Safefood backs WHO guidelines on non-sugar sweeteners' negative impact on weight loss
Diabetes Can A Lead 2 Risk To Of Type Substitutes Sugar
Safefood has welcomed new guidelines from the World Health Organisation which show the use of non-sugar sweeteners has no benefit for losing weight.
The WHO has also said the sweeteners can potentially lead to increased risk of type-2 diabetes or heart conditions as well as increased mortality for adults.
Dr Aileen McGloin, director of nutrition for Safefood, the food safety promotion body for Ireland, said: “We welcome this report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as it strengthens the evidence base in this area.”
However, she also urged anyone who has been using these non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) not to switch back to full-sugar products either.
“To put that in practical terms for people, if someone has moved from a sugary fizzy drink as their drink choice to a ‘diet’ fizzy drink as a way to improving their health, they shouldn’t take this WHO report as an indication to move back to the full-sugar version,” she said.
Common types of NSS highlighted by the WHO include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and stevia derivatives.
Aspartame can be found in table-top sweeteners Equal and NutraSweet, for example.
Sucralose is found in Splenda and acesulfame K is in Canderel tablets.
They are in a variety of common food products. aspartame, for example, is in carbonated soft drinks, yogurt, and chewing gum.
“While the report has found that replacing free (added) sugars with non-sugar sweeteners in foods and drinks does not help with weight management, we should remember there is also a body of research linking sugar intake with increased body weight and other health outcomes,” Dr McGloin said.
She added: “Dental health is also an important consideration when it comes to the sugar we consume as part of our daily diet.”
The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) has said “all low-calorie sweeteners used in Ireland, including aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol and acesulfame K, have been tested and approved safe for human consumption”.
WHO director for nutrition and food safety Francesco Branca said: “Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term.
People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages."
He said the sweeteners have “ no nutritional value” and he recommended people aim to reduce the overall sweetness of their diet altogether.
The guideline advises: “Simply replacing free sugars with NSS results means that the overall quality of the diet is largely unaffected.”
A healthy diet should avoid highly-processed foods and drinks, instead looking for “minimally processed unsweetened foods and beverages”, the WHO said.