Sweet tooth, sweet life

Oh hey there! Just got back from Yankee Dental Congress in Boston. It\’s always exciting to see all the new technology and go \”trick or treating\” around for gadgets. We couldn\’t believe how much candy is ironically found at this convention. At least they staggered it so the next booth was handing out toothbrushes! Surprisingly, many dentists are also addicted to natural and artificial sweeteners.

It’s no wonder that artificial sweeteners are known as “empty calories” and offer zero nutrition. One theory is that the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners trick the body into thinking it’s getting calories, which actually can make us feel hungrier. According to Betsey Reynolds, RDH, MS, “It has been estimated that Americans consume an average of 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily.” The American Heart Association recommends that women should limit sugar intake to 6 teaspoons (100 calories) daily and men no more than 9 teaspoons (150 calories) daily. Most Americans ingest their sugar in 2 forms- sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

While most sweetness in today\’s food and beverage is from \”added sugars\’ to enhance flavor, some \’sugars\’ are found naturally in food (fructose in fresh fruits- as well as other nutrients and fiber). Half of all the sweeteners used today are fructose or fructose derivatives. Sneaky products loaded with sugar include children\’s cough medicine, fruit gummies, ketchup, soy milk and tomato sauce. Do you know anything about that sweetener you use in your coffee?? For starters- dietary sweeteners are defined as being \’nutritive\’ (provide body with calories in the form of carbohydrates) or \’non-nutritive\’ (few caloric value). 

Nutritive sweeteners provide calories when consumed (HFCS, sucrose, agave, honey, sugar alcohol)

• Agave: (16 cal/teaspoon) You may know as the source for tequila! Depending how agave is processed, most agave syrup has higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener. 
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS): (53 cal/teaspoon) High doses of fructose may have a negative impact on the liver, and lead to obesity, heart disease, type II diabetes, elevated uric acid levels and low level inflammation.
• Honey: (21 cal/teaspoon) High quality has natural antioxidant and antibacterial properties, enzymes, amino acids, Vitamins (B6, Niacin, Thiamine, pantothenic acid and riboflavin) and minerals (Calcium, Fe+, Mn, Mg, K+, P, Na+ and Zinc).
• Sucrose “table sugar”: (16 cal/t) Disaccharide derived from sugar cane or beets. 
• Sugar alcohol “xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol”: (10 cal/t) Xylitol is a cavity fighting ingredient found in some sugar-free gum (Ice Breakers), Chocolate Jello sugar free pudding snack, peanut butter, toothpaste (like Tom’s of Maine which uses xylitol “produced either from birch tree pulp or corn”). Unlike sucrose, sugar substitutes are not fermented by the microbiota of dental plaque. Xylitol is usually well tolerated but side effects reported include gas, bloating and diarrhea.

Non-nutritive substitutes (Stevia, aspartame, sucrolose, saccharine, acesulfame K)

• Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K) “Sunnett”: (0 cal/t) 200 times sweeter than sucrose, Ace-K contains the carcinogen methylene chloride, and stable under high temperatures. Long-term exposure can cause headaches and nausea.
• Aspartame “Equal”, “Nutrasweet,” (0 cal/t) Made up of three components: 50% phenylalanine, 40% aspartic acid, 10% methanol [wood alcohol]. It’s 200 times sweeter than sucrose. In the body, methanol breaks down into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and Formic acid. Studies have linked it to headaches and cancer. It is life-threatening to ingest for people with Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare condition in which the body can\’t break down phenylalanine. Its stability is temperature dependent and breaks down at high temperatures. It’s stability is pH dependent (most stable at pH of 4.3), making it an ideal sweetene for sugar-free soda.
• Saccharin sodium “Sweet and Low”: (
• Sucrolose, “Splenda”: (0 cal/t) made from chlorinated sugar, 600 times sweeter than sucrose, stable when heated so used in many fried or baked foods
• Stevia “Truvia”: (0 cal/t) Derived from Stevia rebaudiana has no effect on either blood pressure or blood glucose response. It is labeled as a FDA dietary supplement. Truvia goes through a 42-step manufacturing process and an organic nitrate chemical, Acetonitrile, is added. This is chemical also found in nail polish remover, is toxic to the liver and carcinogenic when the body metabolizes it to cyanide. Stevia 200-400 times sweeter than sucrose.

Sweeteners- natural or artificial- have the potential to decrease immune function. They should be enjoyed modestly and sugar sweetened beverages should ideally be replaced with plain water. We are what we eat, but sugar may not necessarily make us sweeter! Here’s to an even healthier 2017!!

• Disclosure: As with anything, there are benefits and disadvantages with everything but this may be slightly skewed from a dental professionals’ perspective.
• Reference: Reynolds, Betsey. The Bitter Side of Sweets. Parkell.com White Paper.