Sugar substitutes: a complete guide and tips

Sugar substitutes are everywhere on store shelves today — in soft drinks, chewing gum, “light” yogurts and confectionery. But what is the actual difference between saccharin, aspartame and xylitol? And when is it worth replacing sugar, and when not? This overview explains the different sweeteners, their safe amounts and how to use them sensibly.

Sugar substitutes and regular sugars

Before getting to sweeteners, it’s worth recalling which sugars occur in our food in the first place:

• Sucrose — ordinary table sugar.
• Glucose — grape sugar (in fruit, honey).
• Fructose — fruit sugar (in fruit, honey).
• Lactose — milk sugar.
• Maltose — malt sugar (in germinated seeds).

It isn’t advisable to consume sucrose in amounts over 5-10 g per day, although the exact amount depends on many factors. Glucose is absorbed very quickly and is therefore not suitable for people with diabetes. All dairy products contain lactose — a glass of milk, for example, contains more of it than you would normally put into tea. Fructose is found in fruit and honey and is twice as sweet as sugar; industrially it is produced from sucrose. The advantage of fructose: it is absorbed more slowly and is largely retained in the liver. A small amount of fructose doesn’t raise blood sugar significantly, but it doesn’t tolerate heating. 1 g of fructose provides 4 kcal of energy.

Non-caloric sugar substitutes

Sugar substitutes fall into two groups: those that contain energy and those that don’t. Non-caloric ones don’t raise blood sugar, which makes them suitable both for people with diabetes and for those watching their weight.

Saccharin has been in use for over 100 years. It can be safely consumed at 2.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight per day. 1 gram of saccharin is as sweet as 400 g of sugar. A large amount, however, gives food an unpleasant metallic aftertaste. Saccharin has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals — attitudes differ from country to country, but it is permitted in most European countries. An adult can consume a maximum of 150 mg per day (12 tablets of blue Hermesetas or Soletter).

Cyclamate: 2 g of cyclamate equals 100 g of sugar. A maximum of 4 mg per 1 kg of body weight per day may be consumed.

Aspartame tastes similar to sugar but is 200 times sweeter. 1 tablet of Canderel equals 1 tsp of sugar. It is widely used in soft drinks and confectionery. Aspartame lacks the preservative properties of sugar, so preservatives have to be added when making preserves. It tolerates brief heating (200°C for up to 15 min) but breaks down with longer heating. Contraindicated for people with phenylketonuria; more than 50 mg per day is not recommended.

Acesulfame-K, sucralose and alitame are also non-caloric sugar substitutes whose sweet taste is retained when heated — which makes them a convenient choice for baked goods and jams.

Caloric sugar substitutes

Sorbitol is a polyalcohol obtained from plant raw materials. 1 gram provides 4 kcal of energy, and the sweet taste is retained when heated. It is permitted only in compensated diabetes; in large amounts it can cause nausea and diarrhea.

Xylitol is a well-known sugar substitute; 1 gram also provides 4 kcal of energy, and it is 1.5 times sweeter than sugar. In larger amounts it can cause diarrhea, and its sweet taste disappears when heated. Xylitol also helps prevent tooth decay — which is why it is often found in chewing gum.

A few examples to go by

• 10 grams of caramel candy (over 90% sorbitol) contains as many carbohydrates as one average piece of fruit.
• 1 tbsp of jam or marmalade contains 50-60% sorbitol or fructose and equals one piece of fruit.
• A 0.3-liter soft drink contains on average 130 mg of cyclamate or 20 mg of saccharin (the daily dose is 250 mg for cyclamate and 150 mg for saccharin).

Elsewhere in the world, non-caloric sugar substitutes are quite widely used, because indulging in sweets with them doesn’t add extra kilograms. For people on a diet — bodybuilders preparing for competitions, for example — they don’t raise blood sugar (Coca-Cola light is a good example). You can also add a sweetener to porridge, quark and other foods when you want a sweet taste without extra calories and carbohydrates. What is clear, however, is that long-term use in large amounts is always hazardous to health.

FAQ: sugar substitutes in practice

Are sugar substitutes suitable for children?

Children have a lower body weight, so the safe daily limit (mg per kg of body weight) is lower. It makes sense to favor the natural sweetness of fruit and to avoid regularly drinking soft drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners.

Do sugar substitutes help with weight loss?

They don’t directly reduce body fat. But if you replace a sugar-sweetened drink with a non-caloric version, your daily calorie intake drops noticeably — and that works in favor of weight loss. The final result is still determined by the calorie balance of the whole day, not by a single drink.

Which sugar substitute is suitable for baking?

Acesulfame-K, sucralose, alitame and sorbitol tolerate heating well. Aspartame is suitable only for brief heating (up to 15 min at 200°C); with longer baking it breaks down and loses its sweetness. Xylitol’s sweet taste disappears when heated.

Author: Marek Morozov

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