Are Artificial sweeteners safe for Diabetes ?

DR. HARDIK BAMBHANIA, MBBS, MD

Just because an item is labeled “sugar-free” doesn’t make it better for you. It may still contain a lot of simple carbs, fat, or calories.

Certain artificial sweeteners may also impact insulin sensitivity, making it more difficult for your body to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Despite the controversy around the safety of some artificial sweeteners, the FDA has deemed the following sweeteners safe to consume under certain conditions:

saccharin aspartame, which you should avoid if you have phenylketonuria acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K) sucralose neotame advantame stevia sugar alcohols

According to the ADA, using artificial sweeteners in place of sugar to help sweeten foods without adding a lot of carbs every once in a while is most likely fine.

But they also caution that there isn’t much evidence that sugar substitutes will help with managing blood sugar or improving cardiometabolic health in the long term.

Additionally, some artificial sweeteners will still add a small number of carbs to your diet, so you’ll need to keep track of how much you use.