The Science of Sweetness

Sugar, honey, listen up. Humans love the sweet taste of sweetness, but have you ever wondered why? What's the evolutionary purpose behind our love for sweets? Why can we taste sweet anyway? What are those sugar substitutes really made of? And will this diet cola give me cancer?
Hank and SciShow have the answers!
Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: dftba.com/artist/52/SciShow
--
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook: / scishow
Twitter: / scishow
Tumblr: / scishow
Related SciShow Episodes:
Junk food: • Why Our Brains Love Ju...
HFCS: • High-Fructose Corn Syr...
Sugar: • Why We Love Sugar
SOURCES
www.daytonent.com/articles/070... **
www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/din...
www.scientificamerican.com/art... **
www.scientificamerican.com/art...
www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-...
www.npr.org/2011/03/11/1344593... **
www.wisegeek.org/how-do-taste-...
www.mayoclinic.com/health/arti... **
science.howstuffworks.com/inno... *
www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/din... **
www.wisegeek.org/what-is-stevi...
www.neotame.com/
www.scientificamerican.com/art...
www.scientificamerican.com/art... * fat?
www.popsci.com/scitech/article...
www.popsci.com/science/article...
www.popsci.com/scitech/article... * AS making us fat?
www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcu... ** list of substances
www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/...
www.scientificamerican.com/art...
www.abc.net.au/science/article...
www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerca... *
www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/bus... *
blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/... *
www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ar...
care.diabetesjournals.org/cont...

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

Now I wonder how many chemists have died from licking their fingers..

[@mehmetbahaozen8445]

scientist 1 :Hmm tastes good i guess i found something scientist 2: hmm he made it i need to do Thé same * died by acid :D

[@bayflingers9277]

I hear the inventor of hydrofluoric acid used to taste his discoveries. Lol

[@nicaustin3911]

Key words: Used to.

[@15BubblesOrigami]

I remember one story that made it into the Darwin Awards where one scientist liked dipping his chewing gum in citric acid whenever the gum starting losing flavor. One day, he had an open container of cyanide salts on his desk instead...

[@lilygriffin5170]

Ikr. 😂

[@dolebiscuit]

Oh yes, the FDA is notorious for being trustworthy and never bending to special interest groups.

[@mikki3208]

Hank, learning from you makes me happy.

[@AStrangeTree]

If someone is wondering... just because sucralose has chlorine does not mean it is toxic. Chlorine by itself it toxic, and also apart of SODIUM CHLORIDE, or table salt. So you already ingest it a lot in your everyday proceedings.

[@rlguerrero2263]

I´m not chemophobic. Actually, I try to fight chemophobia. But, let´s say, I´m not that happy when I knew about chlorine on sucralose. The point is not the element by itself, but the remembrance of chlorinated pesticides. But anyway, if after passing all tests and regulations it was approved, let´s presume it´s safe.

[@Olhar.Internacional]

4:03 can't believe SciShow misused an apostrophe !!

[@mickeymoose636]

+NNJ Studios Yes, it is incorrect. They should have used "its" because "it's" is a contraction for "it is", so the possessive form has no apostrophe.

[@Benkaization]

+Nicholas Audinet i once argued the same point with a teacher in my elementary school for like twenty minutes.

[@mortophobegaming6454]

+NNJ Studios people don't notice the difference between *its* and *it's* ( I didn't untill reading this comment) and since language isn't law, but a naturally evolving element of humanity, soon it will both be correct. its allways refers to a property of something (like in this case) and it's is a subtraction of it has (i.e. "*it's* (it has)been a good day for science" or "look at the furr of my cat, "its" hair (the hair of it) is stripey so it must be a female") (ps did need to say naturally or natural? idk & idc really)

[@travisbrewer5391]

They’re expertise is in science, not grammar.

[@micahphilson]

Still one of my absolute all time favorite informative videos ever, the others (in no particular order) are another scishow about the most dangerous chemicals and a Vsauce about De Ja Vu.

