10 Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes

1 of 13

Sugar or substitute?

By Mara Betsch

Sugar contributes to tooth decay and obesity, but still we spoon it onto cereal and into coffee (and the food industry puts heaps—known as added sugar—into products).

"Americans eat 165 pounds of added sugar each year, and sugar substitutes are on the rise as well, which are hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar," says Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, author of Feed the Belly and co-author of The Carb Lovers Diet.

But are artificial sweeteners, honey, agave nectar, or high-fructose corn syrup healthier than table sugar?

To help you decide, here’s the real deal on 10 common sweeteners.

Next: Sucrose