Artificial Sweeteners: Which Are Deadly, Which Are Healthy? | Dr. Neal Barnard Live Q&A

A zero-calorie sweetener popular with millions following a keto diet could prove deadly.

Dr. Neal Barnard discusses erythritol and research showing that the cost of saving calories could be your life. He shares research tying the artificial sweetener to increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, and even death when he joins "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room LIVE.

Other Topics
- Which sweeteners are safe?
- Are all artificial sweeteners dangerous?
- Nitrite-free meat: Is it healthy?
- Cheat days and weight loss
- SPAM festival in Hawaii
- And more!

Have a question? Post it in the comments or chat and we’ll answer as many as possible during the live broadcast.

This episode of The Exam Room™ Podcast is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, which supports organizations like the Physicians Committee that carry on Greg’s passion and love for animals through rescue efforts, veganism, and wildlife conservation.

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Physicians Committee

Dr. Neal Barnard

Chuck Carroll

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About Us
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 12,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

[MickisMom]

I had a diet soda addiction for years. When I went plant based I switched to Zevia believing it’s a healthier alternative. I loved the stuff but kept hearing about no calories sweeteners not being good for health/weight. I finally kicked the habit and the biggest change I’ve noticed is that I no longer crave something sweet. It’s a huge win! Drinking only water now. 💦

[chelleec]

My partner was hospitalized a couple years ago and the hospital's idea of a vegan meal was iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing (regular, so not vegan). When he begged for something other than lettuce, they gave him a cup of veg broth. If I hadn't brought him food from home he would have barely eaten. It was terrible.

[boyoungh]

13:23 Maltodextrin has a higher glycemic index (GI) value than regular table sugar, which defeats the purpose of a sugar substitute! So when I shop for stevia, allulose, or monkfruit products, I make sure to read the ingredients to make sure they don’t contain maltodextrin before purchasing.

[raystaar]

I'm currently using raisins to sweeten my home made soy milk. I just put a handful on top of the beans inside my Soyabella. Makes for a nice, subtly sweet drink.

[backchattvsports]

This guy is the best! I've watched so many different doctors that give health information and none of them work! However everything this guy says literally works everytime

[gafanisagood]

I try my best to steer clear of sweeteners including maltodextrin, erythritol, aspartame, but there are some I cannot escape like saccharin and dextrose. Saccharin is in my mouthwash and dextrose tends to be in some of my fave food products. I would honestly love to see artificial sweeteners ditched and no longer used in certain products suitable for vegan/plant based eaters.

[jasonhsu]

In my opinion, sugar alcohols like erythritol and xylitol are great for mouthwash, toothpaste, and tiny breath mints but should NOT be consumed in large quantities. I don't trust these sugar substitutes, because human biology didn't evolve to properly metabolize them.

Some healthier sugar substitutes:
1. Unsweetened apple sauce: This provides sweetness. As an added bonus, this replaces the butter and eggs for baking.
2. More sensitive taste buds: If you go long enough without sweets (sugary or with artificial sweeteners), your taste buds will become more sensitive. Better yet, you may find that some of the sweet things you liked in the past will be too sweet for you, and this will discourage you from eating them again.

[robertmorgan]

Thank you very much for the great job you’re doing interviewing these wonderful physicians

[sugarmademelean]

Nice interview. I'm glad I never consumed fake sugars I kept eating refined sugar on a HCLF diet. As a result my health has been excellent for the last 13 years.

[cilantro]

Thank you for another amazing instalment of health updates and inspiration!

[krisp.]

The thinking that we need animal products especially for protein is still very widespread here in Germany. It’s really a shame!

[francescasaunders]

LOVE YOUR SHOW, LOTSA USEFUL SENSIBLE INFO & LOVE DR. BARNARD'S HUMOUR.

[swahilijs]

I notice that the Orgain protein powder we put in our smoothies has erythotol in it. We’ve been vegans for 10 years. Do you think we should stop using this product. I did notice erythotol is made in China. Who’d want to eat a product made in China.

[SK-bvyd]

I started having alulose after watching a post about how it can help block fructose absorption. What do you think about alulose? Thank you!

[lynneshrode]

As always, thank you for the great information!!!

[LydiaZ]

It looked to me like the new studies on erythritol were reverse causation. I wish this would have focused a little bit more on whether a little bit is OK. There was a lot of going into not eating excessive sugar etc. However, if you're not trying to lose weight, and you're already whole food plant based, I was wondering if I could still have my little bit of erythritol all once in a while. I don't think we got that answer.

[cattledog]

In my head...I have put artificial and sugar and corn syrup garbage foods in the same class as fentanyl. I do not want even a tiny bit of any of them poisons in me.

[ATFstein]

Correlation isn’t causation. Layne Norton covered this. People who have had heart attacks have higher levels of erythritol in their blood. The body CREATES erythritol. These people were even consuming anything that had erythritol levels high enough to account for the levels in their blood. It’s present in people who have had heart attacks because the body produces it.

Another fine example of people doing a fine job of misinterpreting data.

[irenesurber]

Hi from California. I don't add any sweetners. I strictly eat whole foods with no processed or packaged foods except tofu.

[RoxinaSolerGamborena]

Hola, exam Room fellows, here the jam / marmalade I make: same or better teste even, and totally WFPB-friendly: a cup and 1/2 of frozen berries like framboise + juice of 1/2 lemon + 2 spoons of chia seeds + a touch of agave sirope (or a smashed Dade, or honey if you can eat it--> put the mix in the microwave for a couple of minutes and you have jam for the entire week on your whole grain toast ;)....