[@RMoribayashi]

You forgot sodium cyclamate. It may still be banned in the US, but it's sold in other countries under names like Sucaryl (or Sugar Twin in Canada), often in a mix of 10 parts cyclamate to 1 part saccrine.

[@micahphilson]

No way is this video almost 10 years old! I remember it being released! Once again, I make my majestic biennial migration to this and the video on the 5 most dangerous chemicals ever created, as well as the Vsauce video on Deja Vu! Absolute classics, some of my all-time favorites on KZbin!

[@micahphilson]

I love this video, it's still one of my all-time favorite educational/informative videos on the internet! This and the episode on the 5 most dangerous chemicals I just love to watch on occasion! Speaking of which, looking in the comments, I said almost the same thing 1 and 2 years ago. Am I accidentally making a tradition of viewing these two videos and commenting my love for them once a year?

[@FenrirAldebrand]

You missed out on Xylitol. A natural sweetener like stevia, that I can't tell the difference from sugar like other sweeteners. And it actually helps rebuild teeth - stopping cavities.

[@AaronKlapheck]

Too bad this artificial sugar kills dogs and bids like flies with a fly swatter. Also a natural laxative, fun at both ends. :-)

[@nickPOPmusic]

PaganArwen actually, Xylitol simply neutralizes some of the acidity caused by bacteria breaking down sugars. Don't let that stop you from buying xylitol gum as a preventative measure against cavities though, because it can be very effective for maintaining healthy enamel.

[@danceandrevolution]

Thank-you so much for this!!!! As an ND, I talk about this with my patients all the time. It's so awesome to now have a video I can share with them. You're awesome!

[@MAGonzzManifesto]

I think this might be my favorite SciShow episode yet! SO INFORMATIVE! Thanks Hank.

[@crowbeatsme]

*watches video, pouring coke zero that rarely drinks.* *sips it* "although, some artificial sweeteners are tested that it gives cancer to lab rats" *stays silent for a while - regretting* "Moderation is the key." Okay.

[@agentwashingtub9167]

So next time I'm in chemistry I should lick my fingers?

[@xavierpapesh]

Yes?

[@agentwashingtub9167]

Ortun Ok. Tastiness, here I come!

[@xboxboy93941]

+AgentWashingtub Unless it's Barium Chloride. That stuff is the furthest thing from tasty (if you're a PTC taster like me that is).

[@shobharoy2033]

I once licked my finger, hours after working with picric acid in the chemistry lab. I still remember the unbearably bitter taste

[@anselxiong4921]

lick lick lick

[@deedechi3551]

One of my favourite series! Thank you, so informative.

[@XzoahX]

If your in a hurry: 4:10 Sucrose (sugar) 1x sweet as sugar 4:25 Stevia (the plant) 300x sweet as sugar 5:02 Saccharin (artificial) 200x sweet as sugar 6:06 Aspartame (artificial) 200x sweet as sugar 6:41 Sucralose (Sugar and Chlorine) 600x sweet as sugar

[@TitaniumDragon]

Saccharin doesn't cause cancer. It certainly does cause bladder cancer in rats, but this is one of those cases where a poor animal model was chosen. The reason for this, as it turns out, is that rats have different environments in their bladders than humans do. As a result of different proteins and pH they produce things in conjunction with saccharin which cause damage to the lining of their bladder; repeated damage to your bladder (or anything else) will raise cancer risk due to more cell division and other factors. As it turns out, this does not happen in humans, so saccharin is, as far as we can tell, harmless. This is hardly the only chemical compound where some animal models are poor choices; humans eat all sorts of things which cause toxic effects in critters.

[@ConstantChaos1]

Just saying it wastn the first artificial sweetener, that would be sugar of lead

[@zoestertoester]

yeah and in that study they gave the rats 10% of their body weight in saccharine !

[@zs9970]

He brought up the fact that cats can't taste sweet, yet not that they CAN taste ATP. I feel like that information would have been beneficial to the video.

