Pros and Cons of Artificial Sweetners

The Spark

Artificial Sweeteners are chemicals used to replace table sugar. There’s been an ongoing debate on whether artificial sweeteners are healthier than sugar. UPMC Dietician Sarah Beaty says artificial sweeteners doesn’t really have calories or they have a small amount of them.

“Artificial sugars can help to sweeten foods without the extra calories. So, if someone's trying to lose weight or if someone's trying to like diabetics kind of watch those added sugars, they can be a good substitute. And some people like the taste of them better too. So, it's not that one's better than the other. It's more about like what the reason why they'd be using them for in like.”

Artificial sweeteners are even regulated by the FDA, and according to Beaty, there’s not many health concerns when it comes to sugar substitutes.

“I think like that's something that if people get anything from this conversation, is that knowing that these are the most, like extensively researched. Like products worldwide, they get regulated by the FDA, they get looked at from like the World Health Organization, the Food Agriculture Organization. So, they're extensively researched, and they need to undergo a lot of scrutiny in order to be approved by the FDA.”

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