Podcast Episode 189: Added Sugars & Sugar Substitutes: Weight, Glucose & Gut Health – Dr. John Sievenpiper & Hope Warshaw

DISCLOSURE:  This episode is sponsored by Heartland Food Products Group and we thank them for their sponsorship and support of the podcast.

The Latest Research on Added Sugars and Low/No-Calorie Sweeteners

Overconsumption of added sugars continues to be a major concern in health maintenance and chronic disease prevention among Americans. The average American currently consumes 270 calories or the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of added sugars per day. However, the most recent 2020-2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend individuals reduce added sugars to no more than 10% of daily calories. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Scientific Report recommended a reduction in added sugars to no more than 6% of daily calories – or less than half of what most Americans currently consume.

Can low- and no-calorie sweeteners provide a safe and effective option to help people reduce their consumption of added sugars? There are many misconceptions about low- and no-calorie sweeteners, but two newly-published, peer-reviewed papers in Clinical Diabetes and ADCES in Practice Journal help to debunk the top myths associated with these sweeteners around weight management, daily energy intake, desire for sweet foods and glucose metabolism, and offer clinicians and consumers practical strategies for their use to help reduce added sugars consumption.

Tune in to this episode to learn about:

• Current added sugars intake and recommendations
• Top sources of added sugars Americans consume
• Common myths associated with low- and no-calorie sweeteners
• Recent science on hot button topics related to low- and no-calorie sweeteners, such as weight control, glucose management and gut health
• The definition of Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), how it is used in research and to assess safe consumption of low- and no-calorie sweeteners
• Insights regarding study design and methodology, confounding factors and reverse causality in research on low- and no-calorie sweeteners
• Differences between foods and beverages made with low- and no-calorie sweeteners
• Practical takeaways for understanding, interpreting and communicating the science around low- and no-calorie sweeteners
• Resources including links to research studies and scientific summaries on low- and no-calorie sweeteners

Dr. John L Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Dr. Sievenpiper is a Clinician Scientist who holds appointments as an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and Staff Physician and Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital. He has established an internationally recognized research program focused on using randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews and meta-analyses to address questions of clinical and public health importance in relation to diet and cardiometabolic disease prevention. He is the recipient of numerous awards. He is directly involved in clinical practice guidelines development for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease with appointments to expert committees in Canada and Europe. He has authored > 220 papers.

Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FADCES

Hope Warshaw is a nationally recognized Registered Dietitian (RD) and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). She applies forty plus years of experience in her work as a consultant, book author, freelance writer, and media spokesperson within her business Hope Warshaw Associates, LLC. Hope has been involved with communicating the science of low- and no-calorie sweeteners for many years. She has and continues to serve as a consultant to Heartland Food Products Group, the manufacturer of Splenda Brand Sweeteners. Hope has and continues to speak and write about value low- and nocalorie sweeteners can offer consumers as one of many tools to achieve weight and glycemic management.

I am hopeful that after listening to this podcast in which I and Dr. Sievenpiper debunks many unfounded concerns about low- and no-calorie sweeteners, clinicians, people with diabetes and others use them to trim their intake of added sugars. That’s their role!” – Hope Warshaw

Resources:

Practical strategies to help reduced added sugars consumption to support glycemic and weight management goals – Hope Warshaw and Steven Edelman. Clinical Diabetes. 2021;39(1):45-56.

Just the facts: What you and your clients need to know about low/no-calorie sweeteners – Hope Warshaw and Christopher Parkin. ADCES in Practice. 2021; 28-34.

2021 Scientific Publications Summary – A Selection of Recent Publications Supporting the Use of Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners, published by Heartland Food Products Group annually.

Expert Consensus on low-calorie sweeteners: facts, research gaps and suggested actions – published online by Cambridge University Press, January 13, 2020

Healthcare Professionals Toolkit, Resources & More

Splenda: Website |Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Hope Warshaw:  Website | Books  | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

IFIC: Webinars | Sucralose Fact Sheet & CPE | Stevia Fact Sheet & CPE | Aspartame Fact Sheet & CPE | Monk Fruit Fact Sheet

Related Posts:

Nutrition Science, The Food Industry & Sugar Reduction Strategies – Episode #170 with Dr. Marianne O’Shea

A Generational Approach to Diabetes & Low Calorie Sweeteners – Episode #96 with Toby Smithson

The Sweet Life: Diabetes, Sweeteners & Culinary Applications – Episode #110 with Amy Myrdal Miller

Stevia, Umami & The Cowboy Ninja – Episode #102 with Dr. Keith Ayoob

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Music by Dave Birk

Produced by JAG in Detroit Podcasts

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