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Artificial Sweetener Use While Breastfeeding
Are artificial sweeteners OK to use if you are breastfeeding?
No solid evidence exists to show that artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin, aspartame, or
sorbitol, present a health risk to anyone when used in moderation.
Should I avoid diet sodas completely?
According to the La Leche League, nursing mothers should not use artificial sweeteners if they
have a yeast infection or if their infant has one. Adequate calories and a healthy diet are vital to a
breastfeeding woman. Artificial sweeteners may not add to a healthy diet and could decrease
overall intake of necessary calories for mothers who are breastfeeding.
Is one type of artificial sweetener better than another?
Sweetener
Information
Lactation Risk Category
NutraSweet® (aspartame)
 Not for infants with
phenylketonuria (PKU)
 Safe for healthy infants
Splenda® (sucralose)
 Poorly absorbed from the
gastrointestinal tract
 Excreted unchanged in the
urine
 Safe for healthy infants
Sorbitol®
 Sugar alcohol is found
naturally in some fruits and
vegetables
 Used as a sweetener in
foods and medications
 Commonly used in
toothpaste, sugar-free
chewing gum, etc
 Not listed in Medications
and Mothers’ Milk
Saccharin
 Milk levels of saccharin
tend to accumulate over
time, but still are considered
minimal
 Moderate intake should not
concern nursing mothers
 Probably safe for healthy
infants
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
 A very sweet herb that is
used by many as a zerocalorie sugar substitute
 Rebaudioside A (purified
from Stevia rebaudiana) is
“generally recognized as
safe” as a sweetening agent
for foods by the US Food
and Drug Administration,
but no studies have looked
at consumption by pregnant
or breastfeeding women
 Caution is recommended
when it comes to using
stevia while breastfeeding,
because many different
herbs in the same genus are
used in natural sweeteners,
and because no studies have
looked at the use of stevia
by breastfeeding women
 Probably safe for healthy
infants
Source: Hale TW. Medications and Mothers’ Milk. Amarillo, TX: Hale Publishing; 2012:100,
996, 1030, 1034.
Will my baby get any of the chemicals from the sweeteners through my breast
milk?
When nursing mothers drink or eat anything, it goes through their digestive system and then
eventually into their bloodstream. In order for anything they eat or drink to reach their baby, it
has to get into the bloodstream in high enough levels to transfer into breast milk. Babies also
must have the ability to absorb that substance out of their stomach into their bloodstream. Many
barriers exist throughout this digestive pathway that would decrease any amount of artificial
sweetener.
Is a small amount safer than a large amount?
It is best for breastfeeding mothers to err on the side of caution and limit their overall intake of
artificial sweeteners. As with many other things, using artificial sweeteners in moderation is
suggested.
References and recommended readings
Can I eat/drink foods containing artificial sweeteners? KellyMom Web site.
http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-foods/#sweeteners. Accessed March 10, 2014.
Hale TW. Medications and Mothers’ Milk. Amarillo, Texas: Hale Publishing, 2012; 100, 996,
1030, 1034.
Zeretzke K. Yeast infections and the breastfeeding family: helping mothers find relief for
symptoms and treatment for the infection preserves the breastfeeding relationship. Leaven.
1998;34(5):91-96. https://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvoctnov98p91.html. Updated August 29,
2006. Accessed March 10, 2014.
Contributed by Ingrid Wright, RD, CLC
Review Date 3/14
K-0753