Artificial sweeteners explained | Nutritionist Explains | Myprotein
Sep 7, 2026
Artificial sweeteners explained. Are artificial sweeteners safe, do they cause weight gain, and are they actually better than sugar?
Learn how sweeteners work, why they're used in low-calorie foods and drinks, and what the research says about their impact on your health.
In this video, expert nutritionist Dr Richie Kirwan breaks down artificial and low-calorie sweeteners, including common ingredients such as aspartame and sucralose, and explains whether you really need to avoid them.
Key Facts:
Artificial and low-calorie sweeteners provide sweetness with little or no energy compared with sugar.
Common sweeteners include aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and acesulfame K.
Approved sweeteners are assessed by food safety authorities and have acceptable daily intake levels.
Replacing sugar-sweetened foods and drinks with lower-calorie alternatives can help reduce overall calorie and sugar intake.
Artificial sweeteners don't automatically cause weight gain. Your overall calorie intake remains a major factor in changes to body weight.
Research into areas such as the gut microbiome continues, but this doesn't mean approved sweeteners are unsafe at typical dietary intakes.
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