October brings plenty of sweet treats! This month, we’re taking some of the fear and confusion out of sugar, candy, ingredients, and movement. Each week, we’ll explore a different aspect of health and wellness to help our families make informed and healthy choices.
Nutrition | Sugar & Better Alternatives
When choosing sweets for your family, take a quick look at the ingredient list! Ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, sucralose, aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners are commonly found in candy and “sugar-free” products.
Instead, consider looking for treats made with simpler ingredients and less added sugar. There are so many options now, check out brands like UNREAL Candy, JOYRIDE Candy, Lily’s Sweets, and YumEarth. AND, they actually taste great!
What does the research say?
An interesting randomized controlled study published in Cell looked at 120 healthy adults and several non-nutritive sweeteners, including sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, and stevia.Participants consumed these sweeteners for two weeks at amounts below the acceptable daily intake. Researchers found that the different sweeteners affected the participants’ gut bacteria in different ways. They also found that sucralose and saccharin affected the way the body responded to glucose (blood sugar). One of the most interesting findings was that not everyone responded the same way. The researchers suggested that changes in blood sugar may depend, at least in part, on each person’s unique gut microbiome.
Does this study prove that all artificial sweeteners are harmful? No. But it does challenge the idea that non-nutritive sweeteners necessarily pass through our bodies without having an effect.
Research surrounding artificial sweeteners, blood sugar, and the gut microbiome is continuing to grow. We encourage families who are interested to read the research, ask questions, and learn more for themselves.
A simple place to start: Choose foods with ingredients you recognize, limit added sugar as much as possible, and remember that “sugar-free” does not automatically mean healthier.