Why We Don't Use Artificial Sweeteners in Our Protein Powder
Share
By Dr. Eugene Capitano, DC, MSc
Read the ingredient panel on most protein powders and you will find sucralose, stevia, monk fruit, or acesulfame potassium. We use none of them.
We do sweeten our flavoured blends, with a small amount of organic coconut sugar. That is a real sugar, and it shows up honestly on our label as carbohydrate and calories. We think that trade-off is worth explaining rather than hiding.
What we exclude, and what we don't
Not in our products: sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, stevia (steviol glycosides), monk fruit, and sugar alcohols.
In our flavoured products: organic coconut sugar, roughly 2–3 grams per serving.
Our Unflavoured blends contain no added sugar at all.
Why we made that choice
Not because zero-calorie sweeteners have been proven harmful. They have not, and we are not going to tell you otherwise.
The honest summary of the human evidence is narrower than either side of this argument usually admits. Controlled research has shown that saccharin and sucralose can alter the gut microbiome and, in some people, affect glucose tolerance. For plant-derived sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit, the human data are genuinely mixed, biologically active, but not consistently showing harm.
And the newest evidence points the other way. A one-year randomised trial published in 2025 found that people permitted sweeteners while dieting kept off more weight than those who cut them out, with no adverse metabolic changes. That result is real and we are not going to wave it away.
But that trial measured weight and metabolic markers. It did not measure gut barrier integrity, inflammation, or what those gut bacteria were actually doing the very questions our formulations are built around. Those questions remain open.
Read our full scientific appraisal of that trial →
For more on our formulation rationale, read Why We Skip Non-Nutritive Sweeteners — and Use a Little Real Sugar Instead.
The principle behind it
Our formulas are built for gut and metabolic compatibility. Non-nutritive sweeteners are not nutritionally necessary and they add sweetness and nothing else. When an ingredient carries open long-term questions and contributes no nutritional value, we leave it out.
That is a precautionary position, not a health claim. If strong long-term human data eventually show these ingredients are neutral for gut barrier function and inflammation, we will say so.
What that means for taste
Our flavoured blends are less sweet than most powders on the market. Coconut sugar at 2–3 grams per serving cannot match the intensity of a high-potency sweetener, and we did not try to make it. If you are used to very sweet protein shakes, ours will taste different, cleaner, and less sweet.
This article is for general education. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or another chronic condition, speak with a healthcare provider before changing your diet.
DISCLOSURE
Dr. Eugene Capitano is Co-Founder and Scientific Lead of TLC PureOrigin™ and Founder of TLC NeuroMicrobiome Labs Inc. This commercial relationship should be considered when evaluating commentary about protein products, ingredients and formulation.
By Dr. Eugene Capitano, DC, MSc
Dr. Eugene Capitano earned an MSc in Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London. He holds the ACSM Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) Credential and is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer® (ACSM-CPT®). His research interests include the gut–brain axis, functional nutrition, metabolic health, and translational microbiome science.