Artificial Sweeteners Aren't the 'Healthy' Answer to Sugar
By forgetting to wash his hands before dinner, he set off a food-additive revolution...
Constantin Fahlberg had just started to tuck into his meal when he noticed something strange...
The piece of bread he had broken off... a sip of water... and even the napkin he had used to wipe his mouth... they all tasted strangely sweet.
They were all items he'd touched. So out of curiosity, he licked his thumb.
As Fahlberg put it, it was "sweeter than any confectionary I had ever eaten."
That's because it was 500 times sweeter than sugar.
Turns out, he had brought his work home with him – he worked as a chemist at the Johns Hopkins University.
And he had forgotten to wash his hands. (Yikes.) The stuff that he had been tasting on his finger was a chemical derived from coal tar.
Thanks to that dinner in 1879, the artificial sweetener saccharin (with an unfortunate metallic aftertaste) was born... you know, Sweet'N Low in those little bubblegum-pink packets.
Longtime readers know that I'm no fan of consuming too much added sugar. Nor do I like artificial sweeteners.
We know sugar can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar. In turn, elevated blood-sugar levels tell the body to release more insulin, which then triggers fat production.
Over time, you get chronic inflammation, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and more.
So lots of folks wanting to indulge a sweet tooth turn to non-nutritive (i.e., zero calorie) artificial sweeteners as the "healthy" alternative to sugar.
But over the past few years, study after study has shown that overdoing these sweeteners – like saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose – to curb your sweet tooth could carry health risks...
They include the likes of...
• Diabetes
• Chronic inflammation
• Cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
• Weight gain
• Certain cancers
• Pregnancy complications
What's more, we're now beginning to learn that artificial sweeteners do a number on the population of microbes living in your gut. Those gut bugs aren't just important for digestion, but they also play a role in the creation and/or release of hormones, neurotransmitters, and vitamins. They're even an important part of your immune system.
(As I explained in last month's Retirement Millionaire, the answer to glowing, beautiful skin is in your gut bugs instead of that "anti-wrinkle" cream. Read the issue here, or if you're not a subscriber, check out my newsletter risk free for a month.)
A Frontiers in Microbiology study published in May found that saccharin, acesulfame K, xylitol, rebaudioside A, and sucralose all disrupted gut health in just 35 days.
You've probably heard of sucralose as the ingredient in Splenda... and it has been getting a bad rap lately.
For instance, a study published earlier this month showed that consuming it reduced insulin sensitivity in healthy adults by 20.3% in just one month, likely due to changes in the population of gut bugs resulting in a proinflammatory environment.
Not to mention, sucralose messes with the part of your brain responsible for appetite control...
Published in March in Nature Metabolism, a small randomized-controlled study of 75 participants who drank water, a sugary beverage, or a sucralose-laden beverage found that sucralose stimulated the hypothalamus (a part of your brain that regulates appetite) more than even sugar did. While sugar consumption triggered the release of hormones that tell your brain you're full, sucralose failed to do that.
How to Spot Hidden Sweeteners
You'll likely find these artificial sweeteners in foods and beverages labeled "no sugar added," "sugar-free," "light," or "diet."
But don't think "low sugar," "low carb," or even "low fat" foods are safe, either... Companies sneak in artificial sweeteners to compensate for the reduction in fatty or sweet tastes that activate the reward centers of our brains.
Whenever I'm shopping for groceries, I always scan the ingredient and nutritional labels. And I've seen fake sugar hiding in some surprising places like...
• Whole-wheat or whole-grain breads and English muffins
• Flavored instant oatmeal
• Yogurt
• Condiments like ketchup and low-fat salad dressings
• Salty foods like pickles
I've said it before, but I don't mind repeating myself: Stick to fruit for your sugar fix. The fiber in the fruit helps to slow the absorption of sugar... And you'll get all the health benefits of fruit, too.
As for my preferred sweetener in moderation? That'd be raw honey. I use it in place of white or brown sugar. And to avoid sugary or "diet" beverages, I stick to good ol' water or sparkling water. Sometimes I add fresh, chopped fruit and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours... and, voila, I have all-natural flavored water with fruit I can eat at the end.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: It could be a tough season for holiday spending.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Teams
September 9, 2025