The Food and Drink You Didn't Know Had Sweeteners in Them

When we reach for a low-calorie dessert or a diet soda pop, we know that they are likely to be full of artificial sweeteners. But, for other foods, the use of these ingredients may be less obvious.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved six synthetic sweeteners for consumption in the country, following rigorous safety checks and reviews. But new evidence is emerging that these artificial additives may be worse for our health than we once thought.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for You?

In April, the World Health Organization published a review on the health effects of non-sugar sweeteners, looking at over 280 studies. The WHO found that these additives were associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and increased body weight. Studies have also discovered that consumption of artificial sweeteners affects the balance of good bacteria in your gut microbiome, and may even damage your DNA.

"It's not entirely clear what level of artificial-sweetener use, in terms of amount or frequency, could have negative health impacts," Carrie Dennett told Newsweek. She is a nutrition counselor and author of Healthy for Your Life: A Non-Diet Approach to Optimal Well-Being.

Dennett added: "A 2022 study did find that healthy adults consuming artificial sweeteners in doses below the acceptable daily intake saw changes in the population of their gut microbiota and in their blood sugar levels after only two weeks, and that was compared with consuming glucose or no sweetener at all."

However, it is difficult to mark all artificial sweeteners with the same brush. "There are many natural and synthetic low-calorie sweeteners available, and each has a unique chemical structure," Lindsey Schier told Newsweek. She is a biology professor at the University of South Carolina who specializes in food and behavior.

"This means that each low-calorie sweetener may interact with the cells in our body in different ways, which ultimately determines their specific biological consequences," Schier said. "More research studies are needed to continue to understand how they may impact health, especially when they are used over a long period of time."

Michael Lean, a professor of human nutrition at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, said that, due to the rigorous testing that these products undergo, the risks incurred by consuming artificial sweeteners are minimal. "In the 'Western' world at least, regulations about sweeteners are made after extensive specialist reviews of the totality of the evidence, and considering evidence quality and reliability," Lean told Newsweek. "If there were evidence that they have bad effects, let alone 'major health impacts,' they would not be permitted."

However, whether or not they are "bad" for us, Lean added that these products can cause weight gain and obesity. "The food industry has discovered that, if it makes foods either very salty or very sweet, that causes people's palates to adjust, so they crave more foods and drinks that are very salty or very sweet," he said.

Sweet tastes—whether from sugar or artificial sweeteners—have been shown to enhance our appetite and increase sugar cravings. "Artificial sweeteners may contribute indirectly to weight gain and obesity [because] people are drawn towards other sweet foods like ice-cream that have masses of calories from fat and sugar," Lean said.

Indeed, numerous studies have found a striking correlation between weight gain and consumption of artificially sweetened drinks.

What's more, while individual sweeteners have been deemed safe by food-safety authorities, Schier said that there are still some question marks over what happens when these compounds interact with each other and other ingredients.

"We often consume foods and beverages with a variety of different types of sweeteners, not to mention that some of us often consume sweeteners in combination with other types of ingredients (e.g., sugar, fat), which could interact with one another," Schier said.

Whether you are concerned about their health implications or simply want to avoid artificial additives, avoiding artificial sweeteners can be a lot easier said than done. So, which foods actually contain these compounds?

Which Foods Contain Artificial Sweeteners?

"Low-calorie sweeteners are very common in our modern food environment; they are found in many different types of processed foods and beverages," Schier said. "Most of us are probably aware that LCS are used as sugar substitutes in 'diet' or 'sugar-free' beverages, but they can also be found in other products that we don't necessarily think of, such as some yogurts, baked goods, cereals, and condiments (e.g., ketchup and salad dressing), to enhance the palatability without adding calories."

Dennett said that a lot of this was due to modern-day diet culture. "Artificial sweeteners are widespread, both because many consumers believe they help with weight loss, and also because of concerns about the impact of added sugars on health."

"Artificial sweeteners can be found in everything from yogurt and protein powders to condiments and salad dressings," Dennett added. "Probably the most surprising sources are breakfast cereal, bread and other baked goods."

These additives may even crop up in non-food products. "They get into almost all manufactured foods and lots of other places, like toothpaste," Lean said.

As sugar taxes are brought in around the world, these additives are becoming even more attractive to food manufacturers. "[These taxes provide] a huge opportunity for the makers of manufactured foods and drinks to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners that costs less," Lean said.

Clearly, artificial sweeteners are all around us, but each product will contain a slightly different cocktail of chemicals. So let's break this down into something more digestible.

