Diabetes: Attention to the total carbohydrate content listed on the food label

Are they safe?
The Food and Drug Administration considers these artificial sweeteners safe. In the past, saccharin was believed to cause bladder cancer, but further research determined that it poses no danger for humans.

Aspartame has been accused of causing headaches. However, there are no reliable studies that prove this claim. The only people who are advised to avoid aspartame completely are those with a rare inherited disorder called PKU (phenylketonuria).

As with any foods, moderation is the best policy when it comes to artificial sweeteners, says Gerbstadt. “A diet excessively high in foods with artificial sweeteners tends to leave less room for vegetables, whole grains, protein-rich foods, and the judicious use of fruits.” There's also the issue of training your palate to need less sweetness in foods; if you artificially sweeten everything, you won't ever learn to like things unsweetened.

Artificial sweeteners aren’t for everyone, says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., an ADA spokesperson. “Some people have trouble tolerating them,” she says. For example, sugar alcohols “may cause gastrointestinal side-effects such as bloating, flatulence, or diarrhea.” If you find that a particular sweetener bothers you, avoid it and try using a different one.

As you decide what artificially sweetened foods to include in your diet, remember that food labels claiming a food is sugar-free can be misleading. “Sugar-free” doesn’t necessarily mean calorie-free or carbohydrate-free — these foods may still have significant amounts of carbohydrates and calories, either because they are sweetened with sugar alcohols or other non-sugar sweeteners or because they contain other high-carbohydrate ingredients. Pay attention to the total carbohydrate content listed on the food label.