Intermittent fasting artificial sweeteners: Understanding what may break your fast and finding alternatives

In a nutshell

There are controversial opinions on intermittent fasting and artificial sweeteners. There are many types of sweeteners that are considered low or zero-calorie, such as aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, allulose, and erythritol that won’t break your fast due to low caloric content. Yet, some of them, such as sucralose, may spike your insulin levels and affect the insulin-related benefits of a fast, thus, breaking it. If you want to consume artificial sweeteners during your fast, it’s important to consider your goals, as well as the type of product and its nutritional value.

When you start fasting, you want to ensure you get through your fasting windows right in order to receive maximum benefits. Yet, while some fasting rules might be crystal clear, the use of certain products can cause doubts, such as the use of intermittent fasting artificial sweeteners.

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Understanding the Essence of Fasting

Fasting is the act of abstaining from food for a certain amount of time. It can come in many different forms, including intermittent fasting when you switch between fixed eating and fasting windows every day (for example, 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating), or water-only fasting during which you only drink plain water for 24-72 hours, extended fasting.

Regardless of the type, the main goals of fasting include:

• Calorie restriction for weight-loss
• Metabolic reset
• Autophagy (cell restoration)
• Insulin regulation

What Does It Mean to “Break a Fast”?

When you step on your fasting journey for the first time, it’s pretty natural to have questions like “Will zero calorie sweetener break a fast” or “Can I use Splenda while fasting.” Although fasting implies abstaining from food, it typically allows you to drink water and, sometimes, other, low-calorie beverages. And if you have a sweet tooth, it can be tempting to use artificial sweeteners to satisfy your sugar cravings while fasting. Yet, in order to understand whether doing so will undermine your past efforts, you need to understand what it means to break a fast in the first place.

What exactly breaks a fast depends on what kind of fast you are following. In most fasts, such as intermittent fasting, breaking it means consuming calories (whether with food or liquids) during your fasting window.

In water fasting, however, breaking a fast means eating or drinking anything except water, though it may allow adding something low-calorie to your water, such as lemons or electrolytes for added benefits.

Additionally, breaking a fast could mean consuming something that undermines one of the crucial fasting-related processes, for example, products that spike insulin or activate your gut.

Do Sweeteners Break a Fast?

Since it’s mostly about the amount of calories you consume, using low-calorie or zero-calorie sweeteners is generally safe for fasting, especially if it’s intermittent fasting, which allows drinking coffee or tea during fasting windows.

However, it’s important to consider the specific type of sweetener in order to stay on the safe side.

Do Artificial Sweeteners Break a Fast: A Review by Sweetener Type

Now that you know that the general answer to the question “Can you have artificial sweeteners while fasting” is “yes,” you might be wondering which sweeteners are safe and which aren’t. Let’s briefly review the most common types of sweeteners to clarify this.

Does Aspartame Break a Fast?

Aspartame is an intense, low-calorie sweetener that contains around 4 calories per gram. It’s commonly found in beverages and foods that come under a “zero-calorie” label.

Will aspartame break a fast? Multiple studies found that consumption of aspartame has no effect on blood glucose, insulin, or gut hormones. Respectively, it doesn’t affect fasting-related processes and contains few calories, which makes it rather safe for a fast.

Does Sucralose Break a Fast?

Sucralose is a taste-intense, synthetic compound also commonly used as a sugar substitute. It also doesn’t contain any calories.

Will sucralose break a fast? Since it is not metabolized by the body, it gives you no food energy. Besides, it also has no effect on gut hormones or insulin, which makes it another safe option.

Does Saccharin Break a Fast?

Saccharin is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener. Although it’s considered calorie-free, a serving of saccharin contains 4 calories.

Will Sweet and Low break a fast? Generally, saccharin-based sweeteners, such as Sweet and Low, Sweet Twin, and Necta Sweet have little calories and no impact on insulin levels. Thus, they might be acceptable during fasting.

Does Allulose Break a Fast?

Allulose is an epimer of fructose naturally occurring in different foods and widely used as a low-calorie sweetener. It contains between 0.2 and 0.4 calories per gram.

Will allulose break a fast? According to studies, allulose reduces blood glucose and enhances postprandial fat oxidation. It also contains few calories, meaning that it won’t break a fast. 

Does Erythritol Break a Fast?

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that’s also widely used as a low-calorie sweetener. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this sweetener has only 0.2 calories per gram, which is significantly lower compared to many other sweeteners.

Will erythritol break a fast? Containing very few calories, this compound is considered a relatively safe sugar alternative that doesn't break a fast.

Will Artificial Sweeteners Break a Fast: Important Drawbacks and Considerations

If you are wondering “Do zero calorie sweeteners break a fast,” now, you know that if you are not consuming any calories or undermining fasting-related processes, technically you shouldn’t break your fast. Still, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind:

Sweetener Brand and Nutritional Value

You already have a brief overview of common artificial sweetener compounds, such as aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, and erythritol. While all of them are considered calorie-free, specific products that contain them may not be so safe for fasting.

