How much artificial sweetener is too much to have each day?

Answers (4)

Dr. Erica Zelfand (Naturopathic Doctor) answered (8/15/2012)

Any at all.
Instead of diverting your sugar cravings toward artificially sweetened sweet things, it might serve you better to eat (gasp) real sugar, but in moderation.
When we eat artificially sweetened foods, our brains register the sweet flavor, but our blood sugar doesn't rise the way it would if we ate real sugar. This discrepancy increases production of ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry. This in turn manifests in increased calorie intake over the course of the day.
Another problem that comes with "siking out" your body by tasting sweet without increasing blood sugar is that your body, to put it simply, stops trusting you. When our bodies stop trusting us, they can't rely on the taste buds to inform your digestive system of what it's about to digest. And that can lead to holding on to fat. One of the first suggestions I make when somebody is trying to lose weight (besides eating breakfast), is to stop drinking diet sodas.
Now, this may be a little different for people who really can't tolerate increases in blood sugar, such as diabetics. But here again, the answer isn't to eat artificially sweetened foods. It's about eating less sugar. There are no ways to cheat!
Another problem with certain artificially sweetened products, especially in diabetics, lies in a molecule called sorbitol, which when it builds up in the small and fragile capillaries - such as those in the retina - can cause diabetic retinopathy and related decline in vision.

The punchline: eat real food!

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Mary Barbour (Registered Dietitian) answered (8/20/2012)

None! The key words being "artificial". You want to avoid putting as lettle processed foods into your body as possible. Try agave, stevia, Grade B maple syrup or date sugar if you feel the need to have something sweet.

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Lisa Stollman, MA, RD, CDE, CDN (Registered Dietitian) answered (9/4/2012)

Artificial sweeteners have no health benefits so the best advice is to avoid them. When you take out the "sweet taste" artificial sweeteners provide in your diet, you will get used to eating less sweets. Instead of artificial sweeteners, try 1 packet or teaspoon of sugar added to a glass of iced tea or coffee. Stevia is an herbal sweetener that has no side effects and is also another good choice. Aim to get the sweetness in your diet from whole fresh fruit as nature intended.

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Catherine Theodorou MS, RD, CSSD, LDN (Registered Dietitian and Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics) answered (9/7/2012)

While I agree that artificial sweeteners should be limited or eliminated from your diet there is an acceptable daily intake of how much you can consume in a given day. Check how much that is for you: http://www.nafwa.org/sweetener.php

I recently wrote a blog about artificial sweeteners. You can read about it here: http://engagedhealthsolutions.com/2012/08/sugar-substitutes-a-primer/

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