What Sweetener Do I Choose?

This is a question that I receive on a weekly basis and I understand why because there is so much information out there.  It’s already hard enough to function before the morning coffee let alone, trying to figure out what sweetener to put in it!

First off, I am going to break these sweeteners into two groups: nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners.

The nutritive sweeteners are basically the sweeteners that provide our body with calories (about 16 – 21 kcal/tsp).  These sweeteners include sucrose (table sugar), high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), brown sugar, molasses, agave, honey and maple syrup.  There is a belief out there that some of these nutritive sweeteners are better than the other (honey versus sucrose for example).  Unfortunately, that is not entirely the case.  There may be a presence of some minerals in some of these sweeteners such as riboflavin and maganese in maple syrup but the amounts are so small that it does not make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.  It is not very common to worry about experiencing a deficiency in either of those nutrients.  The main difference between these sweeteners is the way they are processed, their taste and the consistency it may add to certain food products.  The major concern about the intake of these sweeteners is consuming to much of them has been linked to obesity, tooth decay, cavities and type 2 diabetes.  Also, those who are looking out for the health of their liver should pay particular attention to the use HFCS and agave. The liver is the only place in the body that can process fructose so consuming too much HFCS and/or agave (which is 90% fructose) can put some unnecessary stress on your liver especially if a lot of these sweeteners are consumed over a long period of time.

Moving onto the non-nutritive sweeteners!

As you can see… I have a break down of the non-nutritive sweeteners here.  Which (if any) are safe?  This is where the controversy lies…  many studies have been done on these sweeteners and some of them have linked to cancer in rats BUT… we can’t really translate that to humans.  Also, the amount given to these rats are significantly higher than what the average person would consume.  To date, there is no research linking consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners to cancer risk in humans if they don’t go over the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI).  ADI is the measure of a substance (in this case, sweeteners) that can be consumed on a daily basis over a lifetime without any significant health risks.  We would have to try really hard to go over the ADI for sweeteners (think about 16 cans of diet pop per day, everyday).  There has also been some studies that suggest the sweeteners aspartame and saccharin may upset the intestinal flora of the gut but more research is needed.

Overall, I do believe the choice to use sweeteners is up to the individual and what they feel is best for them at the time.  Either way, nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners should be used in moderation.  The more you use, the less sensitive you become to the taste of sweet and the more sugar you need to satisfy any cravings.  No matter what sweetener you choose, aim to cut down the amount you use.  That will open to opportunity to experience and savour the natural flavours of foods.

Andrea Kennedy RD CDE