When “No Sugar” doesn’t mean healthy, and what you can do about it
Walk into almost any supermarket today and you will see them: biscuits, chocolates, mithai, cookies, ice creams, drinks, jams, breakfast cereals and protein bars proudly announcing SUGAR-FREE, NO ADDED SUGAR, DIABETIC-FRIENDLY, ZERO SUGAR or GUILT-FREE.
The words sound reassuring.
But here is the question we should be asking:
If there is no sugar, what is making it taste sweet?
Because “sugar-free” does not necessarily mean healthy, natural, low-calorie, minimally processed or good for your body.
It simply means that the manufacturer has met the regulatory definition for that particular claim.
In the United States, for example, “sugar-free” means less than 0.5 g of sugars per serving under FDA rules. In India, FSSAI regulations similarly govern claims such as “sugar-free” and “no added sugar.”
That distinction matters enormously.
The great sweetness substitution
When manufacturers remove ordinary sugar, they still have a commercial problem.
People expect biscuits to taste sweet.
Chocolate should taste sweet.
Ice cream should taste sweet.
A soft drink should taste sweet.
So the sugar is replaced by something else.
That “something else” may be a non-sugar sweetener, a sugar alcohol, or sometimes a combination of sweeteners and other ingredients used to recreate the texture and taste that sugar normally provides.
Common non-sugar sweeteners include:
- Aspartame
- Sucralose
- Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
- Saccharin
- Steviol glycosides
- Neotame
- Advantame
FSSAI’s current food-additive regulations also recognise several of these substances, including erythritol, steviol glycosides, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium and saccharins.
And this is where the story becomes more complicated.
- Aspartame: controversial, but not simply “poison”
Aspartame is found in many low-calorie and sugar-free products, including some beverages, tabletop sweeteners, desserts and chewing gums.
In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B) based on limited evidence, while the FAO/WHO food-additives committee maintained its existing acceptable daily intake.
That does not mean that consuming a sugar-free biscuit containing aspartame will cause cancer.
It means the evidence was sufficiently concerning to warrant classification as a possible hazard, while the overall risk at permitted levels remains a matter of exposure and scientific assessment.
The lesson is therefore not panic.
It is moderation and awareness.
People with phenylketonuria (PKU), in particular, must avoid or strictly manage aspartame because it contains phenylalanine.
- Sucralose: perhaps the most misunderstood
Sucralose is extraordinarily sweet — roughly 600 times sweeter than table sugar — and is therefore used in very small quantities.
It appears in:
- Sugar-free beverages
- Protein powders
- Desserts
- Ice creams
- Tabletop sweeteners
- “Diabetic” foods
- Low-calorie confectionery
But here again, headlines often go too far.
The latest European Food Safety Authority assessment, published in February 2026, concluded that sucralose remains safe at currently authorised uses, with an acceptable daily intake of 15 mg/kg body weight/day. However, EFSA said it could not confirm the safety of extending its use into additional food categories.
So “sucralose is toxic” would be an inaccurate statement.
But neither should “sucralose is completely harmless” be used as a blanket statement.
The sensible position is: the dose, frequency and total dietary exposure matter.
- Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
Ace-K is another high-intensity sweetener commonly found alongside other sweeteners.
Look for it in:
- Soft drinks
- Instant drink mixes
- Protein products
- Sugar-free sweets
- Desserts
- Chewing gum
- Tabletop sweeteners
It is often combined with other sweeteners because combinations can produce a taste closer to sugar.
Current regulatory authorities permit its use within specified limits. EFSA’s 2025 re-evaluation established an ADI of 15 mg/kg body weight/day.
Again, this is an important distinction:
“Approved for use” does not mean “eat unlimited amounts.”
- Sugar alcohols: natural-sounding, but not consequence-free
This is an especially important group for seniors.
You may see:
- Sorbitol
- Maltitol
- Mannitol
- Xylitol
- Erythritol
- Isomalt
- Lactitol
They are frequently used in:
- Sugar-free chocolates
- Sugar-free biscuits
- Protein bars
- Candies
- Chewing gum
- “Keto” products
- Low-sugar desserts
They can be useful because they generally provide fewer calories than sugar and have less effect on blood glucose.
But some can cause bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort or diarrhoea, particularly when consumed in larger quantities.
The FDA notes that sugar alcohols are commonly used in sugar-free candies, cookies and chewing gums.
So if your “healthy” sugar-free chocolate leaves you running to the bathroom, the sweetener may be the culprit.
- Erythritol: a special case
Erythritol has become hugely popular in “keto”, “zero sugar” and low-carbohydrate products.
It is generally well tolerated at moderate amounts, but research has raised questions about associations between circulating erythritol levels and cardiovascular events.
Importantly, an association does not prove that eating erythritol causes heart attacks or strokes.
