Swapping sugar for sweeteners won’t help you lose weight and could cause health problems, say new guidelines from the World Health Organization.
The advice suggests that people should not turn to non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame, found in Diet Coke, to lose weight or to prevent diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Other popular ones are saccharin and stevia.
Instead, they should consider eating foods with naturally occurring sugars, such as fruit, and stick to unsweetened foods and drinks.
The new recommendation is based on a systematic review of evidence that found that the use of non-sugar sweeteners “confers no long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.”
Long-term observational studies suggested that people who consume high levels of sugar alternatives — found in everything from diet drinks to toothpaste — are at greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The advice suggests that people should not turn to non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin or stevia for weight loss or to prevent diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes
But it noted that some clinical studies suggested that replacing sugars with sweeteners could lead to weight loss, but only in the short term.
It warned of “potential unwanted effects” of long-term use of sugar substitutes, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke.
“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help weight management in the long run,” said Francesco Branca, WHO’s director of nutrition and food safety.
“People should consider other ways to reduce free sugar intake, such as consuming foods with naturally occurring sugars, such as fruit, or unsweetened foods and drinks.”
‘NSS are not essential nutritional factors and have no nutritional value.
“People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, early in life, to improve their health.”
While artificial sweeteners are considered safe for human consumption, there is growing concern about their widespread use in foods such as ready meals, cakes and breakfast cereals.
Previous research has suggested that they may have a negative effect on blood sugar control and appetite, ultimately leading to metabolic changes that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
There is also some evidence that some sweeteners affect the balance of gut bacteria, potentially interfering with digestion and nutrient absorption.
Last year, a study of 103,000 French adults concluded that sweeteners are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and “should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar.”
The WHO issued guidelines on sugar intake in 2015, recommending that adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10 percent of their total energy intake.
This spurred interest in sugar alternatives, experts said, with the latest recommendations following a review of data from 283 studies in adults, children, pregnant women or mixed populations.
The latest recommendations include low- or no-calorie synthetic sweeteners and natural extracts, which may or may not be chemically modified, such as acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and stevia derivatives.
The guidelines — often used as a yardstick by officials when setting health policy — should apply to all people except those with pre-existing diabetes, they say.
But industry insiders say they’ve “gone too far,” and nutritionists suggest the new advice shouldn’t be interpreted as a push back toward sugar.
Dr. Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian from Aston Medical School, said they “might still have a place as a transitional or springboard” for helping people reduce sugar intake.
He said: ‘This report highlights that universal replacement of sugar with sweeteners is not necessarily ideal as this alone is unlikely to improve diet quality and produce the necessary changes to control weight in the long term .
“It’s probably best not to stick with sugars to avoid sweeteners — the answer is to try and cut back on sugar intake.” For some, that might be using small amounts of sweeteners in food and drink as a way to reduce overall sugar intake.”
Dr. Ian Johnson, a nutrition researcher at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, said: ‘A better alternative to using artificial sweeteners is to reduce the consumption of manufactured products containing free sugars, such as sugar-sweetened drinks, by avoiding raw or lightly processed fruit. to use. as a source of sweetness, and perhaps, in the longer term, to diminish one’s overall taste for sweetness.’
Bob Peterson, president of the International Sweeteners Association, said sweeteners were key to lowering sugar levels, in line with previous WHO recommendations.
He said: ‘Food and beverage companies have reformulated their products as part of a comprehensive, global effort to meet public health recommendations for sugar reduction.
“Low- or no-calorie sweeteners have enabled this innovation and ultimately contribute to creating healthier food environments by allowing people to enjoy foods and drinks with less sugar and fewer calories, while still meeting their taste preferences.”