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SugarMD - Artificial vs Natural Sweeteners: Mind Blowing New Research!

Thumbnail of the video “SugarMD - Artificial vs Natural Sweeteners: Mind Blowing New Research!”
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Author: SugarMD
Categories: Health Nutrition Psychology
Tags: health, nutrition, psychology
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-17 06:30 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Dr. Ergin shares his personal view that if you use sweeteners, pure stevia or erythritol may be a safer choice than aspartame, sucralose (Splenda), and saccharin, and he recommends monitoring your blood sugar to see how your body responds. He also argues that all sweeteners should be consumed in moderation alongside whole, healthy foods.

Key Points

  • Recent research the speaker cites found that aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose raised blood sugar in mice, apparently by altering gut bacteria, and a related human study found differing gut bacteria and higher fasting blood sugar in regular artificial sweetener users.
  • In a small human test, seven people (five men, two women) who had never used artificial sweeteners took a maximum daily recommended dose of saccharin, and blood sugar rose in four of the seven by day seven.
  • The effect was not universal, which the speaker attributes to individual differences in gut bacteria, possibly driven by diet, genetics, overall health, or gender.
  • Sugar alcohols differ from artificial sweeteners: erythritol is absorbed early in the small intestine and has little effect on blood sugar, while maltitol can still cause blood sugar spikes.
  • The speaker says regulatory-style reassurances (for example, that aspartame is safe in moderation) leave the definition of "moderation" vague and do not address blood sugar effects.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: Monitor your own blood sugar regularly, and if a sweetener raises it, stop using that sweetener. If you want a sweetener, the speaker's personal preference is pure stevia or erythritol, not the Stevia-based products that are mostly blended with dextrose or erythritol. Do not bake with aspartame, since it loses sweetness when heated. Check labels on "sugar-free" products containing maltitol, since some of it is absorbed and can spike blood sugar.
  • The speaker cites the National Cancer Institute stating no evidence that approved sweeteners such as aspartame cause cancer, and notes the saccharin cancer warning was removed in 2021.
  • Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and provides about four calories per gram, but the amount used is so small the calories are negligible. Saccharin is 200 to 500 times sweeter, and some people notice a metallic aftertaste.
  • Sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sucrose, but Splenda also contains dextrose and maltodextrin, raising its calories to about 3.36 per gram.
  • Xylitol is about as sweet as sugar with 40 percent fewer calories and can cause stomach upset in large amounts. Erythritol is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar with roughly 5 percent of the calories and produces less digestive upset because it is absorbed early in the small intestine.

Bottom Line

The speaker's research-based view is that some common artificial sweeteners may affect blood sugar through gut bacteria in some people, so personal blood sugar monitoring is the practical way to decide which, if any, to use.