If you’ve ever tried to lose weight or cut calories, you’re probably familiar with alternative sweeteners.

Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS), also known as artificial sweeteners, are natural or man-made (synthetic) compounds that usually taste sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). NNS became widely used as sugar substitutes starting in the early 1900s. They gained popularity because they make food and beverages taste as good as their sugary counterparts and, at most, only add a few calories.