Sugar vs artificial sweeteners, which is healthier? & bull; hello healthy

The increasing number of people suffering from degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, we need to be more careful about what we eat. One type of food that is a scourge is sugar. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to weight gain and in later life increases the risk of developing health problems. Given these findings, limiting sugar consumption can be one of your choices for a healthier life.

What is granulated sugar?

The sugar that you usually use every day to add to food and drinks is cane sugar. This sugar is obtained from processed and heated sugar cane. The result of this process is in the form of crystals, or what you are better known as granulated sugar. According to the Ministry of Health, the limit of consumption of granulated sugar in a day is 4 tablespoons or equivalent to 148 calories.

What are artificial sweeteners?

Then what are artificial sweeteners? According to the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM), artificial sweeteners are a type of sweetener whose raw material cannot be found in nature and is produced through a chemical process. Examples of artificial sweeteners are aspartame, cyclamate, sucrolose, and saccharin. This type of artificial sweetener is commonly used in processed foods such as syrup, soda, jam, to special foods intended for diabetics or special diet foods. If you see a product has a label sugar free, try to check the composition. Usually there are additional artificial sweeteners in it.

The use of artificial sweeteners has been regulated by the BPOM. For example aspartame, the limit for consumption per day is 40 mg / kg. This means that if you weigh 60 kg, then your daily intake of aspartame is 2400 mg. In comparison, one can of diet soda contains about 180 mg of aspartame. That way in a day you are allowed to consume approximately 13 cans of diet soda.

Which one is better?

To answer this question, it's a good idea to know in advance the positive and negative effects of sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Plus minus sugar

Sugar has the most delicious taste when compared to artificial sweeteners. Several types of artificial sweeteners leave after taste like a bitter taste, for example. Granulated sugar is also obtained from natural ingredients, namely sugar cane, so it is less likely to cause allergies or other reactions. While artificial sweeteners, for example aspartame, contain phenylalanine which is very dangerous for those suffering from phenylketonuria.

However, sugar contains calories. Every one tablespoon of sugar contains approximately 37 calories. If you use two tablespoons to make your favorite tea, then the total calories you consume is 74 calories, from sugar alone. And often times we don't realize how much sugar we are consuming. This can lead to weight gain which will be followed by an increased risk of other diseases. Not only degenerative diseases, you are also prone to experiencing toothaches.

The advantages of artificial sweeteners compared to sugar

Meanwhile, for artificial sweeteners, the majority have no calories. Or if it contains calories, the amount is very small. Types of artificial sweeteners that contain calories are a class of sweeteners derived from alcohol such as mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. With little or no calories, artificial sweeteners are often used in products specifically for those who are on a diet. In comparison, if you weigh approximately 55 kg and you brew coffee using two sachets artificial sweeteners, then you can consume about 116 cups of coffee to reach the maximum limit of consumption of artificial sweeteners in a day. This is caused by the level of sweetness of artificial sweeteners which is much higher than regular sugar. Aspartame, for example, has 200 times the sweetness level when compared to sucrose or sugar. Compare how many calories you consume if you brew 116 cups of coffee using granulated sugar. The use of artificial sweeteners can clearly cut the amount of your calorie intake that comes from sugar.

In addition, artificial sweeteners tend not to increase blood sugar levels, because they are not carbohydrates. In contrast to sugar, which is a carbohydrate group and can trigger insulin work when consumed. So artificial sweeteners are often found in special products for diabetics.

Lack of artificial sweeteners

However, artificial sweeteners do not always get a positive response. Around 1970, research on saccharin and cancer was carried out. After being tested on mice, it was found that the mice given high doses of saccharin had bladder cancer. Another study in 2005, as quoted from CNN, states that mice given high doses of aspartame (roughly the equivalent of consuming 2000 cans of diet soda) have a high risk of suffering from leukemia. However, overall research into these artificial sweeteners is not yet known whether they have the same effect in humans.

Not only have they been linked to cancer, but artificial sweeteners have also been linked to weight gain. Even though it has a very small number of calories, the continuous use of artificial sweeteners will make our taste buds "immune" to the sweet taste. You may lose your appetite for foods such as vegetables and fruit that are actually healthy but not too sweet. Plus, since you already feel like you're eating less of a calorie-free sweetener in your coffee, then you'll be giving reward on yourself by eating a piece of cake or a donut. Your body feels like you haven't got the real sugar so you then look for sugar from other foods.

And as quoted from the Harvard Health Publication, Dr. Ludwig, a professor in the field of child health, stated that it is possible that artificial sweeteners stimulate the formation of new fat cells so that they can trigger weight gain.

Further research is still needed regarding artificial sweeteners and their effects on health. Its use can be especially helpful for those with certain health conditions such as diabetes and obesity. But whatever type of sweetener you choose, use it in moderation.