Artificial sweeteners: Any effect on blood sugar? (2024)

FAQs

Artificial sweeteners: Any effect on blood sugar? ›

Sugar substitutes don't affect your blood sugar level. In fact, most artificial sweeteners are considered "free foods." Free foods contain less than 20 calories and 5 grams or less of carbohydrates, and they don't count as calories or carbohydrates on a diabetes exchange.

"The simple answer is that they don't affect it," says Ayyad. "If we were to open a packet of artificial sweetener and eat it, it wouldn't raise our blood sugar at all." He notes that no one does this of course. We're adding these artificial sweeteners to food or drink — our coffees, our teas, our baked goods.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that does not raise blood sugar levels. Stevia and monk fruit extract are natural sugar-free sweeteners that are often combined with other low-calorie sweeteners to enhance their sweetness.

The body reacts to artificial sweeteners differently than it does to sugar — the healthy bacteria that live in the gut, for example, change when these compounds are around — and the consequences might be both surprising and unwelcome, especially for children.

Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar and has a negligible effect on blood glucose levels, and it is suggested for use so that T2D can control carbohydrate intake and blood glucose levels.

The Health Concerns: Why Did the FDA Have Issues with Stevia? Stevia was initially banned because some highly alarming early studies suggested that the sweetener might be linked to cancer. There were also other concerns about the sweet compounds in stevia leaves, known as steviol glycosides.

Or even better yet — no added sugar. That's your absolute best bet. “Really, both sugar and artificial sweeteners are a problem for your health,” says functional medicine specialist Melissa Young, MD. “But if we're comparing what's worse, artificial sweeteners are far worse than sugar.”

Although research is still ongoing, aspartame is often accused of contributing to many long-term health concerns. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified aspartame as a Group 2B carcinogen, meaning it can potentially cause cancer in humans.

Stevia and monk fruit are both naturally derived from plants and some people feel they have a flavor very similar to regular sugar. The FDA says these sweeteners are “generally regarded as safe,” which means they are safe to use for their intended purpose.

Ingestion of these artificial sweeteners (AS) results in the release of insulin from pancreas which is mistaken for glucose (due to their sweet taste). This increases the levels of insulin in blood eventually leading to decreased receptor activity due to insulin resistance.

Does caffeine raise your blood sugar? ›

For most healthy adults, caffeine doesn't noticeably affect blood sugar. The medical term for blood sugar is glucose. Having up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day seems to be safe for most people.

Used sparingly, honey can be part of a healthy, balanced diet for people living with diabetes. But it's good practice to get into the habit of limiting honey and any added sugar as much as possible. More than focussing on an individual ingredient, think about what you eat for each meal as a whole.

Sugar substitutes don't affect your blood sugar level. In fact, most artificial sweeteners are considered "free foods." Free foods contain less than 20 calories and 5 grams or less of carbohydrates, and they don't count as calories or carbohydrates on a diabetes exchange.