The bitter truth about sugar-free

India Today

2 days ago

(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 14, 2025)Sugar-free sweets came as a godsend for Shanta Bose, a 51-year-old homemaker in Gurugram, who was diagnosed as diabetic when she was 47. 'Everywhere I went, there were desserts I could not eat,' says Bose. Then, she discovered the sugar-free shelf in her local department store, laden with cookies, cakes, candy, soft drinks and ice cream. She also read up on the low glycaemic index (GI)—a scale that ranks foods based on how quickly they raise blood sugar (glucose) levels post ingestion and where foods like fruits, millets, leafy vegetables and beans, which are digested slowly and therefore cause glucose levels to rise gradually, are considered good for diabetics. This prompted Bose to buy brown rice, millets, whole wheat and natural sweeteners like syrups from agave, tapioca, dates, yacon, coconut and monk fruit. For three months, she ended her meals with these, until one day she woke up with blurry vision. Tests showed her blood sugar to be abnormally high. It is a rude shock that greets many in India.advertisement
The vilification of sugar as the source of all ill health has seen a surge in demand for sugar-free products, with companies rising to the occasion with gusto. In 2019, a study by market research firm Mintel discovered that almost three in five Indians wish to consume less sugar for a healthier lifestyle, and a 2025 survey found a third of Indian parents seeking less sugar candy for kids. The fears associated with sugar are not unfounded. India is the diabetes capital of the world. A study published in Lancet in 2023 found over 100 million Indians to be diabetic and another 136 million as pre-diabetic. Today, sugar is associated with disorders of practically every part of the body: be it the feet or the eyes, the brain or one's bones. 'Clamping down on sugar has become a known narrative. Every obese, pre-diabetic, diabetic and non-diabetic/ non-obese person wants sugar-free products,' says nutritionist Ishi Khosla.Following global trends, the Indian food industry is investing heavily in low calorie, low GI products. From mithai, ice cream, jams, sauces, bread, to alternative sweeteners like stevia, erythritol and xylitol, all come in 'sugar-free' avatars. According to market analysis by the IMARC Group, the Indian sugar-free market, comprising sugar-free and diabetic-friendly foods and beverages, was worth Rs 9,586 crore in 2024, and is projected to reach Rs 22,082 crore by 2033. But just as the fat-free health fad of the 1990s, when despite painting fat as the villain, obesity rates continued to soar, the obsession with sugar-free foods can have an unexpected effect, experts warn. 'The only things without sugar are air and water,' says Dr Jasjeet Wasir, head of endocrinology and diabetology at Medanta Gurugram. 'Good health requires balance; you can't focus on one aspect of nutrition.'
SUGAR AND DIABETESEverything we consume contains some or the other chemical form of sugar (whose structure comprises a molecule each of fructose and glucose), which is broken down into its components in the body. To function normally, humans need glucose. When the intestines extract glucose from food and release it in the blood, it is known as blood sugar. If what one eats is broken down quickly, it spikes blood sugar, which puts pressure on the beta cells of the pancreas that create insulin—the hormone that moves glucose into cells to create life-giving energy. Such pressure eventually results in the cells in the muscles, fats and liver not responding to insulin, with the extra glucose staying in the bloodstream, leading to diabetes.advertisementHence the pivot to sugar-free products. But just because something is labelled 'sugar free' does not mean it won't be broken down into sugar. 'All food gets broken down into blood glucose,' says Dr Wasir. A sugar-free cake may lack refined sugar, but the wholewheat flour, eggs, chocolate and butter get converted into lactose and glucose during digestion. That is why experts recommend looking beyond the 'added sugar' figure on a label and check the 'total sugar' and 'calorie' numbers too. Calories represent the energy content in food and consuming more than needed leads to weight gain. 'Some sugar-free products can be very caloric, leading to weight gain, which is also a risk factor for diabetes and other diseases,' adds Dr Wasir.Sugar substitutes, and even natural sweeteners like honey, jaggery, dates, monkfruit and agave nectar should be counted as part of our daily glucose intake despite the low calories. 'They are better than pure sugar, of course, but it is not a ticket to consuming them in vast quantities,' says Khosla. Natural sweeteners may also increase the craving for calorie-dense and sweet foods. As for artificial sugars, the zero GI may seem like a panacea, but they, too, can cause sugar cravings, as a 2010 study in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine showed. Many sugar alcohols have been linked to cancer. There is also strong medical belief that excessive use of artificial sweeteners can ruin gut and, eventually, metabolic health. 'Chemical sweeteners worsen insulin resistance and are very damaging for your gut health, which is linked to our overall wellbeing,' says Khosla.advertisementSUGAR-FREE RULESDiabetics can eat low calorie desserts but ought to mind the following, says Ritika Samaddar, regional head, nutrition and dietetics, Max Healthcare, Delhi
'SUGAR-FREE' BIASadvertisementMany endocrinologists and nutritionists worry about the overconsumption of sugar-free products, which contain high fat and calories, chemical sweeteners and/or natural sugar substitutes. 'When did an ice cream become okay for a diabetic to eat daily because it is high protein and low sugar? The marketing of products that should be eaten sporadically has eclipsed common sense,' says Pune-based dietitian Rupal Sachdeva.Indeed, a 2016 study in the journal Nutrients has shown that a health claim may lead a consumer to have positive attitudes towards a food regardless of its actual health benefit. This is known as the 'halo effect'. There is also 'positivity bias', where specific nutrient information makes the consumer assume the product has other attributes (a low sugar product must also be low in fat, for example). Gorging on food marketed as 'sugar-free', therefore, is not really an option for diabetics—moderation is important, and they have to be as watchful with these as with other foods.A small sample size study in 2023 published in Measurement: Food journal examined the presence of such claims and the extent of compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines on 230 food packages marketed in India. These included baked goods, confectionery, cereals, dairy, soup, salad and protein products. It found that a large number of claims printed could not be verified due to the lack of clear FSSAI definitions.advertisement
Many businesses, however, have begun to invest in 'clean labels' instead of ambiguous claims. For example, Brooklyn Creamery, which claims to have only 4.5 per cent fat in its ice creams and 0-2 calories per gram without added sugar, is clear that it uses sweeteners, but safe ones. Similarly, products of The Cinnamon Kitchen, which sells 'refined sugar free' snacks, come with simple, clean labels. 'We select each ingredient that goes into our products and there are no hidden ingredients,' says founder Priyasha Saluja.However, even if a product is transparent, restraint must be exercised, say experts. 'Glucose from a no-sugar oatmeal cookie may take longer to be released into blood versus a spoon of pure sugar. But something is used to make that cookie taste sweet, and all cookies contain some form of fat,' says Dr Ritika Samaddar, nutritionist and head of dietics at Max Healthcare, Delhi.The trick, then, is to not just focus on one aspect of nutrition. Even a low fat, low sugar, low calorie cookie can lead to increased sugar cravings. One must aim for an overall balance of nutrients, control portions and have correct information. Then, the occasional cookie won't hurt either.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends