Are sugar alternatives actually healthy? Here's what experts suggest

On World Diabetes Day, Business Standard spoke with experts to demystify sugar substitutes that have found a way into our diet

The war against regular table sugar is not new. There's an overload of information on why white sugar is a "silent killer" and makes things worse for diabetes patients.

India is known as the diabetes capital of the world. According to reports, India has an estimated 77 million diabetics, only behind China, with over 116 million diabetics. 

What about sugar substitutes? 

Experts seem divided on the benefits of alternative sweeteners. Business Standard's Aditi Verma spoke with experts to demystify sugar substitutes that have found a way into our diet. 

"Diabetes is not just about sugar, it is one of the chronic inflammation disorders," said Dr Shikha Sharma, Medical Doctor and founder of OneHealth.

To call any product diabetic-friendly because it does not have sugar but actually has some chemical, which is going to lead to inflammation, is a paradox, she said. 

Dr Sharma emphasised that more and more people in rural India are also getting the disease. 

"The industry is making people fatter and fatter with unscientific things, which are zero calories, zero sugar. We've got the whole paradigm wrong," Dr Sharma said, adding that the elements that are added to make a product sugar-free are mostly chemicals. 

"Sugar has become the opium of the modern world," Dr Sharma said. According to her, healthy alternatives to it include raisins, figs, dried fruits, fruits, and jaggery.

Balance is the key to a healthy life

But striking a balance is key to a healthy life. Even the natural sweeteners should be consumed in moderation, she said. 

According to her, one must avoid alternative sweeteners, including Aspartame, Sucralose, corn syrup, and Malitol. 

Unnatural ingredients are the problem, according to Dr Sharma. "As far as food is concerned, it is the entry of non-food items into food, which is the biggest cause of concerns among doctors."

But there is a different school of thought too

Dr Tanaya Narendra, known by many as Dr Cuterus, comes from a different school of thought. 

"There is a huge anti-chemical lobby and a natural food-only lobby," said Dr Narendra, whose Instagram has amassed almost a million followers.

We need to move away from the chemical phobia, she said. Everything is a chemical; we are made of chemicals, she added. 

"I can say dihydrogen monoxide and it sounds like a scary thing. But dihydrogen monoxide is H20, it's water". 

Cutting sugar entirely is not a viable option, according to Dr Tanaya. Instead of telling diabetes patients to eliminate sugar and loading them with unnecessary guilt and restriction, she said we can offer them viable alternatives.

Everything natural is not necessarily the best, she said. "Jaggery is just sugar in a different form. It's like saying ice is better than vapour," she said.

She said that jaggery is only marginally better than sugar in terms of its iron content. "But to get your daily requirement of iron from jaggery by itself, you'll have to eat a kilo of jaggery a day, which is bad in every other way," she said. 

Diabetics should consume foods with a lower glycemic index and slowly release the sugar into the bloodstream, she explained. One should fill themselves up with high-fibre foods and have these sugary foods as small treats. 

"The only thing I would watch out for is that if you are consuming sugar alcohols then you want to be sure you are not consuming them in large amounts," she said. Some examples of sugar alcohols include Malitol and xylitol, which are actively used in new-age ice creams and chocolates. 

Dr Tanaya explained that these are not digested the same way as regular sugar. Bacteria inside your intestines digest these sugar alcohols. So if you eat too much of them, this bacteria fails to handle the load, and you can get flatulence and abdominal discomfort.

Health should not be expensive, she said. She added that regular healthy whole grains, diversity in your diet and timed meals keep you healthy.