Breads

Even your healthiest-looking whole-wheat loaf can contain artificial sweeteners, typically in the form of sucralose. "Light" and "sugar-free" breads are particularly likely to contain these compounds. One popular example is the Light Style 7 Grain Bread from Pepperidge Farm.

While short-term studies have not found any significant effects of sucralose consumption on gut health, longer-term animal studies have discovered it to be associated with disruption in the gut microbiome and increased inflammation.

More recently, researchers found that sucralose can be broken down into a similar molecule called sucralose-6-acetate. When exposed to cells in the lab, this can damage our DNA. However, this has not yet been demonstrated inside living organisms.

Flavored Yogurts

Flavored yogurts are often full of sugar, so when one markets itself as being "sugar-free", it should cause some raised eyebrows. These lighter options often contain sucralose as well as acesulfame potassium. Examples include Yoplait Light and Dannon Light + Fit original range (although the brand has also introduced a Zero Sugar range with no artificial sweeteners.)

Acesulfame potassium, also known as acesulfame K, has been associated with body weight gain, microbiome disruption, and changes in brain function. However, these studies have largely been conducted on animals using high concentrations over long periods. More research is needed to confirm these effects in humans.

Condiments

Salad dressings and lighter condiments, such as low-sugar ketchup and barbecue sauce, often contain sucralose to add flavor without adding calories. However, perhaps the most recognizable ketchup brand, Heinz, avoids using sucralose in its lighter version, opting instead for stevia leaf extract or honey.

That said, plenty of other large brands, such as G Hughes, do contain sucralose, so it is always best to read the labels. You can also try making your own dressings and condiments.

Cereals

Like bread, whole-grain, high-fiber cereals might look like a healthy choice, but they still often contain sucralose. Examples include Fiber One and Special K Zero Sugar. The same goes for some brands of "healthy" snack bars, such as Pure Protein Bars and Fulfil Vitamin & Protein Bars.

Protein Powders

Protein powders don't really resemble "real" food, so it's no surprise that they contain a range of artificial sweeteners and flavorings. Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard whey protein powder contains acesulfame potassium, while Body Fortress's Super Advanced whey protein powder has both acesulfame potassium and sucralose.

Juices

Low-sugar drinks are a prime candidate for artificial sweeteners, but some juice brands contain these compounds in their non-diet range, too. For example, Minute Maid's Fruit Punch and some of their other juice drinks contain sucralose, while Dr Pepper contains acesulfame potassium and aspartame.

Aspartame has been widely studied and, although it is largely considered safe, some studies have suggested that it may affect behavior, brain function and hormone levels, and may even damage our DNA. However, these findings are still uncertain, and the majority of studies have reported no significant outcomes from consuming aspartame within the recommended doses.

The exception here is people who have a rare genetic condition called phenylketonuria. People with this condition are not able to process one of the two main ingredients of aspartame. This means it can build up to dangerous levels and lead to a range of negative side effects, including brain damage.

Sugar-Free Gum

While not strictly a food, sugar-free gum is often full of artificial sweeteners. Extra sugar-free gum contains aspartame and acesulfame potassium, as well as several plant-derived sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol. The same goes for several other popular brands, like 5 sugar-free gum.

How to Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

The easiest way to avoid artificial sweeteners is to look at the product's ingredients list.

"It's natural to enjoy the taste of sweet, but we can get that from fruit and from thoughtfully planned for, and mindfully eaten, desserts," Dennett said. "One of the World Health Organization's concerns about consuming a lot of artificial sweeteners—or any added sweetener—is that it makes it hard to be satisfied by the natural sweetness of many nutritious, whole or minimally processed foods. It's like we have to be hit over the head with sweetness for it to register."

Instead of artificial chemical sweeteners, many producers now opt for nature-based sweeteners such as stevia extract, erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol and monk fruit sweetener. However, even these are not without controversy. For example, a study in February 2023 found that erythritol is associated with increased risk of heart disease and blood clotting. Excessive consumption of xylitol can cause digestive side-effects like abdominal gas and diarrhea.

Despite our best attempts, it can often be difficult to avoid these additives completely. Dennett said that you should not be too hard on yourself if you do consume these products.

"It's worth being mindful about the role that both artificial sweeteners and added sugars play in our diets, but this isn't an all-or-nothing deal," Dennett said. "Many people hear that sugar is 'bad' or artificial sweeteners are 'bad' and feel like they have to totally eradicate them from their diets if they want to be healthy. That's not the case.

"Trying to live like that can be unrealistic and even stressful," Dennett added. "Identify the easiest and most obvious places to cut back, let that settle, then take a fresh look at overall consumption. If it's still a lot, then look for more places to cut back, and repeat as necessary. Just know that 'zero' doesn't have to be the goal."