This is exactly where consumers need science rather than sensationalism.
We should not replace one food fear with another.
The bigger problem may not be the sweetener at all
Here is the part that deserves far more attention.
A biscuit can be sugar-free and still be a biscuit.
It may contain refined flour, starches, fats, emulsifiers, flavourings and numerous other ingredients.
A sugar-free chocolate may still be calorie-dense.
A sugar-free ice cream may still contain considerable saturated fat.
A “zero-sugar” breakfast product may still be highly processed.
And a “no added sugar” product may contain naturally occurring sugars.
FSSAI specifically states that where sugars are naturally present, a “no added sugar” claim should be accompanied by an indication that the food contains naturally occurring sugars.
This is why the front of the packet can be seductive — while the back of the packet tells the real story.
“No Added Sugar” is NOT the same as “Sugar-Free”
This distinction is worth remembering.
Sugar-free
Means the product meets the prescribed limit for sugars.
No added sugar
Means sugars have not been added during processing — but the food may still contain naturally occurring sugars.
Low sugar
Means the product meets a defined low-sugar threshold.
Reduced sugar
Means it contains less sugar than an appropriate comparison product.
Keto
Is not synonymous with healthy.
Diabetic-friendly
Should never be interpreted as “eat as much as you want.”
And perhaps most importantly:
Sugar-free ≠ calorie-free.
The sweetener may not be the real problem
The World Health Organization has taken an important position here.
Its 2023 guideline recommends against using non-sugar sweeteners as a strategy for controlling body weight or preventing chronic disease in people without diabetes. The recommendation is conditional because the evidence has important limitations, and WHO explicitly says the guideline is not a toxicological assessment declaring individual sweeteners unsafe.
That nuance is important.
WHO is not saying:
“All artificial sweeteners are poisonous.”
It is saying:
Don’t assume that replacing sugar with intense sweetness is a magic route to better long-term health.
In fact, WHO’s evidence review found that long-term observational studies have associated higher intake of non-sugar sweeteners with outcomes including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, although such observational evidence cannot by itself prove that sweeteners caused those diseases.
That distinction is often lost in social-media headlines.
So what should seniors do?
Don’t become frightened of every ingredient with a long chemical name.
Instead, become a better label reader.
The 30-second supermarket test
Before buying a “sugar-free” product:
- Turn the packet around.
Don’t stop at the front-of-pack claim.
- Read the ingredients.
Look for:
- Aspartame
- Sucralose
- Acesulfame potassium
- Saccharin
- Sorbitol
- Maltitol
- Mannitol
- Xylitol
- Erythritol
- Isomalt
- Steviol glycosides
- Look at total carbohydrate.
“Sugar-free” does not necessarily mean carbohydrate-free.
- Look at calories.
A sugar-free product can still contribute substantial calories.
- Look at saturated fat.
This is particularly important in chocolates, biscuits, desserts and bakery products.
- Check serving size.
A packet may say “only 80 calories per serving” — but what exactly is one serving?
Three biscuits?
One biscuit?
Half a bar?
Marketing often becomes much less impressive when you do the arithmetic.
And here’s the simplest rule of all
If a product needs a large claim on the front saying:
SUGAR-FREE!
ZERO!
GUILT-FREE!
DIABETIC-FRIENDLY!
KETO!
LOW-CALORIE!
turn the packet around.
The ingredient list is more important than the advertising slogan.
And if the list is extraordinarily long for something that could easily be made at home with five or six recognisable ingredients, perhaps it deserves to remain on the supermarket shelf.
The sweet truth
We have become so frightened of sugar that the food industry has discovered something very clever:
It can sell us sweetness without calling it sugar.
But the answer isn’t necessarily to replace sugar with a laboratory-sounding ingredient and then eat unlimited amounts.
The better long-term strategy may be much simpler:
Train the palate to want less sweetness.
Eat whole fruit rather than fruit-flavoured products.
Choose plain yoghurt rather than artificially sweetened desserts.
Drink water, tea or coffee without added sweetness.
Eat nuts, seeds and whole foods rather than constantly searching for “healthy” versions of biscuits, cakes and chocolates.
Because perhaps the real goal isn’t to find a better way to eat something sweet.
Perhaps it is to need less sweetness in the first place.
Ageing well isn’t about finding the perfect “sugar-free” biscuit.
It is about building a diet around foods that nourish the body — vegetables, fruits, pulses, whole grains, nuts, seeds, adequate protein and minimally processed foods — and leaving highly processed treats as occasional foods rather than daily staples.
Don’t let the words on the front of a packet make your decision.
Read the story on the back.
This article is intended for general health education and is not medical advice. People with diabetes, kidney disease, metabolic disorders or other medical conditions should discuss individual dietary choices with their doctor or qualified dietitian.