Sugar substitute

[rmbroadh]

Are there any sugar substitutes that do not trigger RLS?

[SueJohnson]

Some people find sugar substitutes makes their RLS worse but most don't. Others will I am sure reply to tell you which ones bother them.

[rmbroadh in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks Sue

[restlegs1 in reply to rmbroadh]

I use coconut sugar, maple syrup, and rice malt syrup. I live with irritable bowel syndrome and find that following a low fodmap diet keeps my symptoms under control. These three substances don't bring on RLS symptoms for me, but you would need to try them yourself, as there is so much variation between people in just about anything to do with RLS. I can't take Stevia or Monk fruit - both send my IBS symptoms into overdrive. If I were a betting person, I would wager that maple syrup and rice malt syrup would be the least likely to exacerbate RLS symptoms.

[Birdland]

I only use Monk Fruit. It does not trigger my RLS but it is expensive. I used Stevia for a while which didn't trigger RLS but it gave me headaches. Monk Fruit and Stevia are both natural. No way I can use aspartame.

[rmbroadh in reply to Birdland]

Thanks for responding. I read an article that said something about chemicals in Stevia blocking dopamine. Wish I liked my coffeeblack and sugarless!

[Birdland in reply to rmbroadh]

I hadn't heard about stevia and dopamine so I looked it up and found that information. It's interesting that there are additives in many of the stevia products available, so it seems like much of the time you get more than just the stevia extract itself. But that's a different topic. As for the dopamine issue, I'm wondering if a few drops in coffee is enough to affect dopamine. I used to use a lot of it and can't say I noticed difference in my RLS symptoms. It just gave me horrible headaches. Now I only use Lakanto brand Monk Fruit sweetener drops which only has purified water, monk fruit extract and natural citrus extract. I am very happy with this and don't believe it triggers my RLS.