Natural sweeteners, pros and cons

Until a few years ago, those who for health or diet reasons wanted to eliminate sugar without giving up the sweet taste would have had to resort to an artificial sweetener.

Thanks to the growing awareness of the health problems associated with the use of sugar, the sweetener market has evolved a lot in recent years and today there are so many options for replacing sucrose.

In this article, however, I will only take into consideration the natural sweeteners allowed in Europe, in short, those that you can most easily find in the list of ingredients of products and buy in Italy.

THE STEVIA

Stevia is derived from the leaves of the South American plant Stevia rebaudiana, which is a member of the sunflower family. Actually the commercialization of the natural leaves is not allowed. The sweet active compounds, called stevia glycosides, are extracted and refined in a multi-step industrial process to meet US and European regulatory requirements.

PRO

• No calories and no carbohydrates
• It does not affect blood sugar or insulin levels
• No side effects noted
• Sweetening power 200-350 times higher than sugar

AGAINST

• It has a particular flavor, quite different from sugar and an aftertaste that not everyone likes
• It is not easy to dose in sweet recipes and often the final taste is very different from the version prepared with sugar
• There is not much data on the effects on health after years of frequent use (because it has not been in use for many years like many other sweeteners anyway)

ERYTHritol

Produced by fermenting corn or corn starch, erythritol is a polyol that occurs naturally in small amounts in fruits and fungi such as grapes, melons, and mushrooms. It is absorbed only to a small extent in the digestive tract but is generally one of the best tolerated polyols and with fewer side effects.

PRO

• Provides a negligible amount of carbohydrates and calories (about 0.2 per g)
• Glycemic index of 0 (Has no impact on blood sugar and insulin levels)
• It is one of the polyols with the least aftertaste and can be used in a similar way to sugar

AGAINST

• It has about 70% less sweetening power than sugar
• In some people, however, it can give intestinal side effects (gas, diarrhea, etc.) especially if consumed in large quantities
• Absorption and excretion of erythritol through the kidneys could potentially have adverse health consequences (none known at present but only approved in 2006 in Europe).
• It has a "fresh" aftertaste which may be annoying to some (but not all erythritol is the same, try different ones)

XYLITOL

Xylitol is the most common sugar-free sweetener in commercial gums and mouthwashes. Like erythritol, xylitol is a plant-derived polyol. It is commercially produced from the fibrous and woody parts of corn or birch cobs through a multi-step chemical extraction process. The result is a granular crystal that tastes like sugar, but isn't sugar.

PRO

• Xylitol is low in carbohydrates (but not zero)
• It has a glycemic index of 13 and only 50% is absorbed from the digestive tract.
• Xylitol tastes the same as sugar but only half the calories
• It has the same sweetening power as sugar (which can therefore be replaced 1:1)
• It has also been shown to help prevent tooth decay
• If you want to make an ice cream it is the best choice because it freezes without problems and does not change (which does not always happen with erythritol)

AGAINST

• Being absorbed for 50%, half of the carbohydrates deriving from it must be counted (unlike erythritol)
• In some subjects it can give side effects of intestinal fermentation and diarrhea even in relatively small quantities
• It is highly toxic to dogs and other pets: it can be fatal even in small quantities.

MALTITOL

Maltitol is obtained from the hydrogenation of maltose, a by-product of corn syrup. Because it behaves much like pure sugar in cooking and manufacturing, it is very popular in commercial "sugar-free" products such as candy, desserts, and low-carb products. It is also less expensive for food manufacturers to use than erythritol, xylitol and other polyols.

PRO

• Less expensive than other polyols
• It tastes more like sugar and can be used just as well
• Has fewer calories and net carbs than sugar (about 3/4)
• It has a glycemic index of 35 (sugar 65)
• It has a sweetening power of 80% compared to sugar

AGAINST

• However, it does have a significant amount of carbohydrates and calories
• It has been shown to raise blood sugar and increase insulin response
• It is also a powerful laxative and can cause significant digestive symptoms (gas, bloating, diarrhea, etc.)

CHICORY FIBER (INULIN)

Inulin is a member of the fructan family, which includes a fiber known as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Like fiber, it provides no digestible carbohydrates and is not absorbed from the digestive tract. Chicory is the main source of inulin used in sweeteners and low carbohydrate products. It is usually combined with other sweeteners rather than used on its own because it is not very sweet.

PRO

• 0 glycemic index and 1g of net carbohydrates per 100g
• Prebiotic function
• Several studies have found that inulin helps reduce the amount of cholesterol in food.

AGAINST

• Because inulin is rapidly fermented by intestinal bacteria, it can cause gas, diarrhea, and other unpleasant digestive symptoms
• It has a very low sweetening power (about 10% of the sweetness of sugar)

COMPARATIVE TABLE

Sweetener	Glycemic index	Guy	Net Carbs (Per 100g)	kcal (Per 100g)
Stevia	0	Natural	5	20
Inulin	0	Natural	1	150
Tagatose	3	Natural	35	150
Erythritol	0	Polyol	5	20
Xylitol	13	Polyol	60	240
Maltitol	36	Polyol	67	270
Sucralose	0-80	Artificial	0	0
Aspartame	0	Artificial	85	352
Saccharin	Variable	Artificial	94	364
Table sugar	65	Refined	100	387