Is your “zero sugar” soda actually helping your health—or setting you up for hidden risks?
Every minute, the world consumes 80 million teaspoons of sugar—fueling obesity, fatty liver, diabetes, and even cancer. No wonder shelves are full of “sugar-free” alternatives. But are artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose any safer? What about sugar alcohols, rare sugars like allulose, or natural extracts like stevia and monk fruit?
In this episode, Dr. Hillary Lin, Stanford-trained longevity physician, cuts through the hype to reveal:
- Why regular sugar is worse than you think (and how much is too much)
- The real risks of artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, ACE-K)
- Sugar alcohols like erythritol & xylitol — keto halo or hidden hazard?
- Rare sugars (allulose, tagatose) — why scientists are excited
- Natural zero-calorie extracts (stevia, monk fruit) — safe daily options?
- The 21-day palate reset to rewire your cravings and reduce sugar for good
Key Takeaways:
✓ Artificial sweeteners may still spike insulin and alter your microbiome
✓ Erythritol has been linked to doubled heart attack & stroke risk at high intake
✓ Allulose may improve gut health and glucose control — a rare bright spot✓ Stevia and monk fruit are safe when pure, but check labels for fillers
✓ Resetting your sweet tooth is the real longevity unlock
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