According to a new report by the organisation, synthetic sweeteners are no different from sugar when it comes to helping prevent weight gain and obesity. If you're using non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) in a bid to lose weight or reduce the risk of some diseases, forget it. World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new guidelines around artificial sweeteners after it found NSS might be doing more harm than good.
In fact, prolonged NSS use was found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults. In other words, ditch the Diet Coke. Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety explains, "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. NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health."
"NSS are no-calorie or low-calorie artificial and natural sweeteners that have been developed as an alternative to sugars," WHO explains. They are widely used as ingredients in pre-packaged foods and beverages and are added to foods and beverages by consumers (9–11). NSS includes synthetically derived chemicals and natural extracts that may or may not be chemically modified. Because of their ability to impart sweet taste without calories, some argue that they can help to prevent overweight and obesity."
A study released earlier this year found that a sweetener popular in keto diets, erythritol, has been linked to strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, and death. Branca added that the WHO’s stance is solely meant for people using the sweeteners to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle.
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