[@micahphilson]

This is one of my favorite episodes. so much to learn from it that affects you like 30 times a day.

[@ucantkeepup583]

Great vid, really enjoyed that one. Thx SciShow!

[@kennethmitchell1960]

For all we know rich red meat may taste 'sweet' to a carnivores brain. In any case they probably have a good sensation for their prize foods.

[@CheezyCEAnimation]

This is very true, also I cannot believe the age of this comment.

[@superiordefenderxii7072]

I just use honey as a sweetener. Good with tea and coffee.

[@cmpuke1014]

make sure it’s raw

[@Papaconstantopoulos]

Pretty thorough breakdown there Hank, thanks, informative as always

[@PetitGlace]

I LOVE SCI SHOW EPISODES ABOUT FOOD!!! Nerdy food facts and science make my day!!!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@agustin4741]

The picture of stevia isn't yerba mate? Mierda que se parece a la que uso yo, aguante la taragüi sin palo vieja, no me importa nada

[@lncerante]

Viendo imágenes de "dried stevia leaves" no se parecen en nada a la imagen, así que sí jajaj, buscaron "paraguay dried leaves" XD

[@nand3kudasai]

tested and approved by the fda hahahahahaha tasted

[@agentwashingtub9167]

Jerónimo Barraco Mármol What.

[@nand3kudasai]

Nothing important. Just a stupid word play.

[@TQmatt]

Another great episode. Thanks, sci-show.

[@patriciarussell8450]

Keep the good info coming, thank Hank you are super!☺

[@NikhilSharma-hk5ju]

Whole world is a wanker factory ?

[@ravenlowes1830]

Lol

[@daniellbondad6670]

Bumbags.Bums.Bums mean butt in American English.But it is better than the F word used for 'Bum'bags.

[@NoBody-zb3so]

WONKA Factory like Willy Wonka .

[@ViraIshnia]

Well, glad I can't stand artificial sweeteners. Now I'm kinda curious though, what in hell is brown sugar?

[@hiddeblokzijl9050]

ViraIshnia Seriously, why don't you Google? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_sugar

[@brandonboogers]

It's sugar mixed with molasses

[@apenasmeucanal5984]

+Anal “Negro” Avacado esse nome tio (aquela carinha)

[@cmpuke1014]

poop of pinguins. they filter and centrifuge it which gives us brown sugar

[@blckberrystone]

Very interesting topic.Thanks to SciShow for being awesome!

[@ZTP92]

Brilliant, I loved it, I discovered a ton of things I didn't know and more importantly you got me thinking twice about my daily choices. Oh well, you often do. Great great channel really, keep it up man.

[@ollipoppolli]

great episode!

[@Eriko94]

Great episode Hank! :D

[@redsunpro]

This is one of if not the best episode yet.

[@PeppyTheCrawdad]

Excellent episode. I applaud thee.

[@jbaketkd]

that was an awesome episode

[@harikakrishna007]

hey , ur team work is excellent, & the information u r giving is v.nic :) really good job.

[@AsmaaSabiri]

Great episode, Thank you :)

[@DanMC4270]

This was a good episode

[@KnittyBird]

Well, thanks for reminding me that TaB exists. Now I'll be craving it all week. I sort of wished he'd gone into the fact that they cut the sweeteners with other things more. No matter how I explain it, my mother still believes that a packet of saccharin is 300x sweeter than a packet of sugar.

[@dafl00]

Very informational. Thank you for making me a little smarter this morning!

[@mermaidsam1]

thanks for your videos!

[@jenphanny3593]

This video in incredibly informative. It makes me wonder about the foods I eat. Amazing video!

[@TheHappytaxman]

Interesting as always.

[@suracs]

Nice critique, Hank. Very objective and rational.

[@MuhammadAhmad-el1ny]

wow, can not believe what I just listened it still it is so informative!!

[@mikebrown9773]

Hey Brother, very succinctly put, I love it

[@RobGreenLDN]

Brilliant, especially the summary about moderation which seems to be the simplest of approaches that most ignore.

