POINT: Artificial Sweeteners and Obesity-Not the Solution and Potentially a Problem

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Health and Endocrinology
• Nutritional Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) are widely used as sugar substitutes to reduce calorie intake.
• Their widespread adoption assumes inherent health benefits, particularly for weight management.
• A critical review of existing data is needed to validate these assumptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically analyze the scientific literature on the health effects of commonly used nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS).
• To evaluate the long-term and neurohormonal impacts of NNS consumption.
• To assess the efficacy of NNS in managing weight and related metabolic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a comprehensive literature review of studies on various NNS (saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, stevia, etc.).
• Focused on research examining long-term health outcomes and neurohormonal effects.
• Included keywords such as 'artificial sweeteners', 'nonnutritive sweeteners', and specific NNS names.

Main Results:

• NNS demonstrated no significant benefit, or minimal benefit, compared to caloric sweeteners, especially in individuals with obesity or pre-diabetes.
• Consistent evidence indicated detrimental effects on neurohormonal regulation of satiety, weight, and energy balance.
• Studies showing neutral or positive results were often industry-funded or conducted on healthy individuals over short durations.

Conclusions:

• Rigorous review reveals limited benefits and potential harms of NNS, challenging their ubiquitous use.
• NNS may negatively impact the gut microbiome, promoting inflammation.
• Long-term NNS use can disrupt neurohormonal control of satiety, potentially worsening obesity and related diseases like hypertension and diabetes.