What are Different Types of Sweeteners?

A sweetener is a substance which is used to sweeten foods or drink, especially ones other than conventional sugar.

Sweeteners can be broken down into 4 separate categories. We want you to know the difference between them and make your choices according to what you & your doctor feel is best for your body and metabolism.

Natural Sweeteners

These are all extracted or created from plants. All of these types of sugars have roughly the same amount of calories and sucrose is technically one of them since it comes from sugar cane or beets.

Some people consider that healthier alternatives can be agave, maple syrup, molasses and honey. There are pros and cons to their usage, however.

These sweeteners contain potent antioxidants but also can contain up to 90% fructose. Fructose is low on the Glycemic Index (approximately at 25, while table sugar is 100), however its perils lie in the way it interacts with our bodies. The toxicity of fructose depends on your body - for example, if you are overweight, insulin resistant, well- fed and getting both fructose and glucose together (like many people in modern societies are) it gets converted to fat at a very high rate, approximately 30% of your intake will be directly converted (see article in The Guardian). Added fructose has been found to be a leading cause of Type 2 Diabetes.

Thus, it is wise to consume fructose in small quantities as many consider it more harmful than sucrose (or table sugar) for overall morbidity and even fertility levels.When abused, natural sweeteners have the capability of being just as unhealthy, if not moreso, than traditional sugar.

Sugar Alcohols

Sugar alcohols are sweeteners which have reduced-calories and are manufactured from sugar or extracted from a plant. They usually taste less sweet than sugar and can be extracted or synthesized from various fruits and vegetables. They are generally used as sweeteners in chocolates, candies and desserts for their texture. These are an attractive alternative for using in baked goods because they help keep food moist, prevent browning when heated and can often have a cooling sensation when tasted (ie. gym or xylitol mints).

Despite their name, sugar alcohols do not contain any alcohol (or ethanol), which is found in alcoholic beverages.  Examples of sugar alcohols include Maltitol (most commonly used), Xylitol (often found in gums and breath-mints), Sorbitol and Erythritol.

These are not necessarily calorie-free but they are metabolized much slower in the body than sucrose. Their Glycemic Index level is lower than sugar because the body cannot completely absorb them so much of the sugar gets excreted out. Due to this effect, some individuals may experience a laxative effect when consuming too large of a quantity. Erythritol does not tend to cause gastric side effects and is the lowest on the Glycemic Index.

Novel Sweeteners

These are new sweeteners (such as Stevia) which can either be extracted naturally or as a manufactured byproduct. Stevia is the most common and is isolated from the stevia plant. Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar and may have a bitter after-taste. It is for this reason that food manufacturers often have to get creative in ways that they mask this flavor. Some blends such as Truvia are known for using sugar alcohol blends to remove this after-taste.

Tagatose and Trehalose are other examples of novel sweeteners because of their chemical structure. Tagatose is a low-carbohydrate sweetener, similar to fructose and it occurs naturally, but it is mainly manufactured from lactose in dairy products (since it is not found in large enough quantities naturally). Trehalose is found naturally in honey and mushrooms.

Artificial Sweeteners

These were synthesized in a lab and they are not properly absorbed by the human body, and therefore they have no calories. They are typically much sweeter than regular sugar because of the way they react with your taste buds and how much stronger of an interaction it is. Good examples are Sucralose (Splenda), Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) and Saccharin (Sweet'N Low). Usually only a small fraction of these is required to be added to sweeten a beverage or food.

These sugars can be difficult to cook with because they have different properties than natural sugars and are often recommended to diabetics because they have a Glycemix Index value of 0 and therefore do not increase blood sugar levels.

No matter which type of sugars you plan to incorporate into your diet, a good idea is always to run your plans through your doctor or dietitian, specifically if you have diabetes.

If you have any concerns about how much alternate sweetener you are consuming, make sure to check the FDA's website because they have established acceptable daily intake (ADI) for each artificial sweetener - the amount is roughly 1/100th of the amount that would cause adverse health effects.

Sugar and Insulin Resistance

Sugar-Free Diets can offer many health benefits, but you may be wondering why you should take the leap into a sugar free lifestyle. "Natural" food labels do not necessarily indicate low carbohydrate and are not always representative of sugar free foods. Many sweeteners such as honey or agave are natural but can cause a significant increase in blood sugar. 

Why is blood sugar important? 

When our blood sugar is too high on a frequent basis (sometimes this elevated level can even last for years) it can lead to insulin resistance. This is a state in which the cells in our bodies fail to respond to heightened levels of the hormone insulin. In our modern day societies, the level of sugar and carbohydrate consumption has become a concern. This is alarming because Americans are now consuming roughly three times the recommended daily sugar consumption. It has become an increased public health concern, often perpetuated by the convenience of foods which have added sugars that we wouldn't even expect.

U.S. Sugar Intake Average (American Heart Association)

What does insulin do?

In a nutshell, insulin is made by the pancreas which has the primary function of helping the body store and use sugar (specifically in the form of glucose). Insulin is the pathway by which sugar is transported from the blood into the places it is required most, such as muscles and liver which use it as fuel. The regulation of insulin is a very specific and regulated process which is triggered by our dietary intake of sugar. The more sugar we eat, the more insulin is released. 

Pancreas produces the hormone Insulin in response to blood sugar levels

Carbohydrates & Diabetes

Constantly high levels of sugar (which are very commonplace in most of our diets) are a leading cause of insulin resistance and subsequently can cause further damage in the form of Type 2 Diabetes. It is often misunderstood that this is a disease of the elderly since it can affect people in all walks of life.

Diabetes indicates hyperglycemia or elevated blood sugar because ones body does not use insulin properly anymore (insulin resistance) or the body cannot product insulin (in Type 1). Type 2 diabetes is caused by the pancreas eventually not being able to produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels stable (see the American Diabetes Association definition). 

How can Sugar-Free foods help?

Sugar-Free foods do not contain glucose and usually contain sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners (note: these are not identical, stay tuned for a post dedicated to explaining the difference between the two). Some sugar substitutes do not add calories or carbohydrates. In general, most sugar substitutes are much lower on the Glycemic Index, meaning that they have a lesser effect on blood sugar than glucose. Carbohydrates have the greatest effect on blood glucose. This means that if you are observing a sugar-free lifestyle, you may also want to consider lowering your carbohydrate intake for maximum benefits.

If you are concerned about heightened blood sugar or A1C levels, you can take proactive steps by significantly reducing the sugar dependency (do you get cranky headaches? feel tired often? these are pretty good signs of Sugar Addiction).

For pre-diabetics and diabetics, it is crucial to speak with your primary healthcare provider about the different types of foods you should be eating and snacking on. Likely this will include a carbohydrate and sugar counting meal plan to manage blood glucose.