Are artificial sweeteners worse than sugar in NZ?
If you’re thinking of cutting down on sugar, could artificial sweeteners be the solution? That is, switching to ‘zero sugar’ or ‘diet’ alternatives to common products, like fizzy drinks.
Let’s look at which artificial sweeteners are common in NZ, discuss whether or not they’re safe for your teeth, and conclude if they’re a good substitute for sugar.
The 12 artificial sweeteners in use in NZ
There are a number of different sweetening agents used in NZ food and drink that have been approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – 12 in total.
They are:
Acesulphame potassium (950)
Advantame (969)
Alitame (956)
Aspartame (951)
Aspartame-acesulphame salt (962)
Cyclamate (952)
Monk fruit extract (luo han guo)
Neotame (961)
Saccharin (954)
Steviol glycosides (Stevia) (960)
Sucralose (955)
Thaumatin (957)
On top of those, there’s also a number of other products that sweeten food and drink, but not as much as sugar would. These are ‘sugar alcohols’, which are neither sugars nor alcohols, and are typically used for other functions, such as thickening or stabilising.
Links to learn more:
To learn about what’s in each sweetener, and how it compares to sugar in terms of intensity, check out FSANZ’s Intense Sweeteners web page.
And if you’re ever concerned about the numbers on your food packaging and want to know what they mean, scroll through the Identifying Food Additives guide found on the Ministry for Primary Industries’ website.
Are artificial sweeteners safe for your teeth?
This is the big question, and there’s a bit of debate going on at the moment. To try and make it simpler, we’re going to break down the current and emerging science on artificial sweeteners.
One thing to remember: Science is not a set and forget thing, which means evidence isn’t either. What is approved today may change tomorrow as new products and evidence emerge, and that’s a normal part of the scientific process.
The current science on artificial sweeteners
At time of writing, the 12 sweeteners mentioned above are considered safe by FSANZ and have been tested and approved for commercial use.
Previously there has been a scare that aspartame could cause cancer. After a review by the European Food Safety Authority, this risk was ruled out. The organisation also ruled out brain damage, hyperactivity and pregnancy risk for people consuming even high quantities of diet soft drinks containing aspartame.
Other notable scares included saccharin and sucralose. Both were ruled as safe overseas too, and have been so here in NZ.
And for teeth? Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose are considered non-carcinogenic, and safe for teeth. Colgate wrote a great breakdown, if you want to know more.
Emerging science on artificial sweeteners
Some more recent studies have linked certain artificial sweeteners with a few other health conditions.
One study from the University of Cambridge found evidence to suggest that saccharin, sucralose and aspartame could turn healthy gut bacteria pathogenic (unhealthy, able to cause disease), which is an infection risk in a hard-to-treat area of the body. (Source)
Another paper, this time from the Weizmann Institute of Science, suggests that consuming artificial sweeteners may lead to a risk of developing a glucose intolerance, which is another term for conditions like pre-diabetes and diabetes. (Source)
So… are artificial sweeteners a good or bad alternative to sugar?
Science papers like the above generally aren’t a call to suddenly stop consuming substances like artificial sweeteners and especially not to say, “Oh well they don’t work – I’ll go back to sugar.” Likewise, just because they are better for your teeth doesn’t mean you can consume more of them.
The science papers we’ve linked to are a call for more study to be done, so we can gather more evidence. Their results may be disproven, like the original cancer scares. Or their results may be confirmed as genuine risks, in which case government policy would change.
What we can conclude about artificial sweeteners
While there is some evidence to suggest artificial sweeteners may be a better alternative to sugar itself, they’re not are not a magic wand and certainly not a replacement.
You could view artificial sweeteners as a temporary stepping stone on your journey to cutting out sugar, but keep in mind that consuming diet drinks will still promote your craving for ‘sweet’. What you will generally need to do to kick the habit is to untrain that craving entirely.
Artificial sweeteners are also usually quite acidic. This means that even if they don’t have a direct impact on your teeth, which generally they don’t, the acid in the drinks as a whole may still negatively affect your oral health.
The best solution? Limit or avoid them
It may not be the advice you want to hear but it’s the best advice that we, the world’s scientists, and FSANZ can give.
To keep your teeth and body truly safe from sugar or artificial alternatives, you would need to limit your consumption of either or cut them out entirely.
Teach your brain to desire other things, not sugar. One thing counsellors and therapists are taught is that the human brain can be ‘programmed’ a bit like a computer. You can ‘install’ new thoughts and unlearn old ones, if you try. What that means is if you want to kick sweet cravings, you would need to avoid sugar and consume alternatives while your brain retrains itself. Soon you’ll find sugar too sweet, and the cravings will be reduced.
A quick list of sugar alternatives
Water makes for the best replacement, as it will quench your thirst and keep you hydrated without promoting tooth decay. Most reticulated tap water around NZ also contains fluoride, which is known to be good for your teeth.
If your diet will allow it, coffee and tea (unsweetened) may also be good substitutes, but caffeine has its drawbacks too which may not be right for your diet.
Decaffeinated herbal teas are a good alternate drink, and can be made hot or cold.
Try to avoid sugary snacks throughout the day. Sugar can be found even in seemingly healthy snacks, like muesli bars, nut bars, dried fruit, fruit sticks and some crackers.
Sugar is also prevalent in breakfast cereals. Porridge, oats and unsweetened muesli are good alternatives, which can be sweetened with fresh fruit or cinnamon (if required).
Finally, keep an eye on food labels. There’s sugar in a lot more products than you’d expect, like bread, sauces and even the humble chicken nugget.
Learn more: “Should NZ have a sugar tax? We present the facts”
Worried about your oral health? Talk to us today
If at any point you need personalised advice on your teeth or are worried in general about your oral health, come and see us. You’ll find us on Maunu Road in Whangārei – call us on 09 430 0707 or book an appointment online!