Non-sugar sweeteners, such as saccharin and stevia, should not be used to control body weight, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday (May 15).
The recommendation includes all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified sweeteners that are not classified as sugars, the WHO said in its new guideline.
Sweeteners are low- or no-calorie alternatives to sugar and are generally marketed as aiding with weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.
They include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia and stevia derivatives.
WHO’s recommendation does not apply to people with pre-existing diabetes.
In its advisory, the WHO also warned against the use of such sweeteners to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases like hypertension and heart disease.
NO LONG-TERM BENEFIT IN REDUCING FAT
The use of non-sugar sweeteners does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children, said the WHO in its recommendation, which is based on the findings of a “systematic review of the available evidence”.
Results of the review also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of sweeteners, including the increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mortality in adults.
“Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners does not help with weight control in the long term,” said Francesco Branca, WHO’s director for nutrition and food safety.
These sweeteners are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value.
“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.
They should also reduce the amount of sweet food in their diet, Dr Branca said.
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