Five Sugar Substitutes and Their Health Benefits.

The use of sugar in moderate amounts is perfectly acceptable in a balanced and healthy diet, but if the consumption of sugar is abused, the effects on the human body can ultimately lead to organ failure, amputation of limbs, blindness and death. One of the most common conditions that excessive use of sugar brings on, is the chronic ailment known to millions as Diabetes.

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Sugar entered the diet of many Europeans during the age of colonialism, Sugar made the western world rich and was responsible for displacing many native Africans due to a need for slave labour in distant colonies to work the plantations. Many of the inhabitants of the Caribbean are there due to the production of sugar. Along with creating misery for millions of Africans, the overuse of sugar by the poorest members of society has led to malnutrition and generally poor health across the world.

The most common sugar that is used in our food is known as sucrose, sucrose is a carbohydrate found in plants and is the fuel created by the plant storing energy from the sun. All plants have sucrose stored in their living tissues but we only harvest sugar from the plants that hold the most natural sugars in their roots and fruits.

Until the time of the crusades, Europe was reliant on honey to satisfy its sweet tooth, the crusaders returned from the crusades with the unrefined sugars and were fascinated with the sweet-tasting mineral.

The following five sugar substitutes can be used by Diabetics or are an alternative for those people who wish to control their weight and diet...


(1) Aspartame

Aspartame is a well-established sweetener which has been used in low-calorie meals and soft drinks for over thirty years. It is often referred to as E951, in the ingredients listed on the back of packets and canned goods. Aspartame is around 200 times sweeter than conventional sucrose sugar, which we usually use as table sugar around the home. Aspartame is often mixed with other sweeteners to reduce the excessive sweetness that the sugar substitute produces. The sweetener is an artificial sugar discovered by accident in the 1960s. Aspartame's original use was to help treat patients who suffered from ulcers. The most well-known brands that use this particular sweetener are Nutrasweet and Canderel.

This sweetener is not without controversy and over its lifetime, it has been accused of causing tumours and increasing the danger to people who are not in full health. Governments have legislated and advised a set level of Aspartame consumption per day. The actual figure is quite high and a consumer would have to drink over a dozen cans of soft drinks to reach the dangerous levels that cause such side effects.

(2) Sucralose

Sucralose is a low-calorie sweetener which offers those who suffer from diabetes a way to reduce calories in sweet foods and beverages. This sweetener may help you reduce or maintain your weight. Sucralose adds the sweetness of sugar but not the calories or the carbohydrates. Sucralose is derived from sucrose sugar and tastes identical to the regular sugars that many consume as standard. The chemistry of the sweetener allows the calories from the sugar to pass through the body without them been absorbed.



This sweetener is one of the safest and most established zero-calorie sweeteners on the market, after over twenty years on sale and many independent studies, no harmful side- effects have been found. The sweetener has been approved for sale in over 80 countries worldwide and no limitations of its consumption have ever been advised, this is due to the sweetener failing to metabolize in the human body. One of the most well-known sucralose brands known to many is the Splenda range of products.

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(3) Acesulfame Potassium

This artificial sweetener is used in North America and the European Union under different names and branding. On the ingredients list, it is often referred to as E950 in Europe and by its brand names Sunett or Sweet One. Acesulfame K has been an approved sweetener since 1988, and yet most people due to lack of knowledge are not even aware that this is an artificial sweetener being used in their food and beverages.

This is another product hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and other ingredients or chemicals are used to dull the taste to acceptable levels. Some of the additives are thought to lead to several negative side effects and concerned voices have highlighted links to the causes of certain cancers.



(4) Tagatose

Tagatose is a low carbohydrate sweetener, very similar to fructose in its chemical structure. It is naturally occurring and is usually found in dairy products. Tagatose is quite similar to sucrose sugar and according to nutritionists is almost 95% as sweet. Like other low-calorie sweeteners, it is metabolized differently to regular sugar, so it has a minimal effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Tagatose is suitable as a flavour enhancer in meals or as a low carbohydrate sweetener in beverages such as tea and coffee.

Tagatose can be found under the brand name Naturlose and has been approved for sale and consumption for over a decade. The sweetener has over 50% fewer calories than sucrose sugar and is effective in helping digestion. Dentists in America recommend its use, as its sugars do not harm delicate tooth enamel, which has been proven to lead to tooth decay.

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(5) Sorbitol.



Sorbitol sweetener is a sugar substitute that's derived from glucose by modifying one of the chemical groups so that it's metabolized slower by the body. This reduces the insulin surge that normally occurs when sugar is ingested into the bloodstream. Sorbitol can be found in fruits such as apples, pears and peaches. This sweetener has a taste that is half as sweet as regular sugar.

Excessive consumption of the sorbitol can act as a laxative, and a warning is carried on some low sugar sweets. Sorbitol is mixed with other sweet-tasting substitutes in sweets such as chewing gum. The sorbitol which is not absorbed by the stomach can cause digestive discomfort and those people who suffer from ailments to the stomach should stay clear of this sugar substitute.