Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Feb 05, 2025

WHO warns against long-term health risks of artificial sweeteners

WHO warns against long-term health risks of artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners won’t help with weight loss and may raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

Sugar substitutes such as stevia, aspartame and sucralose do not help people lose weight in the long run and may instead pose health risks, the World Health Organization has warned.

A systematic review of the available evidence "suggests that use of NSS [non-sugar sweeteners] does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children,” the WHO said in a statement.

“Results of the review also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults,” it added.

Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said replacing sugars with artificial sweeteners "does not help with weight control in the long term,” and instead, “people need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intakes, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages”.

Artificial sweeteners are “not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value,” Branca emphasised.

“People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health”.

Last year, a large study in France flagged a possible link between artificial sweeteners and an increased risk of cancer. And national health organisations such as Canada’s have long warned that zero-calorie or low-calorie sugar substitutes are neither necessary nor helpful.


Aspartame, stevia, sucralose all targeted


“Sugar substitutes do not need to be consumed to reduce the intake of free sugars,” the guidelines say, adding that, because “there are no well-established health benefits associated with the intake of sweeteners, nutritious foods and beverages that are unsweetened should be promoted instead”.

The WHO discourages the consumption of “all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified non-nutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars found in manufactured foods and beverages, or sold on their own to be added to foods and beverages by consumers”.

That includes acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia and stevia derivatives.

The recommendations do not apply to personal care and hygiene products containing NSS, such as toothpaste, skin cream, and medications, or to low-calorie sugars and sugar alcohols (polyols). These sugars or sugar derivatives do contain calories - they are therefore not considered sugar substitutes - and are commonly present in various food products such as sugar-free chewing gum and sugar-free candy.


New guidance sparks criticism


WHO’s new guidance applies to all people except those with pre-existing diabetes.

However, WHO emphasised it had been assessed “as conditional” due to the diversity of participants in the studies that formed the basis for its conclusions, as well as the very complex consumption habits of sugar-free sweeteners.

Some nutrition experts have quickly jumped in to point these out, saying the new guidelines were largely based on observational studies that do not establish a direct link between sweeteners and weight control.

First of all, it is important to understand the WHO’s advice “is to governments and policymakers, not to individuals,” said Tom Sanders, a professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London.

However, because of the way they have been presented, people are taking these recommendations as direct advice, he told Euronews Next, adding he expects them to create “a lot of confusion amongst consumers”.

“On one hand, they are being told by government, ‘avoid sugar-sweetened beverages,’ and on the other, ’well, actually you shouldn't be drinking artificial sweeteners’”.

The WHO’s review “does not really show any definite adverse effects, and they do sort of miss out on quite an important one, which is dental caries in children,” Sanders added, noting there is “clear evidence” that replacing sugar sweeteners does help with dental care.

Sanders criticised the guidance for not taking into account “the real-world situation,” particularly in the field of dietetics.

“Sometimes what you're trying to do is get people to control their weight, which is to reduce their calorie intake, and it can help if people are drinking a full sugary drink to switch to a reduced-calorie drink or zero-calorie drink,” he explained.

Indeed, artificial sweeteners have no nutritional value, but a lot of other things in our diet, like tea or coffee, also don’t, he said, “but, you know, people drink them rather than just drink water because they like the taste of it”.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spain Endorses Initiative to Cut Working Week to 37.5 Hours
Australia Prohibits DeepSeek AI on Government Devices Due to Security Issues
Trump Warns of Tariffs on EU Products, Labels Bloc an 'Atrocity' in Trade Matters
Zelenskyy Proposes Nuclear Arsenal if NATO Membership Lingers.
Zelenskyy Urges for 'Robust Security Assurances' from Russia to Conclude the Conflict in Ukraine
European Union Proposes Reforms to 1951 Refugee Convention
China's humanoid robots poised to transform everyday living and spiritual functions.
Changes in US tariffs on Chinese products could affect consumers more significantly than they do China.
How Innovations in China's Humanoid Robots Ignite Fierce Competition with the US
Germany Experiences 34% Decrease in Asylum Applications During Migration Discussion
Experts Challenge Conviction of UK Nurse Lucy Letby for Baby Killings
AfD Chief Alice Weidel Enhances Global Standing Through Meeting with Viktor Orban
Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party Leads Poll Amid Growing Public Demand for Change
Conor Murphy Steps Down as Northern Ireland Economy Minister to Join Irish Parliament
Over 1 Million Face Penalties After Missing HMRC Self-Assessment Tax Deadline
Scottish Government Denies Plans to Ban Cat Ownership Amid Controversy
Bridget Phillipson Urges Parents to Prioritize School Attendance Amid Rising Absence Rates
Keir Starmer Advocates for Stronger UK-EU Security Partnership in Brussels
Six English Councils Granted Permission to Raise Council Tax Bills Above Cap Amid Financial Struggles
Keir Starmer Faces Growing Backlash Over Potential Approval of Rosebank Oilfield
AI Consciousness Raises Ethical Concerns, Say Experts
Families Urge NHS England to Release Full Report on Nottingham Triple Homicide
NHS Initiates Largest AI Trial for Breast Cancer Detection
UK Tightens Regulations on Online Sales of Weight-Loss Injections
Gambling Ads Shown to Parents on Baby Monitor App, Raising Concerns
Ancient Irish Rainforests at Risk Due to the Growth of Monoculture Plantations
EU Leaders Deliberate on Defense Strategy Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
EU Leaders Convene Important Summit on Defense in Response to Rising Tensions
Trump Directs Establishment of U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund, Considers TikTok Purchase
Britain Considers U.S. Gas Imports in Response to Possible Trump Tariffs
French Prime Minister Bayrou Confronts Several No-Confidence Votes Regarding the 2025 Budget
Shutdown of USAID Headquarters in Light of U.S. Government Reduction Initiatives
President Trump Launches Establishment of U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund with Possible TikTok Purchase
Investigation Launched Following Viral Video of Bodybuilder's Airport Prank
Cooling Blankets: A Remedy for Those Who Sleep Hot or Just a Marketing Ploy?
Trump Wins Again as Canada Agrees to Strengthen Border Security
Trump Seeks Rare Minerals from Ukraine in Exchange for U.S. Support
EU Leaders Reach Consensus to Increase Defence Expenditure in Response to Growing Security Threats
UK Business Confidence Declines Amid Economic Uncertainty, Lloyds Survey Shows
Abhishek Sharma's Century Secures India a 4-1 T20 Series Win Over England
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks at Chequers.
Australian soccer sensation Sam Kerr confronts a racial abuse trial in London.
Lloyds and Barclays Bank Customers Experience Service Outages
Thames Water Seeks Court Approval for £3 Billion Rescue Plan Amid Crisis
UK Manufacturing Activity Contracts for Fourth Consecutive Month in January, PMI Shows
Ex-British Soldier Receives Sentence for Espionage on Behalf of Iran and Fleeing Custody
Emergency Crews Deployed on Santorini as Earthquake Swarm Raises Concerns
Wall Street Journal Criticizes Trump's Trade War with Canada and Mexico
Trump Freezes Tariffs on Mexico After Agreement on Border Security
Nearly 96% of New Cars Registered in Norway in January Were Electric
×