Artificial sweetener facts for kids

An artificial sweetener or sugar substitute is a chemical substance that makes food taste sweet. It's often used instead of regular sugar or corn syrup. These sweeteners usually have much fewer calories than sugar. You'll often find them in products labeled "Light" or "Diet."

People use artificial sweeteners for several reasons:

• Managing blood sugar: People with diabetes mellitus have trouble controlling their blood sugar levels. Artificial sweeteners don't raise blood sugar as much as regular sugar, making them a better choice for them.
• Similar conditions: Some people have a condition called reactive hypoglycemia, which is similar to diabetes. They also often use artificial sweeteners.
• Weight management: Some people hope artificial sweeteners will help them lose weight. However, one study showed that people who drank artificially sweetened drinks were actually more likely to become overweight than those who didn't.
• Healthy teeth: Sugar substitutes are good for your teeth! Unlike sugar, the tiny germs in your mouth (called microflora) can't use them to make acids that harm your teeth. This means they don't cause tooth decay.

Understanding Potential Problems

Studies with animals have shown that artificial sweeteners might actually lead to weight gain. When you taste something sweet, your body starts to produce insulin. Insulin helps move sugar from your blood into your body's cells, including fat cells.

With artificial sweeteners, you get the sweet taste, but your blood sugar doesn't go up. This can lead to your blood sugar dropping too low, a condition called hypoglycemia. When this happens, you might feel extra hungry at your next meal and eat more food to bring your blood sugar back to normal.

In studies, rats given sweeteners slowly started to eat more calories over time. This made them gain weight and become fatter. Normally, after eating sugary foods, your body might eat less at the next meal and use some extra energy to warm itself. When artificial sweeteners are used, this natural response can gradually disappear.

Images for kids

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  Cyclamate-based sugar substitute sold in Canada.

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  Three artificial sweeteners in paper packets, coded by color: Equal (aspartame; blue), Sweet'N Low (saccharin, pink), and Splenda (sucralose, yellow). Other colors used are orange for monk fruit extract and green for stevia.

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  Saccharin, historical wrapping, Sugar Museum, Berlin

See also

In Spanish: Sustitutos del azúcar para niños