POOR SUBSTITUTES

The World Health Organization's announcement on aspartame being possibly carcinogenic to humans has reignited the debate on health hazards of sugar substitutes. Not only is the evidence on safety of sugar substitutes sketchy, their role in controlling blood sugar levels, too, remains inconclusive. On the contrary, studies increasingly indicate that sugar substitutes contribute to factors that lead to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and, quite ironically, diabetes.

- ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY

I WILL STILL choose sugar-free alternatives. They cater to my requirement of sugar substitutes in foods," says 29-year-old Sumati Sharma, reacting to the World Health Organization's July 14 announcement that declared the popular artificial sweetener aspartame "possibly carcinogenic to humans". Sharma is a graphic designer based in Delhi and has used sugar substitutes since 2021. "I am not diabetic but there is a history of diabetes in my family, which is why I have gone completely off sugar. Plus, I am calorie-conscious," she says.

Sugar substitutes are substances used in place of sweeteners that have sugar (sucrose) or sugar alcohols. They have negligible or zero calories because, unlike sugar, they do not get broken down by the body into products that provide energy or calories. Also called non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) or non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), sugar substitutes are primarily of two types: artificial (which are prepared in laboratories; for example, aspartame) and natural (which are derived from plants; for example, stevia). They are used as tabletop sweeteners as well as in food items labelled "sugar free", "lowcalorie" or "diet" across the world.

The global rise in cases of diabetes and obesity has resulted in many opting for sugar substitutes to avoid developing the disease, manage weight or cut calories. This is reflected in an increase in the sale of sugar substitutes. A 2023 report by global market consultancy The Business Research Company projects a rise of 29.4 per cent in the sale of sugar substitutes-from $20.52 billion in 2022 to 29.08 billion by 2027.