What does this mean? - Instead of asking if aspartame or sucralose are okay during fasting, delve into specific product brands and their nutritional values because some specific products may be more calorie or nutrient-dense than their active compounds.

Let’s look at a few popular sweetener brands for a deeper understanding:

• Does equal break a fast? - Equal is an aspartame-based sweetener. Although it’s said to technically not break a fast, it’s important to consider that it has more carbs and calories than plain aspartame. That is, it may only be consumed in moderation.
• Does Splenda break fast? - Splenda is a sucralose-based sweetener. Although it’s generally considered safe for fasting, products containing sucralose require special consideration given controversial studies on them. We’ll explore the use of intermittent fasting Splenda in detail further.
• Does Sweet and Low break a fast? - As you already know, Sweet and Low is a saccharin-based sweetener. So if you’re wondering “Does Sweet n Low break a fast,” the answer is most likely “no.”

Cravings and Appetite Stimulation

After you ask yourself “Does sweetener break a fast” and pick a safe option, there is another important consideration to keep in mind. Although many artificial sweeteners won’t make you go over your caloric restriction or undermine insulin and gut processes, they can affect your appetite.

The sweet taste of different sweeteners has been shown to increase ratings of hunger. That is, drinking sweetened beverages during your fasting window can eventually strengthen your cravings and make it harder to adhere to your fasting schedule. This can also potentially lead to overeating during your eating windows.

Can You Have Splenda While Intermittent Fasting?

Being one of the most popular sweetener brands, Splenda tends to have the most controversies and doubts surrounding it. If you are wondering “Does Splenda break intermittent fasting,” you need to know that there are controversial studies on its key ingredient, sucralose.

On the one hand, as was mentioned earlier, sucralose doesn’t contain calories and is not metabolized by the body. Some studies claim that sucralose (just like aspartame) doesn’t affect glucose metabolism and gut hormones. From this point of view, if you ask “Can you use Splenda while fasting,” the answer will likely be “yes.”

Will Splenda Break a Fast: A Scientific Background

There is another opinion on the question “Does coffee with Splenda break a fast.” According to some experts, sucralose fasting is not recommended due to the intense taste of this compound.

Namely, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that sucralose has such an intense sweet taste that it activates intestinal receptors (T1R2 and T1R3), which stimulate insulin release. In simple words, this is evidence that beverages with Splenda break fast by spiking your insulin levels.

Additionally, there is some evidence that regular sucralose use can contribute to a constant state of elevated blood glucose and insulin levels.

So does Splenda break your fast? Based on controversial study findings, it’s rather hard to give a firm answer. On the one hand, its low-calorie nature makes it rather safe to use Splenda during intermittent fasting. On the other hand, the use of Splenda intermittent fasting might lead to adverse insulin effects, which might break any kind of fast.

At the end of the day, here is the best way to answer the “Will Splenda break my fast” question–focus on your fasting goals:

If your only goal is weight loss and you are wondering “Can I use Splenda while intermittent fasting” to satisfy your sweet tooth, the answer might be “yes.” For effective weight loss, you only need to focus on daily calorie intake. So if sweetener fits into your restriction, it should be fine.

If your core goal is to improve insulin resistance, especially if you have an insulin-affecting condition like PCOS, insulin spikes caused by sucralose may hinder the effect of fasting and also cause you not to lose weight. That is, if you ask “Can you drink coffee with Splenda while intermittent fasting,” while your core goals are improvements in insulin and metabolic function, the answer will likely be “no.”

FAQ

Does erythritol break intermittent fasting?

There is no sufficient evidence that erythritol break a fast. It’s generally considered a safe zero-calorie sweetener that doesn’t affect insulin response or ketosis.

Do sugar alcohols break a fast?

While erythritol is a non-nutritive sugar alcohol that’s generally safe for your fast, not all sugar alcohols are the same. Some of them, such as xylitol, might boost insulin levels and wake up the digestive system, breaking a fast.

Can I have Splenda while fasting or other artificial?

Unlike other types of artificial sweeteners, sucralose, which is the main ingredient in Splenda, has quite controversial study findings. It may not break your fast in terms of calorie consumption. However, some studies reveal that sucralose can spike insulin levels. Thus, it can break your fast if your goal is balancing insulin levels.

Does sugar free syrup break a fast?

If you don’t consume any calories with your beverage, it typically shouldn’t break a fast. However, sugar-free syrups vary by ingredients and nutritional value. Some of them may contain more calories than you’d think and, thus, can break a fast.

Conclusion

So does zero calorie sweetener break a fast? As you now know, the opinions on this topic vary. On the one hand, anything that has zero (or very few) calories technically doesn’t break your fast. If you’re fasting for weight-loss purposes, you can safely sweeten your beverages with a bit of aspartame, erythritol, and other safe options.

On the other hand, studies show that some artificial sweeteners like sucralose can spike insulin levels and, thus, rid you of the insulin-related benefits. That’s why sucralose intermittent fasting isn’t recommended if your goal is balancing insulin levels.

All in all, whether to use artificial sweeteners or not comes down to your specific goals and needs. So consider them when making a decision and pick safe sweetener options.

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