Non-sugar sweeteners seem to offer no “statistically or clinically relevant” benefit for most health outcomes, according to a systematic review published in The BMJ.
The review, undertaken to help the World Health Organization create guidelines on use of the substances, examined 56 studies conducted among generally healthy people, some of whom were overweight or obese.
The researchers found that artificial sweeteners conveyed no weight-loss advantage in adults when compared with sugars or placebo. The evidence used in these comparisons was judged to be of “very low certainty” — a common judgment of the evidence for most other outcomes, including glycemic and blood pressure control.
The authors lament that the available research on the topic used small samples and followed subjects too briefly. They also observe that few studies “reported sufficient information on the intervention, comparator, and outcomes.”
Source: NEJM Journal Watch
