In an era when sugar is widely seen as enemy No 1, sugar-free drinks and treats, sweetened with low-calorie additives, promise guilt-free sweetness. Some people deliberately choose low-sugar options in the hope of losing weight or managing diabetes; others just enjoy the taste. But even if you aren’t seeking them out, it’s hard to avoid artificial sweeteners. In 2021, researchers looked at foods for sale in Hong Kong and found that sweeteners were present not just in products where you would expect them, such as sugarless chewing gum, but also in salad dressings, breads, instant noodles and many crisps. Sweeteners have become such a common part of our diet that environmental scientists have started looking for traces of them – particularly acesulfame potassium, which passes through the body largely undigested – as a marker for human waste in lakes and rivers.

The average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of sugar every day. That’s several teaspoons more than what they should be consuming — about 12 to 13 teaspoons in a 2,000-calorie diet, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In 2016, the FDA revised the Nutrition Facts panel on foods in order to list both Total Sugars and Added Sugars. Before this adjustment, it was difficult to know the source of the sugar numbers.

Sugar free, according to the FDA, means that one serving of food has less than a half a gram of added or naturally occurring sugar. Naturally occurring sugar could be something that’s normally in the food. For instance, it could be fructose in fruit or lactose in milk. Some other terms you might see that also mean sugar-free are “free of sugar,” “no sugar,” or “zero sugar.” But these foods can still contain artificial sweeteners, like Splenda or NutraSweet, and sugar alcohols, like mannitol or sorbitol. Common sugar-free foods include diet soft drinks and diabetes-friendly candies.

When a product is labelled as ‘low-fat’, it indicates that the food contains a reduced amount of fat compared to its standard version. According to the data published in the American Cancer Society, the term ‘low-fat’ means that the product contains three grams or less of fat per serving. On the other end of the spectrum is the term ‘fat-free’. As per the information in the American Cancer Society, when a product is labelled as ‘fat-free’, it means that the food contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. It’s crucial to note that ‘fat-free’ does not equate to calorie-free or devoid of other potentially less healthy ingredients.

When did people start to go sugar-free?

Over the centuries, sugar has been linked to any number of ills, including obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, high and low blood sugar, headaches and toothaches, hyperactivity and fatigue, nearsightedness and farsightedness, dyspepsia and gout. And for the last hundred years or so, Americans have been seeking a safe, low-cost, low-calorie substitute. The search began by accident in 1879, when two Johns Hopkins University scientists hoping to find a wonder drug discovered saccharin instead – a noncaloric coal-tar derivative that is 300 times sweeter than sugar. Rather than cure all ills, the substance spawned a rash of regulatory battles that continue to plague a diet-conscious America. By 1907, saccharin could be found in a variety of canned foods; five years later, it was banned from use as a food additive, only to be declared safe during the sugar shortages of World War I. Although saccharin usage increased as fast as the price of sugar, it remained quietly suspect -until the 1950’s, when the marketing of cyclamate prompted a surge of controversial research on the long-term effects of all sweetening agents, even sugar itself.

Soda is a major industry and Americans spent $70 billion on soda in 2010. Diet soda is a large part of those sales. In fact, Diet Coke was the second most popular soda that same year, surpassing Pepsi. It’s hard to imagine a time without our beloved no-calorie, no-sugar drinks.

While regular carbonated sodas and colas have been around since the late 1800’s, diet soda was a 1950’s innovation. The Kirsch Bottling Company of Brooklyn was the first to produce a sugar-free ginger ale in 1952. Brothers Hyman and Morris Kirsch invented the drink and called it No-Cal. It was initially created for diabetic patients at the Jewish Sanitarium for Chronic Disease and only sold locally. The next company to market diet soda was Royal Crown Cola, who created Diet Rite in 1958. Next Dr. Pepper released a diet version of their beverage in 1962, and then the Coca-Cola joined the market in 1963 with Tab.

The first artificial sweeteners used in diet soda were cyclamates, which are 30 to 50 times sweeter than sugar. Cyclamates were usually used in combination with saccharin, which was supposed to create a more pleasing taste. Cyclamates were banned by the FDA in 1970 due to evidence that showed it caused cancer in lab rats. Today most diet sodas are sweetened with aspartame.

