Do artificial sweeteners raise your blood sugar?

Sugar is a hot topic in nutrition.

Cutting back can improve your health and help you lose weight.

Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners is one way to do this.

However, some people claim that artificial sweeteners are not as “metabolically inert” as previously thought.

For example, it is claimed that they can increase blood sugar and insulin levels.

This article examines the science behind these claims.

What are artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners make things taste sweet, without any additives calories (1).

Therefore, they are often added to foods which are then marketed as “health food» or dietary products.

They’re found everywhere, from diet sodas and desserts, to microwave meals and cakes. You’ll even find them in non-food products, like chewing gum and toothpaste.

Here is a list of the most common artificial sweeteners:

Conclusion :

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic chemicals that make foods taste sweet without extra calories.

What causes blood sugar and insulin levels to rise?

We have tightly controlled mechanisms to keep our blood sugar levels stable (2, 3, 4).

Blood sugar levels rise when we eat foods containing carbohydrates.

PotatoesBread, pasta, cakes and sweets are foods rich in carbohydrates.

Once digested, carbohydrates are broken down into sugar and absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels.

When our blood sugar levels rise, our body releases insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that acts like a key. It allows blood sugar to leave the blood and enter our cells, where it can be used as energy or stored as fat.

But small amounts of insulin are also released before the sugar enters the bloodstream. This response is known as cephalic phase insulin release. It is triggered by sight, smell and taste of food, as well as chewing and swallowing (5).

If blood sugar levels drop too low, our liver releases the stored sugar to stabilize it. This happens when we fast for prolonged periods, such as overnight.

There are theories about how artificial sweeteners may interfere with this process (6).

1. The sweet taste of artificial sweeteners triggers the release of insulin in the cephalic phase, causing a slight increase in insulin levels.
2. Regular use changes the balance of our intestinal bacteria. This could make our cells resistant to the insulin we produce, leading to both increased blood sugar and insulin levels.

Conclusion :

Eating carbohydrates leads to an increase in blood sugar levels. Insulin is released to return blood sugar levels to normal. Some claim that artificial sweeteners can interfere with this process.

Do artificial sweeteners raise blood sugar levels?

Mice, fed artificial sweeteners for 11 weeks, showed negative changes in their gut bacteria that caused an increase in blood sugar levels (7).

When they implanted the bacteria from these mice into germ-free mice, their blood sugar levels also increased.

Interestingly, scientists have been able to reverse rising blood sugar levels by returning gut bacteria to normal.

However, these results have not been tested or reproduced in humans.

There is only one observational study in humans suggesting a link between aspartame and changes in gut bacteria (8).

The long-term effects of artificial sweeteners in humans are therefore unknown (9).

It is theoretically possible that artificial sweeteners could raise blood sugar levels by negatively affecting gut bacteria, but this has not been tested.

Conclusion :

In the short term, artificial sweeteners will not increase blood sugar levels. However, long-term effects in humans are unknown.

Do artificial sweeteners increase insulin levels?

In one study, 17 people were given either sucralose or water and then had a glucose tolerance test (ten).

Those who received sucralose had 20% higher blood insulin levels. They also cleared insulin from their bodies more slowly.

Scientists believe that sucralose causes a surge in insulin by triggering sweet taste receptors in the mouth – an effect known as cephalic phase insulin release.

For this reason, a study that injected sucralose into the stomach, bypassing the mouth, detected no significant increase in insulin levels (11).

Aspartame

Aspartame is perhaps the best-known and most controversial artificial sweetener.

However, studies have not linked aspartame to high insulin levels (12, 13).

Saccharin

Scientists studied whether stimulating the mouth’s sweet receptors with saccharin led to increased insulin levels.

The results are mixed.

One study found that washing your mouth with a saccharin solution (without swallowing) caused an increase in insulin levels (14).

Other studies found no effect (15, 16).

Acesulfame potassium

Acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K) may increase insulin levels in rats (17, 18).

A rat study examined how injecting large amounts of acesulfame-K affected insulin levels. They saw a massive increase of 114-210% (17).

However, the effect of acesulfame-K on insulin levels in humans is unknown.

Summary

The effect of artificial sweeteners on insulin levels appears to vary depending on the type of sweetener.

Sucralose appears to increase insulin levels by triggering receptors in the mouth. However, there are few high-quality human trials and it is currently unclear whether other artificial sweeteners have similar effects.

Conclusion :

Sucralose and saccharin may increase insulin levels in humans, but results are mixed and some studies find no effect. Acesulfame-K increases insulin in rats, but no human studies are available.

Can you use artificial sweeteners if you have diabetes?

Diabetics have abnormal blood sugar control due to lack of insulin and/or insulin resistance.

In the short term, artificial sweeteners will not raise your blood sugar levels like high sugar intake will. They are considered safe for diabetics (15, 19, 20, 21).

However, the health consequences of long-term use are still unknown.

Conclusion :

Artificial sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels and are considered safe alternatives to sugar for diabetics.