Printer friendly version |   E-mail to a friend  | 

 

Artificial versus natural sweeteners

Published Thursday, February 09, 2012 12:50 PM

Provided By Roper St. Francis


We have so many sweetener choices, so which type should you choose?

Calorically, a sugar is a sugar, whether it’s table sugar or less-processed, natural sugars like maple syrup or raw honey. All provide four calories per gram. Table sugar, primarily sucrose, is made up of half glucose and half fructose bound together. When the body breaks down table sugar, glucose is either used as fuel or stored. Some highly-processed sugars contain a higher percentage of unbound fructose than glucose. Fructose must be broken down in the liver, which causes lower insulin and leptin response and a higher ghrelin response. Leptin and ghrelin are the hormones responsible for hunger, so consuming highly processed sugars could actually increase your hunger and cause you to eat more.

Some calorically equivalent alternative sweeteners, such as agave, raw honey, maple syrup, date sugar, and molasses have more minerals and nutrients. An advantage is that these natural sweeteners are usually sweeter than table sugar, so less can be used to achieve the same level of sweetness, leading to less caloric consumption. Natural sweeteners are also better nutritionally, and the less processing involved, the more “natural.” There are numerous kinds of these sweeteners available appealing to different flavor preferences.

On the other hand, as their labels proudly suggest, artificial sweeteners have no calories, which is often a benefit for individuals trying to lose weight or individuals with diabetes trying to better manage blood glucose levels.

A popular natural sweetener

Raw honey resembles naturally occurring beehive honey. Usually it is extracted without using heat, and local raw honey can contain some pollen (which is thought to decrease the sensitivity some people have to hay fever or seasonal allergies) and small particles of wax. Honey also has the added benefits of having more antioxidants than regular table sugar. A word of caution though: honey should not be fed to infants, as it may contain clostridium botulinum spores that may produce toxins. These chemicals may lead to muscular paralysis. Interestingly, this particular endotoxin is also the main paralytic agent found in Botox, which is widely used in the medical field today.

The more natural the better when deciding on a sweetener, but remember, all sugars, natural or not, have the same number of calories. Whether you choose natural sugar, table sugar, processed sugar, or artificial sugar, moderation is key.

Sponsored by: Roper St. Francis Healthcare

---

*Note: Any medical or other information accessible through Ounce of Prevention is provided solely by Roper St. Francis, and has not been edited by Summerville Communications, Inc., the Summerville Journal Scene, the The Gazette, or the Berkeley Independent for content or accuracy.