What are the negative effects of sugar-free foods?

Sugar is one type of carbohydrate, as are fiber and starch. Although carbohydrates are essential macronutrients (nutrients the body uses in large amounts), sugar is not. Sugar is an umbrella term for many types of simple carbohydrates, including white table sugar. Also called sucrose, this is the most common sweetener used in sweet desserts and baked goods.

Sugar isn’t inherently bad. Actually, it’s necessary: Our bodies run on sugar. The body processes the carbohydrates from food and turns much of it into glucose (sugar). The cells pull the glucose from the bloodstream and use it for fuel and energy. Removing natural sources of sugar and other carbohydrates from your diet — fruits, dairy products and grains — is not a healthy choice. But you can make choices about where sweetness in your foods is coming from.

There’s a big difference between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar. Much sugar is added to processed foods such as donuts, bread, candy, soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, and even condiments like ketchup and barbeque sauce. The result is that many people consume a large amount of added sugar that has no nutritional benefits. And too much added sugar can lead to health problems including high blood sugar, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, dental issues such as cavities, increased triglycerides, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Sweeteners like fruit juice, honey, molasses and maple syrup contain natural sugar and have some nutritional benefits. Fruit has fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Even raw honey and maple syrup can contain antioxidants and minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium.

Most artificial sweeteners (also called nonnutritive sweeteners) are created from chemicals in a lab. A few are made from natural substances like herbs. They can be 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar. These sweeteners don’t contain calories or sugar, but they also don’t have beneficial nutrients like vitamins, fiber, minerals or antioxidants. They are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as food additives.

Traditionally, artificial sweeteners have been the only option for people who need to monitor their blood glucose levels or weight. Some experts believe that artificial sweeteners pose health hazards, from weight gain to cancer. But research on this is ongoing, and past studies showing health risks were conducted on animals, not humans. Studies on people have shown these products to be generally safe if more than the acceptable daily intake for each is not consumed.

Bacteria in the gut react differently to artificial sweeteners than they do to real sugar. Saccharin and sucralose have been found to change the gut microbiome and have been linked to dysbiosis in humans. Dysbiosis is an imbalance of good and harmful bacteria in the gut and can lead to: 

• Bloating
• Thinning of the barrier surrounding the intestines
• Migraines
• Autoimmune conditions
• Mood changes
• Irritability
• Anxiety

Research has linked the intake of artificial sweeteners to the development of metabolic syndrome.  Metabolic syndrome is a term for a number of risk factors that raise your risk of major health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. These risk factors include:

• Fat around the waistline
• High triglyceride levels
• Low HDL cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar

When did low-fat became healthier than full-fat?

Scientific studies dating from the late 1940s showed a correlation between high-fat diets and high-cholesterol levels, suggesting that a low-fat diet might prevent heart disease in high-risk patients. By the 1960s, the low-fat diet began to be touted not just for high-risk heart patients, but as good for the whole nation. After 1980, the low-fat approach became an overarching ideology, promoted by physicians, the federal government, the food industry, and the popular health media. Many Americans subscribed to the ideology of low fat, even though there was no clear evidence that it prevented heart disease or promoted weight loss. Ironically, in the same decades that the low-fat approach assumed ideological status, Americans in the aggregate were getting fatter, leading to what many called an obesity epidemic. Nevertheless, the low-fat ideology had such a hold on Americans that skeptics were dismissed. Only recently has evidence of a paradigm shift begun to surface, first with the challenge of the low-carbohydrate diet and then, with a more moderate approach, reflecting recent scientific knowledge about fats.

The low-fat craze of the 1980s can trace its origins to the general affluence of post-World War II America. The US experienced significant economic growth in the years following the end of the Second World War. Over the ’50s and ’60s, the income level of many people increased and the standards of living went up. Over this period, the fast-food industry developed and experienced significant growth. Most of the food products provided by this industry were high in fats and sugars. A study commissioned by the government during the late ’60s revealed that fat-rich fast foods were responsible for the growing level of obesity among Americans. This revelation led to a promotion of low-fat intake as a solution to the fatness problem that the US was experiencing. The earmarking of fat as the biggest contributor to obesity in the 1980s promoted the low-fat craze aimed at improving health.

