What’s the Difference Between Sucralose and Aspartame?

Consuming excessive amounts of sugary foods and beverages has been linked to many adverse health effects, including diabetes, depression, and heart disease.

Cutting down on added sugars may reduce your risk of these negative effects, as well as obesity, a condition that can put you at risk of certain cancers.

Sugar substitutes may be an appealing option if you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake. Yet, you may wonder how popular artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame differ — and whether they’re safe to use.

This article explores the differences between sucralose and aspartame.
Sucralose vs. aspartame

Sucralose and aspartame are sugar replacements that are used to sweeten foods or beverages without adding a significant number of calories or carbs.

Sucralose is widely sold under the brand name Splenda, while aspartame is typically found as NutraSweet or Equal.

While they’re both high-intensity sweeteners, they differ in terms of their production methods and sweetness.

One packet of either sweetener is meant to mimic the sweetness of 2 teaspoons (8.4 grams) of granulated sugar, which has 32 calories .
Sucralose

Interestingly, though it’s calorie-free, sucralose is made from common table sugar. It debuted on the market in 1998.

To make sucralose, sugar undergoes a multistep chemical process in which three pairs of hydrogen-oxygen atoms are replaced with chlorine atoms. The resulting compound is not metabolized by the body.

Because sucralose is incredibly sweet — about 600 times sweeter than sugar — it’s often mixed with bulking agents like maltodextrin or dextrose.

However, these fillers typically add a few, yet insignificant, number of calories.

So while sucralose itself is calorie-free, the fillers found in most sucralose-based sweeteners like Splenda provide about 3 calories and 1 gram of carbs for every 1-gram serving .

Maltodextrin and dextrose are typically made from corn or other starch-rich crops. Combined with sucralose, they contain 3.36 calories per gram.

That means one packet of Splenda contains 11% of the calories in 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Thus, it’s considered a low calorie sweetener.

The acceptable daily intake (ADI) of sucralose is 2.2 mg per pound (5 mg per kg) of body weight. For a 132-pound (60-kg) person, this equals about 23 single-serve (1-gram) packets.

Given that 1 gram of Splenda contains mostly filler and only 1.1% sucralose, it’s unlikely that many people will regularly consume amounts beyond these safety recommendations
Aspartame

Aspartame comprises two amino acids — aspartic acid and phenylalanine. While these are both naturally occurring substances, aspartame is not .

Although aspartame has been around since 1965, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not approve it for use until 1981.

It’s considered a nutritive sweetener because it contains calories — though only 4 calories per gram.

Being 200 times sweeter than sugar, only a small amount of aspartame is used in commercial sweeteners. Like sucralose, aspartame-based sweeteners usually contain fillers that mellow the intense sweetness.

Products like Equal therefore contain some calories from fillers like maltodextrin and dextrose, though it’s an insignificant amount. For example, one single-serve (1-gram) packet of Equal has only 3.65 calories.

The ADI for aspartame, which was set by the FDA, is 22.7 mg per pound (50 mg per kg) of body weight per day. For a 132-pound (60-kg) person, that equals the amount found in 75 single-serve (1-gram) packets of NutraSweet .

For further context, one 12-ounce (355-ml) can of diet soda contains about 180 mg of aspartame. This means that a 165-pound (75-kg) person would have to drink 21 cans of diet soda to surpass the ADI.

 

 Does Splenda contain aspartame?

Almost 99% of the contents of a Splenda packet comprises fillers in the form of dextrose, maltodextrin, and moisture. Only a tiny amount is the intensely sweet sucralose.

Similarly, aspartame-based sweeteners contain some of the same fillers.

Thus, while aspartame- and sucralose-based sweeteners share some of the same fillers, Splenda does not contain aspartame.

    summary

    Sucralose and aspartame are artificial sweeteners. Fillers help mellow their intense sweetness and add a few calories. Splenda does not contain aspartame, though it has fillers that are also found in aspartame-based sweeteners.
Health effects

A lot of controversy surrounds the safety and long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed over 600 studies on aspartame in 2013 and found no reason to believe it isn’t safe for consumption.

Sucralose has also been thoroughly researched, with over 100 studies pointing to its safety.

Specifically, there have been concerns about aspartame and brain cancer — yet extensive studies have found no link between brain cancer and consuming artificial sweeteners within safe limits.

Other side effects associated with the use of these sweeteners include headaches and diarrhea. If you experience these symptoms consistently after consuming foods or beverages containing these sweeteners, they may not be a good choice for you.

Furthermore, recent concerns have been raised regarding the negative effects of the long-term use of artificial sweeteners on healthy gut bacteria, which are needed for optimal health. However, the current research was conducted in rats, so human studies are needed before conclusions can be made .

Effects on blood sugar and metabolism
Several human studies have linked aspartame to glucose intolerance. However, a lot of this research has focused on adults with obesity (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).

