WHO says to stop using artificial sweeteners for weight loss, it’s linked to high risk of diabetes, heart disease

Why has it made such a recommendation?

The WHO said that a scientific review of existing evidence found that consumption of such sweeteners was also linked to an increased risk of Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in the long run. Some low certainty data also linked the use of such artificial sweeteners to bladder cancer and preterm birth when consumed by pregnant women.

“Because weight loss and maintenance of healthy weight must be sustained over the long term to have a meaningful impact on health, evidence of minor weight loss or reduced BMI over several months or less, as observed in the … trials, without additional evidence of long term impact, does not represent a health benefit,” WHO said in its report.

WHO highlights that non sugar sweeteners are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. Hence, people should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.

Has the WHO made this recommendation to a specific group?

No. This recommendation of WHO of not consuming non-sugar sweeteners for weight loss applies to all individuals except those with pre-existing diabetes.

“Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners 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,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety, in a release.

Is this the first such red flag on artificial sweeteners?

No. New research by Cleveland Clinic, published in Nature Medicine, has shown that Erythritol, a popular artificial sweetener, is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Researchers studied over 4,000 people in the US and Europe and found that those with higher blood Erythritol levels were at elevated risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event such as heart attack, stroke, or death.

Prof K. Srinath Reddy, a Distinguished Professor of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), considers the findings significant enough. “This study highlights the dangers of artificial sweeteners in increasing the risk of cardiovascular events by correlating them with metabolic studies of such chemicals in circulating blood. A rise in the risk of incidence of cardiovascular disease-related death, heart attacks or strokes with Erythritol, in stable patients, indicates that consumption of artificial sweeteners carries a major health risk. The mechanism by which the risk is increased has also been elucidated by supplementary studies in healthy volunteers. Erythritol activates platelets, the blood cells which cause clots when they clump together. Such aggregation of platelets blocks blood flow in blood vessels in different parts of the body. When that happens in blood vessels supplying blood to the heart or brain, fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events occur. Since the presence or levels of such artificial sweeteners are not revealed on packages of processed foods, it is far safer to consume natural foods and also avoid using sugar substitutes,” he says.