The low-fat diet promoted in the ’80s focused too much on food intake and mostly ignored the impact that lifestyle has on weight gain. Due to the underlying assumption that a person could not get fat from consuming low-fat or fat-free foods, people ate these products in excess with little consideration of the calories contained in the foods. If a person is unwilling to engage in some form of exercising, then he or she must be willing to consume very small amounts of food. The low-fat craze did not highlight this important fact to Americans and people disregarded exercising since they thought that the low-fat diet was sufficient.

The low-fat craze led to the decline in consumption of healthy fats that actually used to promote weight loss. Before the 1980s, measures had been taken to replace the unhealthy saturated fats with healthy polyunsaturated fats that could help reduce heart disease rates. However, the low-fat craze of the 80s did not differentiate between the different kinds of fats. The message given to Americans was that they should reduce all kinds of fats. People were, therefore, unable to obtain the advantages that the good fats provided the body.

Due to this craze, the food industry engaged in the production of low-fat and fat-free products that were then sold to consumers. These new products were made by substituting fats with sugars and carbohydrates to create fat-free products that in an actual sense had as many calories as the high-fat products.

What are the negative effects of low-fat food?

It should be noted that people with specific medical conditions may need to watch their saturated fat intake, but for the average individual, there is no significant association between saturated fat intake and health outcomes. Dietary fat can and should be consumed regularly to promote its associated health benefits. As with any other nutrient, sources of dietary fat should be consumed in moderation, as part of a balanced, varied diet that includes sources of all other food groups as well.

• Low-fat leads to hunger. Dietary fats promote fullness and satiety, which is defined as “the state of non-eating, the absence of hunger.” Fats are digested more slowly than carbohydrates and proteins, allowing us to feel full and satisfied for longer after a meal. By restricting our fat intake, we’re left feeling physically hungry and psychologically unsatisfied at the end of a meal. As a result, we can end up making impulsive food choices or reaching uncomfortable fullness levels in an attempt to feel satiated.
• Low-fat leads to low energy levels and low endurance.Carbohydrates give us energy that not only fuels our basic bodily functions, but also fuels any forms of exercise and movement that we do. Dietary fat is a critical source of energy as well, it’s just used in a different way than carbs. Fat is utilized by our bodies for slower, longer, lower-to moderate-intensity/endurance exercises, such as distance running, walking, or cycling. Inadequate intake of dietary fats can therefore negatively impact athletic performance during these types of movement.
• Low-fat leads to a long list of replacements. Many consumers believe that low-fat products are a better choice. In the 1980s, once food producers realized they could make a profit off of America’s desire for low-fat products, they began replacing fat with sugar in processed foods. In some cases, these “low-fat” versions of snack foods and sweets had as many calories as the original versions. Low-fat and fat-free products don’t just take away fat; they add sugar, preservatives, artificial food dyes, and other additives to make up for the removed flavor. But because this isn’t advertised, people often eat relatively larger quantities of diet foods, because they perceive them to be “lighter” or “healthier.” A phenomenon called the Snackwell’s effect describes this tendency for dieters to eat more when they’re consuming low-fat versions of food, compared to the original versions.
• Low-fat means low vitamin absorption. Dietary fat helps the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). These vitamins are essential for protecting vision, strengthening immune function, healing wounds, and building bones. In order for these valuable nutrients to be absorbed from our intestines and released into the bloodstream, we need fats to be present. In addition, fats make up 60% of the human brain and support various functions in our bodies, including wound healing, blood clotting, hormone production, temperature regulation, and immune responses. Fats support our overall health.
• Low-fat lacks omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are both essential fatty acids, meaning our bodies need them to function properly but cannot produce them using the body’s own resources. We have to obtain these fatty acids from our diets in order to enjoy their health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon, fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, eggs, meats, avocado, canola oil, and dairy. Consuming omega-3s offers a multitude of health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and depression; reduced inflammation and blood pressure; reduced severity of ADHD symptoms; and increased protection against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in walnuts, almonds, eggs, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, cashews, avocado oil, and tofu. Omega-6s improve cholesterol levels, keep blood sugar stable, stimulate hair and skin growth, maintain bone health and reproductive health, and regulate metabolism.