Is Aspartame Keto-Friendly?

Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
Aug 6, 2019
2 min read

Is Aspartame Keto-Friendly?

The ketogenic or “keto” diet has gained traction in recent years as a weight loss tool. It involves eating very few carbs, moderate amounts of protein, and high amounts of fat.

By depleting your body of carbs, the keto diet induces ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs,

Staying in ketosis can be challenging, and some people turn to artificial sweeteners like aspartame to help keep their carb intake low.

However, you may wonder whether using aspartame affects ketosis.

This article explains what aspartame is, describes its effects on ketosis, and lists its potential downsides.

What is aspartame?

Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener that’s generally considered safe for consumption. It’s widely used in diet sodas, sugar-free gum, and many other food products.

Aspartame doesn’t raise blood sugar

Aspartame provides very few carbs and thus does not increase your blood sugar levels when consumed in safe amounts.

It probably won’t affect ketosis

Given that aspartame does not increase your blood sugar levels, it likely won’t affect ketosis when consumed in moderate amounts.

Potential downsides

Aspartame is generally considered safe, but it should be consumed in modest amounts to keep you in ketosis. More research on the direct effects of aspartame on ketosis is needed.

The bottom line

Aspartame can be useful on the keto diet, adding some sweetness to your food while providing only 1 gram of carbs per 1-gram serving packet.

As it doesn’t raise your blood sugar, it likely won’t affect ketosis.

While aspartame is generally considered safe for most people, its use on a keto diet has not been studied thoroughly.

Thus, you should be sure to stay below the Acceptable Daily Intake and use aspartame modestly to help maintain your keto diet.