Artificial sweeteners won’t help with weight loss and may raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sugar substitutes such as stevia, aspartame and sucralose do not help people lose weight in the long run and may instead pose health risks, the World Health Organization has warned.A systematic review of the available evidence “suggests that use of NSS [non-sugar sweeteners] does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children,” the WHO said in a statement.“Results of the review also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults,” it added.
Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said replacing sugars with artificial sweeteners “does not help with weight control in the long term,” and instead, “people need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intakes, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages”.Artificial sweeteners are “not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value,” Branca emphasised.
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