Five myths to banish about sweeteners

Calorie-free sweeteners such as saccharin or stevia emerged to applause years ago as the definitive solution to sugar.. However, over time, some shadows have emerged around him.. What does the scientific evidence say about these compounds? From here I throw a spoiler: sweeteners are safe but if you can do without them, all the better.

1. Zero Calorie Sweeteners May Cause Cancer

If we did an in-depth analysis, we would see that almost all myths tend to arise from a partial interpretation of the truth.. Where does this statement come from? Around the 1970s, some studies linked the consumption of cyclamate and saccharin to bladder cancer in animals..

The good news is that later in other studies, not in animals, but in humans, it has not been shown that there is a relationship between these sweeteners and cancer.. The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) sets the limits -difficult to exceed- within which its consumption is safe.

2. Consuming artificial sweeteners is safe

Just because sweeteners don't cause cancer doesn't mean they pass through our body unnoticed.. The problem? That the studies to date do not leave us anything clear. There is research that suggests that consuming these sweeteners could modify the intestinal microbiota, but conclusive conclusions have not yet been reached..

More research is needed to define what effects this alteration could have on our metabolism.. For now, as is often said in these cases, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.

3. Calorie-free sweeteners help you lose weight

Although at first it might seem somewhat reasonable (as I eat fewer calories, I will therefore lose weight), the truth is that there are studies that even show the opposite and link artificial sweeteners with obesity. What are the possible causes?

– Consuming foods without sugar can encourage people to compensate the intake with other more caloric foods. See the famous: “as I drink coffee with saccharin I can squeeze some churros”.

– Artificial sweeteners can make us “get used” to very intense flavors and then reject the natural flavor of healthier foods such as fruit and vegetables.

4. Taking sweeteners is the same as taking sugar

Neither one thing nor the other. To begin with, with caloric sweeteners we “save” the calories of sugar. And to continue, EFSA has approved two nutrition claims for certain sweeteners:

1. Sugar substitutes lead to a lower rise in blood sugar levels after meals if they are consumed instead of sugars.

2. Sugar substitutes maintain tooth mineralization by slowing tooth demineralization again if consumed in place of sugars.

Important! The EFSA remarks “if they are consumed instead of sugars”. This means that these benefits are obtained by comparing the intake of caloric sweeteners with the consumption of sugars.. It doesn't mean that if you don't eat sugar you have to throw yourself into the arms of sweeteners to get any benefit.

5. There is no perfect sweetener

Today we do not have scientific evidence that any sweetener is completely harmless to health so, unfortunately, we cannot speak of the “perfect sweetener”.. The perfect thing would be, once again, to get used to the real flavors of the food.

That said, it is important not to pay attention to the siren songs and headlines that from time to time flood the networks about the dangers or benefits of sweeteners.. Health authorities have confirmed that no-calorie sweeteners are safe and science has not shown that some are more beneficial than others. Therefore, if you are going to use them: choose the one you like the most and take it in the least amount possible!