Today’s athletes have many food and beverage choices containing low or no-calorie sweeteners (also known as LNCS): Diet Pepsi, Halo-Top ice cream, Gatorade Zero, Nuun. Questions arise:
- Are these products a better option than their sugar-containing versions?
- Will they help you lose weight?
- Are they safe?
- Should athletes eat them or avoid them?
The goal of this article is not to recommend for or against LNCS sweeteners such as Equal (aspartame), Sweet ‘n Low (saccharine), and Truvia (stevia). But instead, to offer science-based information to help you decide whether or not they are safe to include in your sports diet.
Artificial Sweeteners Background
The 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that we should limit added sugars to less than 10% of our daily calories. The average (i.e., unfit, over-fat) American consumes about 270 calories (17 teaspoons, 13% of total calories) of added sugars a day. Soft drinks, other sweetened beverages, cookies, candy, and desserts are common culprits. For a sedentary person who may require 1,800 calories a day, 10% of calories equates to 180 calories (45 g) of added sugars a day that displaces wholesome foods.
Exercise enhances our ability to metabolize sugar. Active people are less likely to end up with health issues (prediabetes, type 2 diabetes) related to sugar consumption. For them, added sugars can be a useful source of muscle fuel. Ideally, the sugar comes surrounded by nutrients, such as a post-exercise recovery chug of chocolate milk.
Today’s competitive athletes often select their foods more wisely than the “average” American. They hope to enhance performance and reduce their risk of injury and invest in their longevity. For a high school athlete eating more than 3,000 calories a day, the guideline of less than 10% of total calories from added sugars equates to 300 calories (75 g) of added sugars a day. That leaves plenty of space for some sugary sports foods and treats if desired.
Athletes’ bodies tend to readily use sugars (they appear in the blood as glucose) to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores. During long, hard workouts, sugar-filled gels and sports drinks can enhance performance. So why would an athlete want to choose a Gatorade-Zero, Nuun, or Propel with LNCS? Well, if weight-conscious, NLCS can help athletes save a few calories (though doing so while exercising can hurt performance). With meals and snacks, swapping a can of sugar-sweetened soda for a diet soda ideally allows the athlete to enjoy 150 more calories of nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits or veggies. (We know what often happens, however. The saved calories go towards cookies. Ha!)
Are foods sweetened with LNCS a way for athletes to have their cake and eat it too? The media has undoubtedly painted a halo of horror on LNCS, leading many to believe they are mysterious chemicals, contribute to obesity, and bolster one’s sweet tooth. Are they really bad for you? Let’s take a look at what science says.
Aren’t LNCS Nothing But Scary Chemicals?
All foods are made of chemicals: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen. Aspartame (brand names are NutraSweet and Equal) is made of two amino acids that taste 200 times sweeter than table sugar. You need very little of it. The powder in the blue packet is mostly a harmless filler that keeps the few molecules of sweetener from getting lost in the packaging.
Are LNCS Safe To Consume?
Sugar substitutes are among the most highly studied ingredients out there. The FDA, WHO, and other global health organizations have confirmed the safety of these products in doses well above the amounts commonly consumed by humans. Studies that reported a link to cancer were done with animals given absurd amounts of no- or low-cal sweeteners and are not relevant to humans in real life.
That said, the FDA has established Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADI) for these sweeteners. ADI is the amount of an LNCS a human can consume daily during their life —with a built-in 100-fold safety factor below which no adverse effects have been seen. For aspartame, the ADI equates to 107 of those little blue packets a day (19 cans of diet soda every day of your life). So yes, some athletes could overshoot the ADI—but it’s highly unlikely!
Do Low and No Calorie Sweeteners Lead to Weight Loss?
LNCS is one tool in a dieter’s toolbox. They can help dieters lose weight IF they displace calories the dieter does not replace. One athlete told me he lost 30 pounds in a year just by trading in his lunch- and dinner-time can of Pepsi for Diet Pepsi. That one simple change shaved off 300 calories a day that he did not replace. That said, research indicates people can quickly compensate for the calories by eating more of other foods.
Do Low And No Calorie Sweeteners Lead To Weight Gain?
No. People who drink diet soda are more likely to be overweight, but diet soda did not cause weight gain. Rather, people who live in large bodies are more likely to use LNCS to save some calories.
Don’t these sweeteners trick the body into thinking it’s getting sugar—and trigger a spike in blood glucose, followed by a crash and hunger?
Well-controlled, randomized studies indicate the answer is no. Nor do LNCS make people feel hungrier. Some animal studies have shown that LNLCS might increase appetite, but those studies were conducted with large amounts of LNCS that we would never consume. This has not been replicated in humans.
Do No Or No-Cal Sweeteners Hurt The Microbiome?
Questionable research with mice who consumed huge amounts of saccharin suggests it might impact the microbiome of rodents. But no conclusive evidence to date indicates LNCS negatively impact the human gut microbiome. Stay tuned.
The Bottom Line
We are all born with an innate desire for sweet tastes, starting with breastmilk (a delightful taste). We have many options for satisfying that sweet tooth in good health.
