Save to favorites
This feature is restricted to active members.
Join now to save favorites and get all member benefits, including over 1,400 reviews.
Join NowAlready a member? Sign in here.
Our Members Asked:
Sugar Substitutes: Pros, Cons, and Best Choices
Answer:
Low-calorie sweeteners and sugar substitutes (also known as artificial sweeteners) are often considered healthier alternatives to sugar, and some are promoted to lower blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as lose weight, but some of these claims are weak, and many of these sugar substitutes can cause side effects. Furthermore, it has been recommended that certain sweeteners (see which ones) should not be used by the general population for weight control or to reduce the risk of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. Be aware that products that contain sweeteners often contain significant amounts of other sugar-substitutes that labels don't clearly make evident.
The sweeteners fall mainly into three categories: High-intensity sweeteners that have no calories, such as stevia and monk fruit, as well as acesulfame K (Ace-K), aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose (be aware that since such small amounts of high-intensity sweeteners are needed, these are often combined with other, bulkier, sweeteners); Low-calorie sweeteners such as erythritol and xylitol as well as allulose, glycine, inulin, kabocha extract, lucuma, polydextrose, sorbitol, and tagatose; and sugar alternatives such as agave syrup, coconut sugar, date syrup, glycerol, honey, maple syrup, molasses trehalose, and yacon syrup.
Sign in as a member for details about the pros and cons of using each of these substitutes for regular, table sugar, including discussions of brands noted below. Also learn about which sweeteners may be suitable for people with diabetes, and safety concerns — including whether sweeteners might increase the risk of cancer or atrial fibrillation. You'll also see our Top Pick sweeteners for use in cold beverages, hot beverages, for baking, and for people following a low-carb or ketogenic diet.
Brands discussed in the full article include Alcohol-Free Stevia (NuNaturals), Allulose (Splenda), Allulose Zero Calorie Sweetener (Wholesome), BetterStevia (NOW Foods), Birch Xylitol Sweetener (Health Garden), BochaSweet, Great Value Stevia (from Walmart), Inulin Prebiotic Fiber Sweetener (It's Just), Liquid Monk Fruit Sweetener Extract Drops (Lakanto), Lucuma Powder (Terrasoul Superfoods), Lucuma Powder (Zint), Monk Fruit Extract (It's Just), Monk Fruit in the Raw (Cumberland Packing Corp.), Monk Fruit Sweetener (Lakanto), Monk Fruit Sweetener (Llinea), Monk Fruit Sweetener (NuNaturals), Organic Coconut Palm Sugar (BetterBody Foods), Organic Coconut Sugar (Bob's Red Mill), Organic Coconut Sugar (MADHAVA), Organic Coconut Sugar (Terrasoul Superfoods), Organic Stevia (Micro Ingredients), Organic Stevia Extract (Trader Joe's), Pure Birch Xylitol (Morning Pep), PureVia (Pepsico and Whole Earth Sweetener Company), RxSugar (Nutrishus Brands), Simply Stevia (Stevita), Stevia Extract (BulkSuplements.com), Stevia in the Raw (Cumberland Packing Corp.), Sunett (Celanese),
Join today to unlock all member benefits including full access to all CL Answers and over 1,400 reviews.
Join NowAlready a member? Sign In Here.
Join now at www.consumerlab.com/join/
Loading Comments…
Agree to Comment Terms
Please abide by the following:
- If you make a statement of fact, such as whether a type of treatment does or does not work, state your basis -- such as personal experience or a published study.
- If you make a positive or negative comment about a product, note whether or not you have a financial interest in the product or in a competing product.
- Please be respectful in your tone.
- Please do not submit any type of HTML markup or scripting as it will not be accepted, nor will posts that exceed 2,500 characters.
For your privacy, only your first name (from your account) followed by a random number will appear with your comment. Your last name and email address will not be displayed.
Your comment has been submitted
We will review your comment before it is posted.
Join over 95,000 Members
Find the best products with instant access to our latest tests & reviews of over 1,400 health products.
Save money by finding high-quality products at lower cost.
Stay safe with the latest clinical findings, warnings, and expert answers.
Suggest products to test.
Stay informed with our e-newsletter.
Submit your comment
This feature is restricted to active members.
Join now to add comments and get all member benefits, including over 1,400 reviews.
Join NowAlready a member? Sign in here.