Global Courant 2023-05-22 15:37:32
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Review suggests there may be ‘undesirable effects’ of long-term use of sweeteners, such as increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and death in adults
Author of the article:
The Telegraph
Lizzie Roberts
Published on May 22, 2023 • Last updated 8 minutes ago • Read for 4 minutes
Photo by CNW Group/Calorie Control Council
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Artificial sweeteners do not help you lose weight and may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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New guidelines from the UN agency advise against using sugar-free sweeteners (NSS) to control body weight or reduce the risk of certain diseases.
Instead of switching to sweeteners, the public should consider other ways to reduce their sugar intake, such as consuming foods with naturally occurring sugars such as fruit, according to the WHO.
The recommendation is based on findings from a systematic review of evidence suggesting that the use of artificial sweeteners does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat for adults or children.
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The review also suggested that there may be “undesirable effects” of long-term use of sweeteners, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and death in adults.
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The recommendation comes on the heels of the introduction of the sugar tax on soft drinks in the UK, which would incentivize manufacturers to reduce the sugar content of their drinks.
Under the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, sugar substitutes such as stevia, aspartame and sucralose – which are mentioned in the WHO guideline – are not included, meaning manufacturers can reformulate their drinks with these sweeteners to avoid the charge.
The latest figures suggest that around 2.2 million people in Britain use artificial sweeteners four or more times a day.
Tax prevents overweight
A study published in the journal PLOS Medicine earlier this year suggested that the tax may have prevented more than 5,000 young girls from becoming obese.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that the introduction of the levy in 2018 coincided with an 8 percent drop in obesity among sixth grade girls. However, there was no significant association between the charge and obesity level for sixth year boys.
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Commenting on the new guidelines, Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said: “Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help weight management in the long run. 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 dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.
The recommendations apply to all people except those with pre-existing diabetes.
Further research needed
The WHO review also says further research is needed into the effects on children and pregnant women, with the latter possibly experiencing “adverse effects” after consuming sweeteners in relation to their babies’ birth weight.
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Artificial sweeteners are considered safe, but are not recommended in most dietary guidelines as a simple swap for sugars, say experts, including those from the British Dietetic Association (BDA).
Dr. Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior lecturer at Aston University, said the WHO report focused heavily on observational studies that can only show a link between artificial sweeteners and health outcomes, rather than clinical trials that better show causal relationships.
“In the case of sweeteners, a number of studies have shown that they can help with weight management, while observational studies may not show a link between sweeteners and weight management,” said Dr. Mellor.
“The reason observational studies don’t suggest a benefit from switching to sweeteners could be that people trying to lose weight may choose sweeteners, so by observation alone it seems that those who use sweeteners tend to to be overweight – something called reverse causality.
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Overall, however, this report highlights that universal replacement of sugar with sweeteners is not necessarily ideal, as it alone is unlikely to improve diet quality and produce the necessary changes to control weight in the long term. to hold.”
Tom Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics, King’s College London, said randomized controlled trials have shown that when sugar-sweetened drinks are replaced with artificially sweetened ones, they prevent unhealthy weight gain in children.
“In my view, this advice, which is mainly based on a zero effect of artificial sweeteners on weight gain, is likely to create a great deal of confusion in the public health arena, as the UK’s sugar levy requires drink manufacturers to replace some or all of the sugar with artificial sweeteners. “, he said.
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A spokesperson for the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) said: “The ISA joins others, including relevant government agencies around the world who have responded to the public consultation on the draft guideline and express concern about the conclusions and rationale of the WHO.
Indeed, ISA agrees with the UK Office for Health Improvement and Disparities who noted that ‘the guidance may go too far’ and with the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care who wrote that ‘the recommendation may lead to adverse health outcomes for some individuals ‘. .’”
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