artificial sweeteners might not be all bad: study

few commonly used ingredients have been as villainized as artificial sweeteners . the collection of too-good-to-be-true sugar substitutes have been mired by a multitude of studies of the years, from indications that they may be more addictive than cocaine , that daily intake may rise risk of developing type 2 diabetes or that the compounds may impact the gut biome .

the meta-analysis , published in jama network open on monday, looked at 17 clinical trials that replaced sugar-sweetened beverages (ssbs) with either water or low/no-calorie sweetened beverages (lncsbs). overall, the authors noted that substituting ssbs with lncsbs was associated with a reduction in body weight, body fat content and bmi. when studies replaced water with lncsbs, the outcome was “neutral,” compared to previous studies that found an association between artificial sweeteners and weight gain.

“universally, everyone is recommending a reduction of sugar … what’s the best way to replace it?” sievenpiper told cnn . “ … you’ve got a choice, and i think that’s important for a lot of people that they have that.”

please drink responsibly

this study comes at a critical time, as new research indicates that over-consumption of sugar and the resulting health effects put an extra $5 billion burden on canada’s health care system in 2019. if canadians cut back their sugar intake to no more than five per cent of daily caloric intake, the rates of type 2 diabetes could be reduced by 44.8 per cent.

while health canada approves certain sugar substitutes as safe to eat, the government body also recommends canadians limit how much they consume each day.

if a doctor has recommended cutting back on unhealthy or sugary foods, experts warn against using diet soda as a reason to indulge. for example, avoid the “’i’m drinking diet soda, so it’s ok to have cake,'” mentality, writes holly strawbridge, former editor of harvard health .

study specifics