Many of the foods and drinks we regularly consume will be sweetened using artificial sweeteners, designed to give the sweet taste we all enjoy they are used as a sugar alternative but have almost no calories.

The idea was that they could help reduce calorie consumption and help people lose weight or allow people to indulge in something sweet without gaining weight or developing diseases such as diabetes and tooth decay. Over the past few decades a whole range of low calorie soft drinks and food products have been created, and people switched to artificial sweeteners to put in tea or coffee instead of sugar.

However, their use has become more controversial in recent years and their potential health benefits, in terms of cutting down on calories and aiding weight loss, have been under scrutiny. Now the World Health Organisation has issued new guidance urging people not to use non-sugar sweeteners as a tool for weight control.

Low calorie artificial sweeteners can be found across a wide range of products on the supermarket shelves – from drinks, sweets, cakes, desserts, ready-made meals, chewing gum and toothpaste – they are consumed by millions daily. In addition, many people will use non-sugar sweeteners in their own cooking and drinks as a sugar alternative, believing that less sugar is better for weight loss and health. After a review of the data the World Health Organisation and other global health leaders are now advising against their use.

Artificial sweeteners are marketed as a tool to help people lose weight or prevent them from putting on weight. Given we have a significant problem with obesity and Type 2 diabetes in the UK, non-sugar sweeteners would potentially be an attractive alternative to sugar for a lot of people.

But in recent years there has been a growing concern that far from aiding weight loss sweeteners are associated with a rising numbers of people who are overweight or obese as well as increases in cases of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and tooth decay. As a result, the World Health Organisation undertook a review into 283 studies that have been conducted into the impact of artificial sweeteners and concluded that the use of non-sugar sweeteners does not offer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children, although they may in the short-term lead to some weight loss if they help to reduce overall calorie intake.

This report highlights that replacing sugar with sweeteners is not necessarily ideal and on its own will not help with reducing or controlling weight. The report suggests this is because sugar replacement alone is unlikely to bring about the necessary improvements in diet to lead to longer term weight management and better health outcomes.
Instead, people are advised to change their diets and reduce sugar consumption by switching to other sources of natural sugars such as fruit, and gradually retrain tastebuds to not crave sugary foods leading to lifelong changes in habits.

Whilst replacing sugar with sweeteners can reduce calories in food and drink there have been growing concerns about their effects on the body and whether they do actually prevent obesity and related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.

Although the data is not yet conclusive, there has been some studies which suggested that some non-sugar sweeteners, such as saccharin, may cause changes in the gut bacteria, which in turn can lead to glucose intolerance which is one of the first steps towards diabetes in adults.

There is increasing interest in our gut bacteria and the role it plays in our overall health from weight control, aiding digestion of foods, our immune system and even mental health. Gut bacteria need a wide range of foods such as fibre, fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy population of good bacteria, and processed foods and artificial foods may have a detrimental effect on these microbes, (non-sugar sweeteners are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value).

This is a growing area of research, but scientists are finding more links between our gut health and our overall health. In addition, there is some evidence that consuming non-sugar sweeteners, such as in low calorie fizzy drinks, actually stimulates hunger responses and makes you crave more food.

Whilst the World Health Organisation has advised that artificial sweeteners may not aid weight loss the food industry has stated that these products have been tested and researched for food safety standards for many years.

An International Sweeteners Association spokesperson said: “Low/no calorie sweeteners are one of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in the world and continue to be a helpful tool to manage obesity, diabetes and dental diseases… They offer consumers an alternative to reduce sugar and calorie intake with the sweet taste they know and expect.”

For some artificial sweeteners may be a good alternative to use as a transitional period to reduce sugar consumption, especially if they have a high sugar diet that needs changing. However, non-sugar sweeteners are often many times sweeter than sugar and can lead to craving sweeter foods.

Instead of relying on using sweeteners as a long-term option, changes in diet and gradually moving to less sweet tasting foods seems better for maintaining long-term health issues such as weight, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and tooth decay.

Rachel Kayani