Sugar vs sweetener: nutrition compared

— not reported by USDA for this food.

— not reported by USDA for this food.

For a cup of coffee or tea, the table's 3.5 oz (100 g) figures hide the real portion. A 1 g packet of sucralose powder carries about 3 calories and 0.9 g of carbohydrate, against about 15 calories and 4 g in a 4 g teaspoon of sugar.

For weight, a sweetener helps only when it replaces sugar. Across 29 studies with 2,267 people, low-calorie sweeteners in place of sugar meant 2.3 lb (1.06 kg) less body weight. Against water or nothing, they made no detectable difference. In 2023 the WHO advised, as a conditional recommendation, against non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in everyone except people who already have diabetes.

For diabetes the trials are thin. A Cochrane review of 4 trials with 360 people with diabetes found no change in HbA1c, the three-month blood sugar marker, at very low certainty. Sugar alcohols, another group of sweeteners, can cause gas and a laxative effect that grows with the dose. We have no card on sweeteners in pregnancy or with medicines.

For free sugars, the WHO's strong advice is under 10 percent of daily calories, with under 5 percent, about 6 teaspoons (25 g), as a weaker extra step. If sweet coffee or tea is a daily habit, a packet in place of each teaspoon saves about 12 calories. Expect a small effect.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level A Low-calorie sweeteners lowered weight by 2.3 lb (1.06 kg) only when they replaced sugar. Against water they made no difference. Int J Obes (Lond), 2021
2. Level E One packet of sucralose or stevia tabletop sweetener weighs about 1 g in US survey data. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023
3. Level A In people with diabetes, a Cochrane review of RCTs found non-nutritive sweeteners left HbA1c unchanged versus placebo (0%, 360 people). Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020
4. Level E WHO advises against using non-sugar sweeteners to control weight or lower disease risk, for everyone except people who already have diabetes. WHO, news release 15 May 2023: WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control
5. Level C Sugar-alcohol sweeteners are partly unabsorbed, and in a dose-dependent way they cause gas, discomfort and a laxative effect, including in people with IBS. Adv Nutr, 2017
6. Level E According to WHO, adults and children should keep free sugars below 10% of daily energy, and ideally below 5%. WHO, 2015, Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
7. Level E The headline number is under ten percent of daily energy from free sugars. The stricter five percent, about 25 g or six teaspoons, is a weaker recommendation and not the same kind of advice. WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children, World Health Organization, 2015

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Sugar: the two WHO numbers are not one rule
• Sweeteners: they help your weight only when they replace sugar

What the studies say

• Can sugar cause anxiety? No trial has shown it, and the links are mixed
• Does sugar raise blood pressure? Sugary drinks may, sugar swapped for starch does not
• Does sugar raise cholesterol? A little, mostly at high intakes

Rankings and guides

• Protein: what it does and how much you need
• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in protein?

• Sugar: USDA FoodData Central, Sugars, granulated, FDC ID 746784 · all forms of sugar
• Sweetener: USDA FoodData Central, Sugar substitute, sucralose, powder, FDC ID 2710263 · all forms of sweetener

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.