[@DramaLlamaHorse]

I love that the videos are getting longer.

[@PancakesGoHere]

excelent toppic & video. Thanks!

[@RandomfitsofPanic777]

This pleases me.

[@kshri101]

@7:08 "... then as legend has the student was asked to "test" the product but misheard, tasted it instead!" imagines the scenario - bursts out laughing!!! XD

[@xapemanx]

this is so informative I am so appreciative

[@brycequintana]

Just a dab will do ya. Love it, really dapple.

[@joshuasmith7859]

"So you've got your tongue, or at least I hope you do" I almost spit out my drink 😂

[@carlsagansrevenge3561]

i love u hank green. how many lives will live longer just over this one video.

[@ectomorphosis]

Its funny going back in time and watching 7-Years-Ago-Hank talk cause he almost seems drunk compared to today's videos

[@ManSeaweed]

"will the diet cola give you the cancer; scishow got the answer", hank just make an entire episode of sweet rhymes like that with that funky way

[@angelablack9564]

this is so cool, thank you, I always wondered how sugars and sweeteners work

[@scott98390]

This might sound weird, but I gotta tell ya: Hank, I l-o-v-e LOVE the way you talk. Any pointers for presenting?

[@armphonse]

I don't know why but the way he talks is so engaging!

[@juliecut]

Thanks Hank! I tried to explain this to a friend of mine, with no success. This was very succinct!

[@lukestevens6024]

Never really knew about the ties with Saccharin and Cancer. Great video, once again!

[@mandlatshabalala1378]

What a science presenter! Grate!!!

[@yranac]

"so you've got your tongue, at least I hope you do" hahaha. *instant like*

[@JK-nx9ph]

Very informative!

[@sjoerdwennekes]

Great video Hank! Could you also make one about the laboratory burger? How is it made, could we also do it with chicken or even dinosaur? Those kinds of questions. Cheers!

[@JamesMcDowell]

Dat was a good episode

[@louisaschneider5922]

aspartame turns into formaldehyde when it's at a temperature of 30 degrees celsuis or higher. For those of you who don't know, our body temperature is around 37 degrees celsius and formaldehyde is often used to preserve dead bodies.

[@KemaTheAtheist]

Right. Lasting soreness is a good sign you worked out enough that your body will be triggered to repair and generate new muscle. The "burn" is only a good sign you're working hard though, not muscle build up. It's merely that your muscle was worked enough that all oxygen was used for aerobic energy production and, to keep moving, the cells switched to anaerobic energy production which doesn't use oxygen, but ends in by products that need to be dealt with afterwards, including lactic acid.

[@declanpm8578]

I have learned more from this show in the past week than I have in the many years of attending school.

[@goinupthegranby]

Great video Hank, thank you. Only thing I want to say it that I would have liked if you suggested looking at what other regulatory bodies have to say about artificial sweeteners, as not everyone lives in the US or feels confident about the FDA maintaining a independent science based position.

[@AshlarPhoenix]

“Just a dab’ll do ya” Best. Line. Ever.

[@suracs]

In terms of meat and meat products? Varies with the person, location, expenditure ect. But roughly; a serve of lean red meat 2-3 times a week, a serve of lean poultry/seafood 3-4 times a week, 2-3 serves of dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) a day. Eggs can also be used to replace some of your intake of protein sourced directly from animals.

[@Undecided_]

best channel ever

[@BloodnutXcom]

It's sucrose just like regular white sugar. the difference is that white sugar is completely refined while brown isn't which makes it more "natural". it's like whole grain in breads is a less refined grain than usual (which make white flour). Hope this helped.

[@kimboyle9082]

I think it would be good for you to do a show about Diabetes, Type I and II and how the body processes sugars, carbs, and proteins. I work for an endocrinologist and there are several misconceptions about diabetes. I love your videos and think a show on diabetes would be a great reference for my patients.

[@HungerGamesFan88]

Ask ALL the questions (to science)!

