> Is there any benefit in using sugar replacements?
Serious question? The taste joy without getting that much calories in? (Yes I know, we skew our taste and could also have joy without too much sugar, and also other ingredients, e.g. salt, but different topic).
> BOTTOM LINE: Eating carbohydrates causes a rise in blood sugar levels. Insulin is released to bring blood sugar levels back to normal. Some claim that artificial sweeteners may interfere with this process.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners-b...
If you drink seven cans of Coke a day you’re likely going to end up gaining weight and could end up obese with all the additional health issues that brings.
If you drink seven cans of Diet Coke per day you’re not going to end up obese (through that method anyway).
What seems to be missing in this HN debate is that sugar itself (yes the natural substance) is not good for us either! Aspartame may be “bad” (debatable) but sugar is bad but in different ways.
Sugar isn't bad, it is a biological solution to the energy storage problem just like fat, and our bodies know how to deal with the sugar present in nature (in fruits). The sugar in an apple is absorbed slowly, without a dramatic increase in blood glucose unlike the one in a Coke can.
Monkfruit which I use supposedly has health benefits, in addition to being calorie light.
As for health benefits apparently it has antioxidant properties, but I don't know to what extent that's true. I use it because I like the taste and doesn't seem to be harmful in any way, but it also hasn't been studied as extensively.