The World Health Organization warns against artificial sweeteners. People looking to lose weight should skip sugar-free sweeteners, according to new guidance published by the WHO.
The same recommendation to avoid the use of sugar-free sweeteners applies to those who want to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.
Sugar-free sweeteners include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and stevia derivatives.
There are no benefits to sweeteners and there are possible unwanted effects
According to the WHO, there is available evidence to suggest that the use of sugar-free sweeteners does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.
“Replacing free sugars with artificial sweeteners does not help with long-term weight control,” says Francesco Branca, WHO director of Nutrition and Food Safety. “Sweeteners are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value,” adds Branca.
One more reason to avoid consuming sugar-free sweeteners is the possible unwanted effects of long-term consumption. Among the negative effects that the WHO review points out, there is an increased risk of: type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mortality in adults.
Other ways to reduce added sugar intake
Health experts recommend considering other ways to reduce your intake of free sugars, such as eating foods with natural sugars, such as fruit or sugar-free foods and beverages.
For Branca, people should reduce the consumption of added sugar from the diet completely, starting early in life.
The WHO recommendation to avoid the use of sugar-free sweeteners applies to all people, except people with pre-existing diabetes, and includes all synthetic and natural or modified non-nutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars found in in manufactured foods and beverages, or sold alone to be added to foods and beverages.
This WHO recommendation to avoid sugar-free sweeteners does not apply to personal care and hygiene products containing these ingredients, such as toothpaste, skin cream, and medicines, nor to low-calorie sugars and sugar alcohols ( polyols), which are sugars or sugar derivatives that contain calories and are therefore not considered sugar-free sweeteners.
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