Glucose intolerance means that your body can’t metabolize sugar properly, causing elevated blood sugar levels. More research is needed to understand the long-term effects of sugar substitutes on sugar metabolism — both in adults with and without obesity.

Additionally, some research has found that the long-term use of aspartame may increase systemic inflammation, which is linked to many chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease .

Lastly, recent research suggests that sucralose may have unwanted effects on your metabolism. Yet, other evidence associates consuming artificial sweeteners in place of sugar with modest weight loss of 1.7 pounds (0.8 kg).

 

 Therefore, more research is needed on the long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners.
May be harmful at high temperatures

The European Union banned the use of all artificial sweeteners in commercially prepared baked goods on February 13, 2018.

This is because some sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame — or Splenda and NutraSweet — may be chemically unstable at higher temperatures, and their safety at these temperatures is less researched.

Therefore, you should avoid using aspartame and sucralose for baking or high-temperature cooking.

    summary

    Some studies link the use of aspartame, sucralose, and other artificial sweeteners to adverse health effects. These may include an altered gut microbiome and metabolism. You should avoid baking or cooking with artificial sweeteners at high temperatures.

Which is better for you?

Both aspartame and sucralose were developed to provide the sweetness of sugar without the calories. They are both considered generally safe for use within their stated safe limits.

Sucralose is a better choice if you have phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic condition, as aspartame contains the amino acid phenylalanine.

Additionally, if you have kidney issues, you should keep your aspartame intake to a minimum, as this sweetener has been linked to added kidney strain .

Moreover, those taking medications for schizophrenia should avoid aspartame altogether, as the phenylalanine found in the sweetener could lead to uncontrolled muscle movements, or tardive dyskinesia.

Both sweeteners are considered generally safe. That said, their long-term effects are not yet well understood.

    summary

    Sucralose may be a better option for those with kidney issues, those who have the genetic condition phenylketonuria, and those taking certain medications for schizophrenia.

The bottom line

Sucralose and aspartame are two popular artificial sweeteners.

Both contain fillers like maltodextrin and dextrose that mellow their intense sweetness.

There’s some controversy regarding their safety, but both sweeteners are well-studied food additives.

They may be appealing to those looking to decrease their sugar intake — thus potentially decreasing their risk of certain chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

However you go about it, reducing your added sugar intake may be a good path to better health.

If you choose to avoid sucralose and aspartame, there are many great alternatives on the market. 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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7 Steps to Break Your Sugar Addiction

Most of us are aware that sugar is not the best substance to load into our body, but many of us struggle with breaking free from it - many of us are even addicted to it.

In fact, one study found that a greater neurological reward was provided by intense sweetness than by cocaine. Similar findings are also made when we look at withdrawal from sweetness as well, indicating that weaning off sugar may cause the same neurological symptoms as withdrawing from alcohol, nicotine, and morphine.

Additionally, we all face the reality that sugar is readily available in our food as a cheap fix for our cravings, 24 hours a day, in thousands of different venues and forms. Furthermore, we often use sugar as a reward and it’s the main food substance during celebrations.

So, given these studies and the vast availability of sugar, is there any hope for us? Can we really break free from the chains of our sugar addiction? The answer is yes, and it doesn’t include admitting yourself to a rehab facility for six weeks. The start of your sugarless healing can come in the shape of seven easy steps:

Step 1: Don’t replace real sugar with artificial sugar

In an attempt to provide us all with the sweetness we crave without the excess calories we dread, companies created artificial sweeteners. The first, saccharin, was discovered in the 1870s by a scientist at John Hopkins University.

He wasn’t actually trying to come up with a way to sweeten our foods, he was working on coal tar derivatives and some white substance spilled onto his hand. Later that evening, when he was eating dinner, some of the substances transferred to a roll, making it exceptionally sweet.  After this fateful contamination, the world of food has never been the same.

Artificial sweeteners have been blamed for a lot of things that ail us – but more recently, their effect on our ability to lose weight has come into focus. As it turns out, a lack of calories doesn’t always mean a lack of consequences. A study published in the journal Diabetes Care back in 2013 found that artificial sweeteners can actually alter the way the body metabolizes sugar.

A 2008 study found that rats which were given artificial sweeteners ate more calories throughout the day and gained weight as a result. The researchers carrying out this study found that the ingestion of artificial sweeteners essentially caused confusion between the gut and the brain. The author of the study stated that, “sweet foods provide a salient orosensory stimulus that strongly predicts someone is about to take in a lot of calories. Ingestive and digestive reflexes gear up for that intake but when false sweetness isn’t followed by a lot of calories, the system gets confused. Thus, people may eat more or expend less energy than they otherwise would.”

While these studies give incentive from a weight loss approach to kick the fake sugar habit, it’s what artificial sweeteners are doing to your sugar-laden diet that is most concerning for a sugar addict. Why? Studies show that replacing regular sugar with artificial sweeteners is like kicking your cigarette habit by switching to cigars. You’re still getting the sweetness you crave, so you’re not really taking away that sweet taste which is damaging your health.

