Artificial or sugar free sweeteners for diabetes

Sugar has been considered as a contraindicated product in diabetes and person with diabetes lose its sweetness in terms of food. No sweets, no sweet dishes makes a depresive meal and to combat that there are some alternative sweeteners which can be used in place of sugars. These alternative sweeteners are either without any calories or have very less calories.

Types of alternative or sugar free sweeteners for diabetics

There are generally three types of alternative sweeteners available which can be safely used in diabetics, these have either no calorie or very less calorie. Some sweeteners are non glucose carbohydrates.

i. Artificial swwetener without having any calorie like saccharin, sucralose, acesulfame-K and cyclamates.

ii. Aspartame is another artificial swwetener, though considered as non caloric but contains some caloric value of 4 calories per gram.

iii. The third type of alternative sweeteners are non glucose carbohydrates like fructose, xylitol, sorbitol polydextrose, maltodextrose and isomalt.

How much safe are alternate sweeteners or sugar free sweeteners

There are several myths and misconceptions regarding safety of these sugar free sweeteners. These nonsenses are spreaded at many internet sites and many tabloid newspapers.

There has been controversies about causing bladder cancer by saccharin in rats, but human beings are not rats, but there has been intensive studies for saccharin and are determined to be safe. It is the most used sugar free sweetener in India specially in tea and coffee. But there is not any reports of increasing incidence of bladder cancer among them.

Similarly Aspartame suffers from the rumor of causing Alziemer's disease, Parkinson,s diseae and even multiple sclerosis. One of the most consistent harmful effects attributed to the use of Aspartame is brain cancer. But after an intensive study now American Cancer society, Food and drug Act (FDA) and National Cancer Institute all claimed that Aspartame is not related to any cancer and there is no increase in the incidence of brain cancer due to the use of aspartame.

There are similar several rumors about sucralose, acesulfame-K etc but studies have discarded all these rumors.

Who can use alternative sweetener or sugar free sweetener

All diabetics and obese persons should use this sugar free sweeteners, women who are more health conscious and wants to avoid calorie intake can use it.

Though sugar free sweeteners are safe enough still, personally I recommend to to be used by pregnant ladies and children in large quantities.

In pregnant ladies it should be avoided because of the tendency of sugar free sweeteners to cross placenta and can be exposed to fetus. The fetus is unable to excrete them properly and the bladder of fetus might be exposed to sugar free sweeteners for longer time.

Children needs calories for proper growth and development, thus in children there is no role of sugar free sweeteners merely to have calorie free sweeteners.

I will be describing the role, safety profile and use of each sugar free sweetener individually. Do visit the site again.