Ingredients
Frequently Asked Questions
Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners
What is a 'low- or no-calorie' sweetener?
A low- or no-calorie sweetener provides a sweet taste without the calories or carbohydrates that come with sugar and other caloric sweeteners. Some low-calorie sweeteners, such as aspartame, are considered “nutritive” and are approximately 180 times sweeter than sucrose. However, because they are so intensely sweet, only very small amounts are needed to achieve the desired sweetness, making them virtually non-caloric. Many non-nutritive sweeteners, such as saccharin, are also non-caloric because they are not metabolized and therefore pass through the body unchanged.
What are the benefits of low- and no-calorie sweeteners?
These sweeteners offer a way to enjoy sweetness without added sugar and additional calories. They can support healthy weight management, which may help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. They also promote dental health, as they are not used by the bacteria that cause tooth decay. Because of this, these sweeteners are commonly included in foods, beverages, and oral hygiene products.
Dietary Fiber
What is dietary fiber?
Dietary fiber includes polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, lignin, and associated plant substances that are not digested by the body. Importantly, there is also a physiological basis for the definition of fiber where fiber is thought to promote beneficial effects including laxation, blood cholesterol reduction, and/or blood glucose attenuation
What are the benefits of dietary fiber?
The benefits of dietary fiber are widely recognized by leading health and science communities along with government agencies around the world. Dietary fiber consumption is linked to a reduced risk of many diseases including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some cancers.
Additional health benefits of dietary fibers include:
- Improve overall gastrointestinal health
- Help control blood sugar level
- Increase insulin sensitivity
- Reduce constipation
- Improve digestive tract health
- Lower blood cholesterol levels
- Reduce glycemic response (how quickly blood sugar level increases)
- Colonic fermentation
- Increase immune support
- Increase satiety (feeling full)
- Weight management
- Decrease food cravings
How much fiber should I eat each day?
The recommended daily serving of fiber is 25-35 grams, but most Americans only consume 16 grams of fiber a day. Find more information about the fiber gap and simple ways to increase your fiber intake.
Safety and Regulation
Are low- and no-calorie sweeteners safe?
Yes. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners are some of the most studied ingredients in the food supply and their safety has been reviewed and upheld by numerous international scientific and regulatory authorities, including the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), Health Canada, and others.
Are sweeteners safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Multi-generational studies have found no adverse effects on the mother or developing baby related to the use of low-calorie sweeteners. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has affirmed the safety of six high-intensity sweeteners: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), sucralose, neotame, and advantame. The FDA has determined these sweeteners are safe for consumption by the general population, including pregnant women, when consumed within the established Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). Steviol glycosides and Luo Han Guo (monk fruit) extracts are also recognized as safe when consumed within the ADI. These sweeteners used in foods and beverages are determined by regulatory bodies, including the Joint WHO/FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) to be safe for all populations, including special populations such as the elderly, children, and pregnant and nursing women.
How do low- and no-calorie sweeteners receive regulatory approval?
Before a sweetener is approved for commercial use, it must undergo extensive testing and years of regulatory scrutiny. U.S. food safety laws prohibit FDA from approving food ingredients, including low-calorie sweeteners, that has not been shown to be “safe,” which the agency defines as “a reasonable certainty in the minds of competent scientists that the substance is not harmful under the intended conditions of use.” The burden of demonstrating safety is on the petitioner requesting approval.
The petitioner is required to provide FDA with extensive data, including the name, chemical identity and composition of the sweetener, the physical or other technical effects the sweetener is intended to produce, and comprehensive reports of research concerning safety. In addition to scientific evidence, the FDA also considers projected consumption levels and specific use levels requested in the petition. Approval is based on comprehensive safety evaluations and a demonstrated technological need. Products are only authorized when regulators are confident that they are safe for consumption. Regulators also set Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners rank among the most extensively studied food additives in use today.
Understanding How the FDA Regulates Food Additives and GRAS Ingredients.
What is GRAS?
GRAS, which stands for “Generally Recognized as Safe,” is a term that was created by the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act as part of the Food Additives Amendment. Based on the same level of safety data as a food additive petition, a company can make a determination that a substance is GRAS for its intended use at specific use levels due to common use or if it is broadly recognized by qualified experts to be safe based on publicly available safety data.
Sweet Taste
Does consuming low- and no-calorie sweeteners increase sweet cravings?
No. A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that changing exposure to sweet-tasting foods, including those with low- and no-calorie sweeteners, did not increase preference for sweet foods or impact weight, intake, or metabolic health markers, suggesting sweet taste exposure does not drive cravings or overconsumption.
Do sweeteners play a role in obesity?
People use low- and no-calorie sweeteners to reduce the total calories they consume in their diet as part of an effort to manage or prevent overweight and obesity.
Weight Management
Do sweeteners help with weight loss?
Evidence shows that replacing sugar with low- and no-calorie sweeteners can help reduce overall calorie intake and support weight management. Clinical trials, including the SWEET study, demonstrate improved weight loss maintenance when these sweeteners are used as part of a reduced-sugar diet.
For people who are overweight, even modest weight loss, can improve blood sugar control. By helping reduce overall calorie intake, low- and no-calorie sweeteners support both weight and diabetes management.
Gut Health
Do sweeteners affect the gut microbiome?
Current evidence does not support broad claims that low- and no-calorie sweeteners harm gut health. In fact, research from the SWEET study found beneficial changes in gut microbiota when sweeteners were used within a healthy, reduced-sugar diet.
Diabetes and Blood Sugar Control
How can low- and no-calorie sweeteners help people living with diabetes?
When people search, “what is the best sweetener for diabetics?” it really is a matter of personal taste preference. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners can help reduce sugar and calorie intake while providing sweetness without significantly impacting blood glucose levels. As part of an overall balanced diet, they can be a useful tool for supporting blood sugar management and offering more flexibility in food and beverage choices. The American Diabetes Association states additional possible benefits of using sugar substitutes include weight control and prediabetes and diabetes prevention and management
Oral Health
How do low- and no-calorie sweeteners impact oral health?
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners reduce new caries formation, or the deterioration of tooth enamel by acid in the mouth. The results of a recent review clearly establish that use of low- and no-calorie sweetened foods provide additional help in the battle against tooth decay.
Foods and Beverages
How does the 'multiple sweetener approach' benefit consumers?
The multiple sweetener approach allows the low-calorie food and beverage industry to meet the growing consumer demand for additional good-tasting, reduced-calorie products. A limited choice of sweeteners results in limited options for the consumer. Research has shown that certain low-calorie sweeteners perform better in certain products compared to others. A wide variety of low-calorie sweeteners provide products with improved taste, increased stability, lower manufacturing costs, and ultimately more choices for the consumer.
Is there an advantage to using more than one sweetener in a product?
Low-calorie sweeteners are synergistic. This means that when one sweetener is combined with another, the resulting sweetness is greater than the sum of the individual sweeteners. In certain products, blending sweeteners can provide improved taste as well as economic and stability advantages. Sweetener blends, which were first introduced in the 1960s in diet soft drinks, are currently used in products such as gelatins, puddings, flavored coffees, gum, and frozen desserts. Sweetener blends are also widely popular in Europe and Canada.
Why is there a need for more than one low and no-calorie sweetener?
The availability of a variety of sweeteners greatly increases low-calorie product choices. With several low- and no-calorie sweeteners available, each can be used in the applications for which it is best suited. Also, by having a variety of sweeteners from which to choose, manufacturers can overcome sweetener limitations by using them in combination. Using the most appropriate sweetener, or combination of sweeteners, for a given product is known as the “multiple sweetener approach.”
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