[@fred927chips]

Aww poor kitties :,( I feel so bad for them

[@trochewolniej]

The sweeteners not only trick your brain but also activate the sweet-taste receptors in the gut. So when they may not be metabolized, they can (through receptors, G-proteins and other molecules) interact with enterocytes provoking them to crazy-level expression of glucose transporters. So in the end you absorb even more (around 100-1000x) sugar then eating only sucrose. Source:"Sweet taste receptors in rat small intestine stimulate glucose absorption through apical GLUT2".

[@y2ksw1]

This was a two thumbs up contribution. Also, you spoke a little slower at some point, which made it more pleasant to listen, too :)

[@CannabisUseOnly]

Wow this was great.

[@thes0mething]

I just stopped eating any type of sugar in snacks such as ice cream, sweets, juices, sodas, energy bars, pancakes etc. I don't really care if there is sugar in my food though like it tend to be in a lot of asian foods. It was just supposed to be a test for 2 weeks but I gotta say, now after 2 months that it really makes you feel great. It removes this constant energy high to energy low feeling and you are always feeling well, clear and awake.

[@elelec]

Wow... Nice one

[@LadyFirelyght]

Many kinds of brown sugar are refined sugar that then have molasses added to it. This helps homogenize the end product.

[@FlekyJeky]

Brown sugar is what you get when sucrose (plain old sugar) has molasses mixed in with it. Molasses is a bi-product of getting sugar out of ... whatever you're getting sugar out of. I think generally speaking, "sugar in the raw" or natural cane sugar, the large brownish crystals? That's sugar that still has some molasses on it. But brown sugar as in the clumpy, almost "sand-castle" texture sugar, that tends to be sugar that's had molasses intentionally added TO it after it's been refined.

[@CreationTribe]

Yes! Thank you, uhm thumbs up! You've made my day with this video :)

[@that_jason_black]

6:15 Best sentence I've heard in awhile.

[@ShapeDoppelganger]

About the last warning on the video about the calorie count on the sweet foods, the interesting thing is that in this year it has been found that we have another kind of taste receptor for carb, and with that, we can't trick our brains into swallowing low calories food, as it knows we are not getting enough energy, and when we eat proper food, it also knows.

[@ShaneParkClover]

I hope you don't mind me answering this, but it's a life saving mechanism. Muscles take a lot of calories to maintain (you know with moving and stuff), fat however does not. So in the long term of your body thinking "which of the two should I use keep myself going?" the muscles are the first to go first.

[@Aakos94]

great video thanks

[@inhumanfilth681]

Thank you for expressing concern over the current status of my tongue posession ☺

[@laurapastrana8075]

This is so true thanks for educated this ppl

[@LienturAlcamanCurivil]

6:15 "Thank you slappy chemical technique" LMAO

[@StrangeDuet]

This really supported the opinion I already had on artificial sweeteners, I think. Plus, I had no idea about how they trick your brain! Thanks, Hank :D

[@cambaopa]

Sweet topic. It was reviewed in the last NatGeo Mag. Among other things, it discussed how sugar came into our society historically, and evolutionary speaking. Keep researching, this is a long story and a very important one...

[@getahanddown]

You added the "can't be both fooled and not fooled at the same time by the same thing" part yourself. Those illustrations were used in the clip regarding two different points and yeah I thought you were trying to be obnoxious, understanding the illustration but being picky about something that was fairly well phrased. The beauty of Scishow is the accessibility and the metaphors are used well. I'm from and currently living in Auckland, New Zealand so nowhere near but also very close to the UK ;)

[@Zorbelth]

It's basically the salt NH4Cl. In some countries they consider it to be poison, but Finnish people have been eating it forever and none has ever died from it. (Usually people who have never eaten it before dislike its strong taste and it can create a burny sensation in your mouth.)

[@TheWoodsOfWonderland]

Note: Most of these 0calorie sugar subsitutes in their cut form are -low- calorie because of the products used to bulk them up