If you stick to a no-sugar plan, your cravings for sweetness will eventually stop.

Step 2: Start an exercise regimen and add milk to your diet
Eating a lot of sugar has been shown to enhance reward mechanisms in the brain, thus making it hard to break the habit. For example, rats that were given sucrose wanted more of it and self-fed with it if it was available in their cage. This really is no different to an individual who keeps candy bars and cookies in their home or office desk.  If it’s there, and you have a preference for it, there’s a good chance that you’ll eat it, and you’ll probably feel pretty good after eating it – until you crash and need more. But what if you could replicate these feel-good effects through other foods?

Well, one study, for example, found that consumption of whey protein (a major protein found in milk) increased serotonin (a feel-good hormone that is associated with mood elevation). Other studies have found a link between exercise and increased serotonin production.

Step 3. Say “no” to fat-free products
Here’s the low down on fat-free foods. Fat gets removed and sugar gets added. This is because manufacturers are selling you on the fact that the product is fat-free, not sugar-free. Major culprits include fat-free salad dressing, cookies, cakes, muffins and peanut butter.

The solution to this? Buy full-fat salad dressings and peanut butter. The monounsaturated fats in them will actually help to increase your overall sense of satisfaction.

Step 4: Improve your sleep habits
A 2013 study found that our circadian sleep cycles have a whole lot more to do with when we reach for a sugary snack late at night. Another study found that when individuals were sleep-deprived, their reward activation centers in the brain were increased, thereby making it more difficult to say no to some candy. The bottom line is this – while diet and exercise help a lot with staying away from sweets, neither of them will be as effective if you don’t get enough sleep.

 Step 5: Keep healthy snacks close by
One tactic that seems to work is to keep healthy snacks on hand. Therefore, when you have an urge for a sugary treat, you can distract yourself by taking a few mouthfuls of something healthy. Figure out what your trigger is and have something on hand to distract yourself. It could be an apple, a bag of healthy popcorn, or even string cheese.

Step 6. Chew gum
A 2009 study found that individuals who chewed gum for at least three hours in the afternoon reduced their cravings for sweet snacks. While the study used a sugar-free gum variety, which contains artificial sweeteners, it nonetheless provides an interesting tactic to decrease your sweet cravings.

Step 7: Never forget the benefit to your body
If you remain constantly aware of the damage that sugar is doing to your body, you should be able to convince yourself to stay away from it. Remain focused and never forget that decreasing your sugar intake has benefits well beyond the perfect body.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement 

Source: huffingtonpost

5 science-backed tips to improve your gut health

Numerous gut bacteria live inside your body that plays a pivotal role in ensuring your overall well-being. A couple of years after birth, gut bacteria starts to develop inside your body. Some of these bacteria are healthy for your body while others can cause damage. The common function of these bacteria is helping you digest food, battle diabetes and obesity. This is because your gut bacteria affect your body’s metabolism and excess gut bacteria inside your body can lead to the build-up of fat around your liver. When your liver gets surrounded with fat it paves the way for cardiovascular ailments, type 2 diabetes and obesity. To ensure a healthy gut, eating probiotic foods can be a good option. According to a study, people living with anxiety symptoms can get relief by opting for probiotic foods. Here, we tell you some of the science-backed tips that can help you manage your gut health.

1) Avoid artificial sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners are widely used alternate for sugar. In a study, it was found that artificial sweeteners lead to changes in the microbiota and surged the blood sugar levels of the participants.

2) Opt for fermented foods:The process of preparing a fermented food include the involvement of bacteria or yeast that converts the sugar in foods to organic acids or alcohol. These foods are known to be rich in lactobacilli, a type of bacteria that can work wonders for our gut health. The common fermented food that you can include in your dietary is yogurt.

3) Eat high-fibre foods: High-fibre foods are difficult to digest, but certain bacteria in your gut can easily break down these foods that stimulates their growth. The prominent source of high-fibre food is whole grain.

4) Drink green tea: Green tea is rich in polyphenol content which is a plant compound that curbs your blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol levels.

5) Following plant-based diet:Plant-based diet are good for your overall well-being, you can also improve your gut health by regularly eating plant-based foods. In a study, it was found that a vegetarian diet helped in reducing disease-causing bacteria in those who were overweight.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/    

                                                                                                                                                     FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/  

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Natural electrolytes are better and naturally found

Coconut water, it is one of the best, clean natural drink one can have. It is loaded with minerals, electrolytes. It also increases athletic performances, energy booster, health promoting drink. 
Those who are not that lucky staying in places where fresh tender coconut is easily available, it is now available in packets everywhere !

Electrolytes marketed are artificially flavoured, with artificial colours, and artificial sugars. So, this only increases you calories without any health benefits and artificial colours are also said to be carcinogenic.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

                                                                           FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                  https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com