despite the name, these low-calorie sweeteners don't contain ethanol, the type of alcohol that leads to intoxication. .

Novel sweeteners include newer sugar alternatives that are difficult to place in the above two categories.

It doesn't have a chemical structure like artificial non-nutritive sweeteners, nor sugar alcohols -- so it hovers in novel sweetener limbo. .

Other novel sweeteners include monk fruit extract (a zero-calorie sweetener that comes from a fruit native to China) and tagatose (an artificial sweetener that is actually less sweet than table sugar).

The Food and Drug Administration considers all of the above sugar alternatives as "high-intensity sweeteners," and they all come with several pros and cons. .

If you're looking to curb your calorie intake but don't want to give up sweet foods and drinks, sugar substitutes can help: You get the taste you desire, but without the calories. .

Recent research has reanalyzed this logic and suggests that alternative sweeteners may not always help with weight loss efforts (more about this under drawbacks on alternative sweeteners below), but for people who are cognizant of their overall food and drink consumption, low- or zero-calorie sweeteners can aid in weight loss.

Sugar substitutes can help people with diabetes satisfy cravings without causing spikes in blood sugar.

Several studies show that non-nutritive sweeteners, particularly sucralose, do not mess with blood sugar or insulin

A 2012 statement from the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association says that non-nutritive sweeteners can help people reduce their sugar intake and overall calorie intake when used with good judgment, although the benefits won't apply if you overcompensate and get too much sugar from other foods

If one thing is for sure, sugar alternatives can help with dental health

Since sugar substitutes don't contain sugar, they can help prevent the tooth decay process

Non-nutritive sweeteners, sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners definitely have their advantages, as evidenced above

This 2019 review of studies suggests that some sweeteners can have negative effects while others, specifically sugar alcohols, may have positive effects

Research in animals has also shown negative changes to gut bacteria after consumption of artificial sweeteners, though more research is needed in humans to determine the true long-term effects of sugar alternatives on gut health

Alternative sweeteners may have few or zero calories, but that doesn't mean your sugar cravings will stop

The authors note that the same preference was observed with sugar-sweetened water, so it can't be said that artificial sweeteners are more addictive than sugar -- just that sweetness in general can be highly addictive. 

When making your decision between sugar and artificial sweeteners, take into account your primary goal

The current consensus is that scientists just don't know enough about the long-term effects of sugar alternatives -- artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols or novel sweeteners -- to make definitive claims that they are good or bad -- or whether sugar or alternatives are better in the long term. 

Both sugar and sugar alternatives are OK to eat in moderation -- what truly matters is that you make smart food choices based on your current health status and medical conditions, as well as how sugar or alternative sweeteners make you feel. 

If you're worried about the harmful effects of either -- sugar or alternatives -- a good rule of thumb is that whole food is usually better