Read More: Diet Soda Drinkers Consume More Calories Than Regular Soda Drinkers
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Today’s athletes have many food and beverage choices containing low or no-calorie sweeteners (also known as LNCS): Diet Pepsi, Halo-Top ice cream, Gatorade Zero, Nuun. Questions arise:
- Are these products a better option than their sugar-containing versions?
- Will they help you lose weight?
- Are they safe?
- Should athletes eat them or avoid them?
The goal of this article is not to recommend for or against LNCS sweeteners such as Equal (aspartame), Sweet ‘n Low (saccharine), and Truvia (stevia). But instead, to offer science-based information to help you decide whether or not they are safe to include in your sports diet.
Artificial Sweeteners Background
The 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that we should limit added sugars to less than 10% of our daily calories. The average (i.e., unfit, over-fat) American consumes about 270 calories (17 teaspoons, 13% of total calories) of added sugars a day. Soft drinks, other sweetened beverages, cookies, candy, and desserts are common culprits. For a sedentary person who may require 1,800 calories a day, 10% of calories equates to 180 calories (45 g) of added sugars a day that displaces wholesome foods.
Exercise enhances our ability to metabolize sugar. Active people are less likely to end up with health issues (prediabetes, type 2 diabetes) related to sugar consumption. For them, added sugars can be a useful source of muscle fuel. Ideally, the sugar comes surrounded by nutrients, such as a post-exercise recovery chug of chocolate milk.
Today’s competitive athletes often select their foods more wisely than the “average” American. They hope to enhance performance and reduce their risk of injury and invest in their longevity. For a high school athlete eating more than 3,000 calories a day, the guideline of less than 10% of total calories from added sugars equates to 300 calories (75 g) of added sugars a day. That leaves plenty of space for some sugary sports foods and treats if desired.
Athletes’ bodies tend to readily use sugars (they appear in the blood as glucose) to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores. During long, hard workouts, sugar-filled gels and sports drinks can enhance performance. So why would an athlete want to choose a Gatorade-Zero, Nuun, or Propel with LNCS? Well, if weight-conscious, NLCS can help athletes save a few calories (though doing so while exercising can hurt performance). With meals and snacks, swapping a can of sugar-sweetened soda for a diet soda ideally allows the athlete to enjoy 150 more calories of nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits or veggies. (We know what often happens, however. The saved calories go towards cookies. Ha!)
Are foods sweetened with LNCS a way for athletes to have their cake and eat it too? The media has undoubtedly painted a halo of horror on LNCS, leading many to believe they are mysterious chemicals, contribute to obesity, and bolster one’s sweet tooth. Are they really bad for you? Let’s take a look at what science says.
Aren’t LNCS Nothing But Scary Chemicals?
All foods are made of chemicals: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen. Aspartame (brand names are NutraSweet and Equal) is made of two amino acids that taste 200 times sweeter than table sugar. You need very little of it. The powder in the blue packet is mostly a harmless filler that keeps the few molecules of sweetener from getting lost in the packaging.
Are LNCS Safe To Consume?
Sugar substitutes are among the most highly studied ingredients out there. The FDA, WHO, and other global health organizations have confirmed the safety of these products in doses well above the amounts commonly consumed by humans. Studies that reported a link to cancer were done with animals given absurd amounts of no- or low-cal sweeteners and are not relevant to humans in real life.
That said, the FDA has established Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADI) for these sweeteners. ADI is the amount of an LNCS a human can consume daily during their life —with a built-in 100-fold safety factor below which no adverse effects have been seen. For aspartame, the ADI equates to 107 of those little blue packets a day (19 cans of diet soda every day of your life). So yes, some athletes could overshoot the ADI—but it’s highly unlikely!
Do Low and No Calorie Sweeteners Lead to Weight Loss?
LNCS is one tool in a dieter’s toolbox. They can help dieters lose weight IF they displace calories the dieter does not replace. One athlete told me he lost 30 pounds in a year just by trading in his lunch- and dinner-time can of Pepsi for Diet Pepsi. That one simple change shaved off 300 calories a day that he did not replace. That said, research indicates people can quickly compensate for the calories by eating more of other foods.
Do Low And No Calorie Sweeteners Lead To Weight Gain?
No. People who drink diet soda are more likely to be overweight, but diet soda did not cause weight gain. Rather, people who live in large bodies are more likely to use LNCS to save some calories.
Don’t these sweeteners trick the body into thinking it’s getting sugar—and trigger a spike in blood glucose, followed by a crash and hunger?
Well-controlled, randomized studies indicate the answer is no. Nor do LNCS make people feel hungrier. Some animal studies have shown that LNLCS might increase appetite, but those studies were conducted with large amounts of LNCS that we would never consume. This has not been replicated in humans.
Do No Or No-Cal Sweeteners Hurt The Microbiome?
Questionable research with mice who consumed huge amounts of saccharin suggests it might impact the microbiome of rodents. But no conclusive evidence to date indicates LNCS negatively impact the human gut microbiome. Stay tuned.
The Bottom Line
We are all born with an innate desire for sweet tastes, starting with breastmilk (a delightful taste). We have many options for satisfying that sweet tooth in good health.
Read More: Diet Soda Drinkers Consume More Calories Than Regular Soda Drinkers