Commonly called no calorie sweeteners, sugar replacements or artificial sweeteners, sugar substitutes are food additives that duplicate the effect of sugar or corn syrup in taste, but usually contribute fewer calories to the food. Researchers did not discover non-nutritive sweeteners until the late nineteenth century. They were originally developed as a sugar substitute for diabetics, but then the manufacturer discovered a huge market in our calorie-conscious society for non-diabetics. In the United States today, there are five low-calorie alternative sweeteners approved by the FDA.

There are two basic categories of sweeteners, nutritive and non-nutritive. Nutritive sweeteners provide calories (or energy) to the diet at about four calories per gram, just like carbohydrate or protein. Common examples of nutritive sweeteners include white and brown table sugars and molasses, honey, and syrups such as maple and corn. These are all sweet tasting because of the presence of glucose and fructose, alone or together as sucrose. Sugar alcohols, known as sugar relatives, are another category of nutritive sweeteners. They are derived from fruits or produced commercially from dextrose. The most common include: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol. Sugar alcohols also provide energy (calories) to the body and may affect your blood glucose. Non-nutritive sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners, do not provide calories and will not influence blood sugars. These include: saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

Additional Resources:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/nutrition/nutr4838.html